by Gerri Hill
“Yeah. Of course. And if I’d stayed at college there, I’d have been a teacher.” She laughed. “Now that would have been a disaster.”
“So see? It all worked out. You’ve got your job, your fancy office. You’ve got a partner in your life. I’ve got...I’ve got a thriving business and a small group of very good friends. And I love living on the coast.” Gina shrugged. “See? It worked out.”
“Did it?” she whispered. She had a job she hated and an imaginary lover she created so Gina wouldn’t know she was still single. Gina at least had a job she loved, in a city she loved. But she too had no lover. Had it really worked out?
“Come on. We have a few hours before the shindig tonight. I’d love to see your mother.”
“Mom?”
“Yeah. Do you think she’d mind?”
“No. No, she would love to see you.” Ashleigh paused at the car. “Let me just call her. Make sure she’s home.”
“Okay. Great.”
Ashleigh walked a few steps away from the car. Her mother answered on the second ring. “Hey, Mom. You remember Gina Granbury?”
“Of course, honey.” Her mother laughed. “We just talked about her, didn’t we?”
Ashleigh rolled her eyes. “Well, she’s here. You know, for the reunion. She wants to see you. Do you mind if we drop by?” She glanced into the car, seeing Gina watching her.
“Oh, good. Bring her by. It’ll be nice to see her again.”
Ashleigh cleared her throat. “Okay...and just so you know, I’ve been seeing Faith for, well, for the last several years.”
“Who?”
Ashleigh bit her lip. “Faith.” She glanced back to Gina, hoping she couldn’t hear.
“Faith? Well why haven’t you brought her around?”
“Mom, just work with me here, okay?”
“You’re seeing someone and you don’t even bother to let us know.”
“Mother...just go with me, okay. Jesus. How hard is it?”
“What are you talking about?”
Ashleigh sighed. “We’ll be right over.”
“Wow. So many memories here,” Gina said as she stared at the house.
“Did you go by your old place?”
She shook her head. “No. My own house was so sterile. My dad was gone all the time. My mom, well, I don’t know what she did. But here, here it was a normal house, with kids and laughter. I love the time I spent here.”
Ashleigh led the way up the walk. “Yes, nearly every weekend.”
“Yeah. Fighting for pizza with Mark and Courtney. Then going to your room and locking the door.” She grinned. “And then—”
“I remember exactly what happened. We don’t need to go there.”
Gina laughed. “So I shouldn’t tell your mother?”
“That we were having sex two doors down from them? Let’s don’t.” She knocked once, then opened the front door. “Mom?”
“In the kitchen, honey.”
“It doesn’t look the same,” Gina said as they went toward the kitchen. “Didn’t there used to be a wall there?”
“Yes. She likes to redecorate, remodel, change things around. I’m surprised they haven’t just sold and built a new house as much as she likes change.”
Her mother smiled broadly when she saw Gina, immediately pulling her into a hug. “Oh, my goodness, look at you,” she said. “You’re absolutely beautiful, Gina. My, my, but you turned out to be a looker.”
Ashleigh laughed at the blush Gina now sported. But Gina recovered quickly, kissing her mother on the cheek.
“You look as lovely as I remember, Mrs. Pence.”
“Oh, you’re too kind. But you always were a charmer. Wasn’t she, Ashleigh?”
Ashleigh’s eyes flew to Gina’s. What did she mean by that comment? But she nodded, “Yes, she was a charmer, all right.”
“I made us some refreshments. Let’s go out to the patio. It’s not so terribly hot today.”
Ashleigh eyed the pitcher. “I forgot to tell you,” she said to Gina. “My mother has turned into an afternoon lush.”
Her mother laughed and waved her hand dismissively. “Call it what you want, honey, but your father likes it.” She poured three glasses. “He says it makes me wild.”
It was Ashleigh’s turn to blush. “We didn’t need to know that.”
“Sex after sixty is quite good, Ashleigh.”
