by J. P. Comeau
“What’s up,” I said.
“You tell me? How’s the trip going?”
“It’s going great. I had lunch with Richard, saw my dad, and now I’m working out at the gym. You should see my brother’s place, man. The guest house is bigger than my entire condo.”
“Is he looking for a roommate?” We both laughed into the phone.
I wiped the back of my neck with my towel. “Since when are you so eager to leave San Diego, with so many hotties flocking to you at the bar?”
“I’d love to see some of the chicks in River Valley, man.” Hillard was being weird.
“Since when are you interested in women from my hometown?” I chuckled.
“Since you showed me that picture of Julianna,” he replied.
I palmed my hair, remembering that night in my penthouse. We had just gotten home from a party, I was wasted, and spilled my guts about Julianna. Of course, Hillard would have suspicions about my trip and the possibility of me contacting my high school friend. “Speaking of which, I called her to see if she wants to get a drink while I’m in town.”
“I knew you’d want a hookup,” he said so loudly that I had to pull the phone from my ear.
“It’s not like that,” I said giving a passing woman a shy smile.
Hillard yawned. “You’re a guy. You have needs. Why not have a little fun with her?”
“We have always been just friends,” I said as I watched the redhead do squats in front of a mirror. “And she’s married.”
Hillard laughed. “Since when has that ever stopped you before?”
The married women I’d slept with, in my defense, were always separated or in open-relationships. At least that’s what they had told me.
Not that it would have mattered.
“Like that night in Las Vegas, right after you made your first couple of million dollars. You took two very attractive blondes, both with wedding ring sets on, back to your suite in Caesar’s Palace and told me all about it the next morning at lunch.” Richard liked to remind me of every wild night I had, no matter how long ago.
I smiled though, remembering that night. It was pretty wild. "Their relationship status just never came up."
If they didn’t want to explain their wedding rings, then who was I to question it?
“All I’m saying is that if she makes a move, and she will because every woman does with you, don’t miss the chance to get it on just because she’s married.”
I shook my head and chuckled, fully aware that Julianna would never do that with me. “Julianna’s not that kind of girl. Like I told you, we were just friends.”
After convincing him that meeting up with Julianna was strictly a friendship thing, we chatted about work, the latest chick he had boned, and his plans for me once I was back in San Diego. It was our normal afternoon chat. When we were done, I did some weightlifting and called it a day, heading back to Richard's house.
I jumped straight into the shower when I got back, using the time to really think about Julianna. The red head from the gym fluttered through my mind, but next to Julianna, she didn't seem like anything special in the least. I wasn't going to get it out of my system until I saw her. I knew that. So, I decided that I would call her in the morning and ask her to dinner…strictly as friends.
7
_____
JULIANNA
I put Caley down in front of the television and turned on cartoons. It was Friday night, which meant that Annie and I would be going to the bar. According to the online reviews, it was one of the best ones to go to in River Valley. And I had to admit, I was a little excited, it had been a long time since I had gone out — at least as a single woman.
Moments later, I stood in front of my closet, pondering what to wear. The one piece of clothing that stood out to me was a red wrap dress, but I hesitated because the thing gave me serious cleavage. I tapped my finger against the doorframe and finally pulled it out.
What the hell, it's just a dress.
I topped the look off with some jewelry, a pair of sheer black stockings, and a pair of Christian Louboutin heels. It was the one thing that I treated myself to with all of the money my ex-husband left me. The $800 price tag was way out of my budget, but I deserved it after what he put me through, right?
After touching up my makeup, I made my way downstairs to check on Caley. “You just love this cartoon, don’t you?” I asked, kissing the top of her head.
Caley giggled some more as I sat down on the couch next to her.
“The doggy keeps chasing its tail, Mommy,” she said, pointing at the screen.
Her eyes looked just like her father's, which broke my heart. I stared at her and wondered what he was doing at that moment. Luckily, Lydia's face popped into my head and my sadness quickly turned to anger.
I ran my fingers through Caley's wild locks. “Are you gonna be good for Heather tonight?”
She nodded, swinging her legs. "Mhmm."
“And did you do all of your homework?”
“Yes, Mommy.” She looked up at me and smiled, and for a moment, I thought about canceling my plans with Annie.
I had been working at the gallery so much, and Caley was growing up too fast. That thought, though, didn't have a chance to even simmer as the doorbell rang out. I sighed as I walked down the hallway, my heels clicking along. When I opened the door I found Helen’s teenage niece smiling back at me. “Hi, Heather. Come on in.”
She and I walked into the living room, where I reintroduced her to Caley.
“Mommy’s gonna go out for just a little bit, Sweetie. You remember Heather from the time you visited the gallery, don’t you?” I asked, kissing her on the head again.
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” she said as Heather sat down on the couch next to her.
Heather looked at me, and I looked at her, and we both burst into laughter.
“What a sense of humor for such a young girl,” Heather said, tickling Caley. "Just like me when I was little."
