Chapter 4
Digging into a bowful of granola, Dawn Schafer closed the refrigerator with one Reebok-clad foot and, with her free hand, turned up the radio so that the upbeat music pulsed throughout the sunny kitchen. Hastily scarfing up her breakfast, Dawn removed the towel from around her neck and began pulling off her sneakers. She was swallowing the last bite as Mr. Schafer walked in, wearing a bright smile. "How great it is to have you home, Dawn," he greeted his daughter with a kiss on top of her head.
Dawn smiled through the granola and jogged out of the room. "Where are you going? Aren't you staying for one of my famous omelettes?" Mr. Schafer called after her, habitually tidying up her sneakers and breakfast bowl. "My conference is this morning!" Dawn's voice shouted from upstairs. "That is why I'm here, Dad, don't forget. Do you know how great it would be to expand Schafer's Healthy Living out here?"
Mr. Schafer smiled as he placed a pan on the stove. He was so proud of his daughter and her self-founded health resort. She had spent so much time away from home, in Virginia, where her resort was located. Who would have thought raging success would bring her home? It was the one thing that had kept her away for so long. . .
She reappeared in the doorway, dressed in a tasteful cream blouse, sapphire blue skirt and blazer, her white-gold tresses loosely cascading to her elbows. "Love you, Dad," she said with a kiss on his cheek. "Give my love to Carol and Jeff. I'll be home," a quick glance at her watch, "around three."
"Good luck, Sunshine," Mr. Schafer called after his daughter, a whirlwind of activity as she stepped out the door. How he missed her.
Dawn hap-hazardly twisted her sunbleached locks into a pile on top of her head and secured it with an elastic and a few bobby pins she found in her purse. Reaching her silver Audi, she stepped out of her azure heels and hurriedly threw them into the vehicle, then slid into the driver's seat with a contented sigh. She glanced into the review mirror, starting the car, and smiled at the fact that her brisk morning run had created a healthy glow to kiss her cheeks. Then, along with her car, her mind shifted into gear--work mode.
She wanted to expand Schafer's Healthy Living Resort to California more than anything. For one, she could see her family more often, and it just seemed right for the resort to be someplace as close to her heart as California. How she loved California. . . she flipped on the radio and sang along as she sped down the highway. The ringing of her cell phone interrupted her thoughts.
"Hi!" she chirped brightly into the reciever.
"Hi Dawn! It's me, Mary Anne."
"Mary Anne!" Dawn greeted her stepsister. "How are you? How's Logan? And how's Larissa?"
Mary Anne's soft laugh came through the receiver. "We're all great, really. . .what I'm really calling about is Abby."
"Abby?" Dawn's brow furrowed as she turned off the highway.
"Yes. . didn't you get her message?"
"No, no, I didn't. . .do you mean Abigal Stevenson? Abby from eighth grade?"
"Yes, Abby who disappeared after high school without a word. . ." Dawn could almost hear Mary Anne thinking on the other end of the line.
"What did she say?" Dawn asked absently, searching for the address of the conference building.
"She wants us to all get together. . .you know, catch up on things," Mary Anne explained. "I wouldn't mind. . .yesterday, I went crazy thinking about what Kristy Thomas must be up to these days, it's kind of sad that we all drifted so far apart." Dawn could hear Mary Anne's sniffles, and her interest was once again piqued.
"Knowing Kristy, probably something ambitious." Truthfully, Dawn's eyes were becoming a bit misty as memories came flooding back. Suddenly, she was filled with the longing to see her childhood friends, the realization that she still had something to hold on to a bit overwhelming. "When does she want to meet?"
"As soon as possible. Abby's in Stamford, Dawn. It's surprising that she hasn't gone very far, considering she had so much spunk, so much potential. . ." Mary Anne trailed off, but then added, "I'm headed out to see her tomorrow."
"Really? That soon?" Dawn asked, somewhat disappointed. "I'm in Cali now, on my way to a conference to propose expanding Healthy Living to Palo City. I don't know when I'd be able to get to Stamford. I really haven't had much time to spend with my family. . ."
"Dawn, that's great!" Mary Anne said with sincerity, then paused. "It's strange that Abby didn't call you. Or maybe she did, and you just didn't get the message."
Dawn shrugged as she rechecked the number on the squat brick building she was coming up to. "I don't know, but listen Mary Anne, I've got to run. I"ll call you in the morning and we can work out the plans." The excitement of being reconnected with her past sent a shiver through her as she clicked off her phone, and for a brief moment she entertained herself with a guessing game of her friends' outcomes. Mentally shaking herself into work mode, Dawn stepped out of the car, into her heels, and, with an independant woman's poise, made her way to the conference building.