“And we really didn’t need to know that.” She picked up one of the glasses, then motioned to the patio. “Shall we?”
They settled under the ceiling fan on the patio and Ashleigh watched as Gina surveyed the backyard, her gaze landing on the pristine pool. She wondered if Gina remembered the nights they’d sneak down after everyone was asleep. They’d shed their clothes and slip into the dark end of the pool...touching, kissing. And sometimes, when the kissing and touching wasn’t enough, Gina would lead her from the pool into the shadows, making love to her as Ashleigh struggled to stand, struggled to keep quiet as she climaxed.
She caught Gina’s eye, holding her gaze, knowing she was reliving the same memories as Ashleigh.
“Tell me what you’ve been up to, Gina,” her mother coaxed. “I run into Lou every once in a while. She says you’re down in Corpus.”
“Yes. I’ve been there several years now. I love it down there. I should thank you for allowing me to go on vacation with you way back when. That was my first introduction to the coast.”
“That’s funny how that worked out, isn’t it? I don’t believe Ashleigh has been back down there since you two were seniors.”
“Really?” Gina looked at her. “Why not?”
“Well, I’ve just been busy,” she said. She sipped from her drink, hoping they weren’t expecting more of an explanation.
“Yes. I suppose when you’re in a relationship, you have to take the other person into account. Does she not like the coastal area?”
Her mother frowned. “She who?”
“Faith,” Gina said.
“Oh, yes, Faith. Of course, we’ve never met her. You’d think—”
“Mother,” Ashleigh said sternly, “Gina doesn’t want to hear about Faith.”
Gina leaned forward. “I’d love to hear about her. I’m wondering what kind of woman finally captured your heart.”
“Yes, so would I,” her mother said.
Ashleigh felt her face turn red and she picked up her glass again quickly. “I don’t care to discuss my love life in front of my mother, thank you very much.”
“So you’ve not met her?” Gina asked her mother, ignoring her.
“No. In fact, just today is the first I’ve heard of her.”
“Oh, good God,” Ashleigh said. “Can we talk about something else?” She grabbed the bridge of her nose and squeezed. Inventing Faith was a mistake, no doubt. But bringing Gina over to see her mother? What were you thinking? She drained the last of her margarita and held up the glass. “Who wants seconds?”
“My, talk about a lush,” her mother murmured.
Chapter Twenty-One
Present Day
Gina stood naked in her room, eyeing the clothes she’d laid out on the bed. While the dinner and dance wasn’t deemed formal, Crissy advised it was a dress-up affair. However, this was Calloway. Not all “dress-up” rules applied here. Especially if you weren’t all that fond of dressing up in the first place.
The black jeans with the nice leather boots is what Gina wanted to wear. What she knew she should wear was the fancy suit Tracy had picked out for her. Would it be considered a fashion faux pas if she mixed the silky turquoise blouse of the suit with the tight black jeans? Gina decided she didn’t care. She wasn’t really a suit kind of gal. She was simply letting Tracy play dress-up with her when they’d gone shopping.
She glanced at her watch, knowing she had another half an hour before they were to meet at the bar for pre-dinner drinks. Then dinner and dancing. And a brunch tomorrow for those who wanted, then they would all disperse and go on with their
lives. Of course, Gina hadn’t spent much time talking to anyone other than Ashleigh and a few short conversations with Crissy. She’d had a brief—and awkward—encounter with Jennifer, the girl famous for her swim parties. Gina didn’t recognize her as she was just a few ounces shy of three hundred pounds now. Divorced with two kids, she still lived in Calloway. That was the extent of their conversation and Gina escaped back to the safety of Ashleigh’s company.