I almost told Heather that she got it from her father, but I caught myself. He was the last person I wanted to think about. I was going out, and I was going to try my best to have a good time.
The place was packed. I glanced around, looking for Annie as I made my way inside. She was standing at the bar, all done up, waving me over.
“It’s hopping tonight,” I said into her ear.
Every section of the square-shaped bar was full. Suddenly, I realized that I’d made the right decision to go out. It felt good to be around people my own age. It felt good to feel like something other than an employee or a mother for a change. Sure, I felt a tad bit guilty even thinking that, but it was what it was.
“Pina colada,” I said to the bartender, and I could tell that he liked my dress.
Annie yelled loudly in my ear. “See any cute guys?”
I scanned the room and shook my head at my sister. There were definitely some attractive ones, but so many of them were wearing wedding rings or wrapping their arms around another woman. “Cute? Yes. Single? Yes. Available? No.”
She gave me a pouty face and handed me my drink. We found a small, empty table in the back. It was much quieter than standing at the noisy bar. We sat nursing our drinks and talking about our lives as if neither of us remembered how to be out on a Friday night. Annie told me about how her job was going, that she was looking to purchase a new car, and about a few guys she had been chatting with online. I mentioned Caley’s comment about not getting into trouble tonight.
“She has such a big personality,” Annie said, finishing her cosmopolitan.
As I sucked up the last of my pina colada with a straw, the bartender approached us with refills. “These were sent by the two gentlemen over there.” He placed the drinks on the table and pointed.
As I followed his finger, my eyes locked onto Jake's.
“Oh my God,” Annie said through a smile.
Jake was sitting next to his brother, Richard. As I waved them over, she s
hot me a concerned look.
“Relax,” I said, taking a big gulp of my drink. “And don’t say anything about what we read online.”
Jake looked even better in person. He was so tall and tan, with the kind of body women dreamed of.
Richard was good looking too, just not really my type… If I even had a type.
“Oh my God, Jake!” I stood up, and we hugged each other. “You look great! I didn’t know you’d be here.”
Richard pulled up two chairs, and they sat down with us.
“Richard convinced me to go out tonight.” Jake’s eyes were scanning me from top to bottom.
I was pretty sure my face turned the crimson color of my dress.
We all introduced ourselves to one another, and I had to force a silly grin from my face. Sitting next to Jake with his charm and smile, I completely forgot about his playboy lifestyle. I forgot about the recent article I’d read, the one before that, and before that. Ever since he’d left River Valley and made a name for himself in San Diego, he had been known as a womanizer.
To loosen my nerves, I downed the rest of my pina colada, my eyes growing wide as my brain froze.
“I’ll get you another one,” Jake said, motioning to the bartender.
I doubted they would have come over for anyone other than him. The owner probably told his staff to wait on him hand and foot. Everyone knew he was loaded.
“It’s been so long,” I said as I stared into his eyes, trying not to fall all over myself.
“I noticed you’re not wearing a wedding ring tonight,” he whispered, leaning into me a little closer.
I stuttered and looked down at my ring finger, then up at Annie for some help.
Annie cleared her throat and pointed at my hand. “Oh, um, aren’t you having your jewelry professionally cleaned?”
I nodded and began to guzzle my third pina colada, looking nervously up at Jake with a grin.
“Richard drug me out to do some karaoke tonight,” Jake chuckled, looking over at Richard.
Richard was staring at Annie, who didn’t seem to notice him at all. Then Richard turned his attention back to us. “He knows that I’m the better singer."
“Are you now?” Annie smiled at him and ran her fingers through her hair.
When he looked away, she glanced at me with a sneer. It was obvious she wasn't impressed by Richard. But then again, they had known each other for a long time.
“I’ve always been pretty good at singing. In fact, if it weren’t for my father, you’d probably see me winning American Idol.” Richard winked and leaned back in his chair, doing his best to flirt with Annie.
“Maybe you and Jake should do a duet,” Annie yelled out, pointing to the DJ booth.
“I actually thought that you and I could do a number.” Richard was definitely drunk if he thought for a moment that my sister would get up and sing with him.
“I’m good, but not that good,” Annie said, giving me the stink eye.
Richard started telling her about his life, specifically that he made a lot of money with their dad and the size of his new mansion. Unfortunately for him, Annie was not the type of woman to fall for a man simply because of his money, especially one that was quite a bit older. She also didn’t think very highly of the Truman family, since Jake had turned out to be such a playboy and his father had never been the nicest of men.
“Another one?”
I looked up at Jake as I finished the last of my drink. My intuition told me to stop, but I needed to relax to confidently talk with him.
“Thank you,” I said.
I told Jake about the art gallery and Caley, and not once did he ask me about my husband. The more I drank, the more I wanted to come clean with him. We’d become so close in high school, and there I was, a soon-to-be divorcee, pretending to be happily married.
“Are you dating anyone right now, Richard?” I asked glancing over at my sister.