Digging into a bowful of granola, Dawn Schafer closed the refrigerator with one Reebok-clad foot and, with her free hand, turned up the radio so that the upbeat music pulsed throughout the sunny kitchen. Hastily scarfing up her breakfast, Dawn removed the towel from around her neck and began pulling off her sneakers. She was swallowing the last bite as Mr. Schafer walked in, wearing a bright smile. "How great it is to have you home, Dawn," he greeted his daughter with a kiss on top of her head.
Dawn smiled through the granola and jogged out of the room. "Where are you going? Aren't you staying for one of my famous omelettes?" Mr. Schafer called after her, habitually tidying up her sneakers and breakfast bowl. "My conference is this morning!" Dawn's voice shouted from upstairs. "That is why I'm here, Dad, don't forget. Do you know how great it would be to expand Schafer's Healthy Living out here?"
Mr. Schafer smiled as he placed a pan on the stove. He was so proud of his daughter and her self-founded health resort. She had spent so much time away from home, in Virginia, where her resort was located. Who would have thought raging success would bring her home? It was the one thing that had kept her away for so long. . .
She reappeared in the doorway, dressed in a tasteful cream blouse, sapphire blue skirt and blazer, her white-gold tresses loosely cascading to her elbows. "Love you, Dad," she said with a kiss on his cheek. "Give my love to Carol and Jeff. I'll be home," a quick glance at her watch, "around three."
"Good luck, Sunshine," Mr. Schafer called after his daughter, a whirlwind of activity as she stepped out the door. How he missed her.
Dawn hap-hazardly twisted her sunbleached locks into a pile on top of her head and secured it with an elastic and a few bobby pins she found in her purse. Reaching her silver Audi, she stepped out of her azure heels and hurriedly threw them into the vehicle, then slid into the driver's seat with a contented sigh. She glanced into the review mirror, starting the car, and smiled at the fact that her brisk morning run had created a healthy glow to kiss her cheeks. Then, along with her car, her mind shifted into gear--work mode.
She wanted to expand Schafer's Healthy Living Resort to California more than anything. For one, she could see her family more often, and it just seemed right for the resort to be someplace as close to her heart as California. How she loved California. . . she flipped on the radio and sang along as she sped down the highway. The ringing of her cell phone interrupted her thoughts.
"Hi!" she chirped brightly into the reciever.
"Hi Dawn! It's me, Mary Anne."
"Mary Anne!" Dawn greeted her stepsister. "How are you? How's Logan? And how's Larissa?"
Mary Anne's soft laugh came through the receiver. "We're all great, really. . .what I'm really calling about is Abby."
"Abby?" Dawn's brow furrowed as she turned off the highway.
"Yes. . didn't you get her message?"
"No, no, I didn't. . .do you mean Abigal Stevenson? Abby from eighth grade?"
"Yes, Abby who disappeared after high school without a word. . ." Dawn could almost hear Mary Anne thinking on the other end of the line.
"What did she say?" Dawn asked absently, searching for the address of the conference building.
"She wants us to all get together. . .you know, catch up on things," Mary Anne explained. "I wouldn't mind. . .yesterday, I went crazy thinking about what Kristy Thomas must be up to these days, it's kind of sad that we all drifted so far apart." Dawn could hear Mary Anne's sniffles, and her interest was once again piqued.
"Knowing Kristy, probably something ambitious." Truthfully, Dawn's eyes were becoming a bit misty as memories came flooding back. Suddenly, she was filled with the longing to see her childhood friends, the realization that she still had something to hold on to a bit overwhelming. "When does she want to meet?"
"As soon as possible. Abby's in Stamford, Dawn. It's surprising that she hasn't gone very far, considering she had so much spunk, so much potential. . ." Mary Anne trailed off, but then added, "I'm headed out to see her tomorrow."
"Really? That soon?" Dawn asked, somewhat disappointed. "I'm in Cali now, on my way to a conference to propose expanding Healthy Living to Palo City. I don't know when I'd be able to get to Stamford. I really haven't had much time to spend with my family. . ."
"Dawn, that's great!" Mary Anne said with sincerity, then paused. "It's strange that Abby didn't call you. Or maybe she did, and you just didn't get the message."
Dawn shrugged as she rechecked the number on the squat brick building she was coming up to. "I don't know, but listen Mary Anne, I've got to run. I"ll call you in the morning and we can work out the plans." The excitement of being reconnected with her past sent a shiver through her as she clicked off her phone, and for a brief moment she entertained herself with a guessing game of her friends' outcomes. Mentally shaking herself into work mode, Dawn stepped out of the car, into her heels, and, with an independant woman's poise, made her way to the conference building.