Which was ironic, seeing as how she’d been dreading meeting up with Ashleigh again. She couldn’t believe they’d actually discussed the breakup. More than that, she was shocked by Ashleigh’s claim that she and the cute little blonde hadn’t been lovers. Oh, Gina believed her. Ashleigh had no reason to lie about it now. She just couldn’t believe she’d let herself get set up like that, let herself believe it was true, let her insecurities catch up with her. Ashleigh claimed to have hated Gina all these years. Well, the feeling was mutual. Gina had lived with the thought that Ashleigh had cheated on her, had lived with the feeling that she wasn’t quite good enough for Ashleigh, whether it be sex or whatever. All these years she believed that Ashleigh had found her lacking and had turned to someone else.
All these wasted years.
Well, at least Ashleigh had been able to finally move on. If she and Faith had been together a handful of years, then maybe she’d found her true love. It was odd though that she hadn’t even introduced Faith to her parents.
Gina sighed. Yes, all these wasted years. She’d like to think that maybe now—now that they’d cleared the air about what had happened—she’d be able to move on and perhaps let someone into her life again, into her heart. Not that she’d been intentionally keeping them out, she just hadn’t given anyone a fair chance. Because in the back of her mind, in the back of her heart, she was still comparing everyone she met with Ashleigh. She was still trying to find that magic she’d had with Ashleigh, even though she knew she’d probably never find it again.
Ashleigh stared at herself in the mirror, wondering if she dared to wear the black strapless dress or not. She had to admit it looked wonderful on her, clinging to her curves, the front cut low, revealing far too much cleavage for Calloway. She spun around, grinning at her reflection as the dress lifted, exposing her tanned thighs. Yeah, she dared.
Mainly because she wanted to see Gina’s reaction.
But that was wrong, wasn’t it? Because there was Faith. And what kind of message would that send?
I don’t care.
Yes, truth was, she didn’t care. Because there wasn’t Faith. However, did she really want to play with fire and actually flirt with Gina? That could be very dangerous.
“Oh, hell,” she muttered as she grabbed her cell. She was about to call Pam but put the phone down quickly. Why was she calling Pam for advice? Pam would encourage her, not try to talk some sense into her. “Why does she have to be single? And why does she have to be so damn gorgeous?”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Twenty years earlier
“You look beautiful, honey.”
Ashleigh rolled her eyes as her mother surveyed her after hooking the string of pearls around her neck.
“So does this mean you and James are dating?”
“We’re not dating, Mom. I just agreed to go to the prom with him, that’s all.” Another decision she was certain to regret but not going to the prom simply wasn’t an option. She’d already been voted Miss Calloway and was in the running for prom Queen. She hoped her very public chagrin over the Miss Calloway title—and her insistence that she did not want the prom Queen title—would get everyone to vote for Crissy. In fact, she’d campaigned for Crissy.
“Is it true Gina’s not going?”
Ashleigh bit her lip. “Yes.”
“Did no one invite her? I find that hard to believe. She’s such an attractive girl.”
“She got invited. But the prom’s not really her thing.” No. It wasn’t Ashleigh’s thing, either. Yet here she was, dressed in a formal gown, wearing her grandmother’s pearls, waiting for James Simpson to pick her up.
“I just can’t understand how the two of you could go all through high school without having a boyfriend. It’s just not normal. Everyone should want to go to their prom.”
It was a theme of conversation that Ashleigh had been trying to avoid for the last two years. She’d made up countless excuses and reasons as to why she didn’t have a boyfriend, but it still fell on deaf ears.
“So I should be like everyone else?” she asked. “I want to go to college and make something of my life. But you want me to date one of the boys here in Calloway because it’s normal? You really want me having sex with any of these boys?”
“Who said anything about sex?”
“Well, what do you think happens on dates? They sneak off and have sex.” Ashleigh couldn’t believe she was talking to her mother like this. The last thing she wanted was to get into a conversation about sex. After all, they’d never really had the sex talk. And judging by the blush on her mother’s face, they weren’t going to have it now, either.
“So you’re saving yourself for marriage. That’s how it should be. I’m very proud of you.”
Ashleigh hated lying to her mother. Saving herself for marriage? No, there would be no marriage. Not to a man, anyway. She and Gina were both heading to San Marcos for college. There, they could be themselves. They could be open with their relationship. They would meet others like them and not feel so isolated, so alone. No more sneaking off. No more lying.