Annie had made it clear she wasn’t interested, but Richard hadn’t gotten the hint. She glanced at her watch and then grabbed her purse.
“Are you alright,” I slurred at her as Annie stood up.
“Oh, I’m fine,” she said, glancing at Jake. I could tell that she was nervous about what might happen if I stayed and kept drinking. “I just think that it’s getting late. Would you like me to take you home?”
Annie looked at me with wide eyes, but I wasn’t ready to leave.
“How about we get you an Uber?” Jake whipped out his phone, and Richard sat back down in his chair.
Annie finally realized that I wasn’t leaving. “Call me when you get home, okay?” She gave me a long, hard look, and I nodded. She sighed and slapped Richard on the shoulder. “C’mon, Richard. You need some fresh air.”
Richard put his arm around her, and they walked out the door.
Jake and I laughed as he leaned back in his chair and turned to face me. “I have to say, Julianna. You look really good.”
I felt my knees go weak as he stared at me. His eyes had always been so intense, the kind that could get a woman to drop her panties without saying a single word.
“So do you,” I said. “But no more, pina coladas.”
All of the rum had gone to my head, and I started to giggle.
“Are you in a rush to get home? Or would your husband mind if we took a little walk?”
I glanced at my watch. It was eleven. Heather had told me to stay out as late as I wanted, that she was in no rush to get home. I told her that if she was tired after putting Caley to bed, that she could just crash on my couch.
“I don’t think he’d mind,” I said.
Jake helped me to my feet. It was a very quick realization that four-inch heels were probably not the best choice when alcohol was involved. But hell, with the liquor clouding my mind, I figured it was a good excuse to lean on Jake. It was probably going to be the one and only time I got to.
8
_____
JAKE
Julianna and I made our way down Main Street, stopping to look into stores that we used to go into all the time in high school. I smiled as we walked past the independent bookstore. We used to spend Friday and Saturday nights there. Julianna had loved their slam poetry sessions.
When we passed the hot nuts stand, she started to giggle when she asked me, “Remember the time we ordered these, and you screamed ‘hot nuts’ so loud it made the guy almost fall off of his chair?”
I tried so hard to keep my laughter low, but I couldn't help it. I hadn't thought about that in years. The people passing on the street gave us curious looks. I didn’t care, though. Julianna lit up when she laughed.
“How about the way you ate them,” I said back. “You were all like, ‘mmm, nuts!’”
She laughed so hard she lost her footing and plopped down right on her ass, which of course made me laugh even harder. Julianna looked up at me with red cheeks. “I don’t think heels were a good idea for tonight.”
I held out my hand and helped her up. She didn't let go as we continued on, and I didn't mind in the least.
As we kept talking about old memories, we found ourselves at the same playground we went to as teenagers. To our surprise, everything was pretty much the same. We walked over to the swings, and I reluctantly let go of her hand.
“I’m so happy that you found someone,” I said as we swung back and forth.
Julianna just stared at the ground, and I could tell that something was bothering her.
“Yeah,” she said quietly.
The wind blew her hair back from her face, revealing a sullen frown and a quivering lip. I reached over and stopped the swing. “What’s wrong?”
She bit her lip and then burst into tears. My eyes went wide, and I immediately reached for her.
“I’m not married anymore,” she said in between sobs. “Well, I mean technically I am, but we’re separated. He cheated on me, and my life is one big mess.”
She wiped away tears, and I could hear Hillard’s voice in my h
ead, telling me to just go for it.
I shook it away. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I don’t know,” she said sniffling. “Maybe I’m still in denial.”
She hiccuped and then tilted her head back.
“Any man who does that to a woman like you is a fool,” I said. “Julianna, you are one of the most beautiful and intelligent women that I have ever known. I can’t imagine what you’re going through, but please know that you deserve so much better.”
Julianna tried to stand up, but it was clear that she’d had a little too much to drink. She threw her hands out and poked her lip out. "Oh yeah, and graceful too."
I smiled, sliding off my swing and bending down in front of her. She glanced down at me nervously as I slipped her heels off and stood up, putting out my hand. There was a moment of suspicion in her eyes, but she eventually took my hand and pulled herself up. I wrapped my arm around her waist, and she laid her head on my shoulder as we walked through the park. Unlike the city parks in San Diego, which never seemed to be empty, all I could hear was our footsteps and crickets.
I tried to get her to tell me more about her ex, but all she said was that he’d cheated and ruined her life. As a man with a history of being a womanizer, I was in no place to criticize her ex-husband. As her best friend, though, it made me want to punch him.
We talked about some of the parties we attended back in high school, the teachers we did and didn’t like, and the popular girls who’d made her life a living hell.
“Thank you for sticking up for me,” she said.
I remembered that day in the diner. I walked in after school, and there she was, just sitting, minding her own business doing homework, while a bunch of girls hurled insults at her. I told them to knock it off and to leave her alone. Maybe it was because I’d been popular myself, but they actually heeded my advice. From then on, it was just the two of us. She became the best friend I never thought I'd find.