That is, if she could get through the night. She’d made it plain to James that she was going with him as a friend, not as a date. And she’d already told Crissy that if he attempted anything, she would leave.
“Oh, my God. You look beautiful.”
Ashleigh smiled at Crissy. “No, you look beautiful. You look like the prom queen,” she said with a wink.
“Well, sorry, sweetie, but I heard through the grapevine that you and Brian won.”
“Me and Brian? I hate this crap. I don’t want to be the fucking prom queen,” she protested, perhaps a bit too loudly.
“Look on the bright side. At least it wasn’t James who won. He’d definitely think you two were a couple then.”
“That’s a bright side?”
“What’s the big deal? You dance with Brian, take a few pictures, let everyone gape at you, smile like you love it. Easy as pie.”
“I know you don’t understand, but I can’t do it.” In fact, she was nearly in panic mode. She was so certain she’d done enough to get Crissy voted prom queen.
“You have to do it.”
“The hell I do.”
Crissy grabbed her arm as she turned to go. “You can’t just leave. Have you lost your mind?”
“Why is this happening to me? I’m not a cheerleader anymore. I’m not supposed to win this crap. You’re supposed to win.”
“You’re nice. They like you.”
“You’re nice,” she said convincingly.
“I’m a snob.” Crissy pulled her closer. “If you run away every time you go out with James, he’s going to get a complex.”
“That was a year ago.”
“Exactly. And you haven’t been out with him—or anyone else—since then.” She paused as she stared across the room. “Oh, God, look at Jennifer. She’s practically naked. Did she think wearing something like that would get Seth back?”
“Is she still hung up on him?”
“Yes. He’s a loser.”
Ashleigh rolled her eyes. Anyone who broke up with anyone in their group was labeled a loser. She was so ready for high school to be over. A few more months, then freedom. She and Gina could escape this little town and be together without having to pretend going to the prom was the best thing in the world. In fact, right now, she didn’t care if James got a complex or not. She didn’t care that her mother would be pissed. And she didn’t care what any of her classmates thought. But she wasn’t going to suffer through the pageantry of the naming o
f the prom king and queen and then the subsequent slow dance afterward. She wasn’t going to do it.
“Look, I’m feeling sick. Nauseous,” she clarified.
“You’re not sick.”
“Trust me, I’m sick. I’m going to vomit.” She squeezed Crissy’s arm. “I’ll let James know, then I’m going to call my mother to come pick me up.”
“She’s going to be pissed.”
“Not if I’m sick.” She also knew her mother wasn’t home. They’d gone over to the Parker’s for dinner and cards. Mark and Courtney were sleeping over at a friend’s house.
“I can’t believe you’re doing this.”
“I’ll let Mrs. Ashmore know, don’t worry.” Mrs. Ashmore held the crown jewels for the king and queen to wear after the announcement.
After a quick explanation to James—who then gallantly offered to take her home—and to Mrs. Ashmore—whose genuine dismay told Ashleigh she really did win—Ashleigh slipped into one of the offices to pretend to call her mother. She called Gina instead. Thankfully it was Gina who answered and not one of her parents.
“Can you come get me?”
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m going to win stupid prom queen,” she said.
“I told you so.”
“So you did. Will you come get me?”
“Can you just leave like that?”
“I’m sick.”
“Okay. My folks are here though,” she said quietly.
Ashleigh smiled. “Mine aren’t. Mark and Courtney are gone too.”
“I’ll be there in five minutes.”
Ashleigh felt a thrill as she hung up the phone. She knew she looked good, knew the dress she wore clung to her curves. And she wanted nothing more than for Gina to see her in it. Actually, she wanted nothing more than for Gina to strip it off of her. She closed her eyes, wondering if she’d always feel this way, wondering if the thought of making love with Gina would always send chills across her body in anticipation. She decided that, yes, it would always be this way.