A.N. Ana did an awesome job beta-ing me again! Sometimes things make sense in my head, so I think they should make sense to everyone else and Ana always seems to be able to help me clarify it! Thank you, girlie! She's even the one responsible for this little plot bunny.
Reunion
Chapter Three
And the Fun Begins
Adam took a long sip of his drink before he looked back at Joan. The two hadn't continued the conversation, just simply sat in companionable silence. Adam liked watching Joan; he always had. She had the most interesting quirks, at least to him. When she was concentrating, her lip curled up slightly. When she tilted her head, a small piece of hair would always fall in her eye. Her eyes seemed to always be searching for something or someone. Of course, he could list off dozens of idiosyncrasies he loved and had never forgotten but at the moment, he just wanted to be there with her.
Joan had been studying Adam. He seemed happy. He loved New York, she could tell. Contentment simply emanated from him. He was doing what he loved and she understood the peace that was brought when a person could love their job. She allowed herself to briefly think about what it would be like to live in New York. Her publisher lived there. Writing could be done anywhere, very easily, as long as she had a computer. She could move to New York. Joan felt her heart stop suddenly as she understood she was jumping ahead of herself. Adam may not even want to keep in contact after the reunion.
"I've missed you, Jane."
Adam grinned at her and Joan's heart began to beat again.
"I've missed you, too."
"Promise me we won't lose each other again. I don't really have anyone anymore."
Joan felt a wave of sympathy for Adam and a crash of guilt for being such a horrible friend. He was virtually alone and she'd allowed that to happen. She had known Mr. Rove had died and she hadn't even bothered to go to his funeral. She'd been so wrapped up in her own life she'd let her relationships and responsibility dwindle down.
"Oh, Adam, I'm so sorry. I've been such a terrible friend. I mean, we're talking colossally-terrible-I-deserve-to-be-punished kind of friend."
"Jane, it's okay. We've all been bad friends. It's not just you. We grew up."
"Without each other? We were like the three musketeers or something. We fought high school together."
"We're together again, now."
"Will we stay that way?"
"If you want it to. I know I do."
Joan nodded slowly and swallowed back the tears she wanted to let go.
"Why did you and I never 'couple'?" Adam asked shyly.
"There always seemed to be someone else who made you happy. I guess it was just never the right time."
Suddenly, they were sixteen, vulnerable, and madly in love again. Adam couldn't breathe; his chest was so heavy. He was nervous and unsure and he knew he had to ask it then. If he didn't, he'd lose his chance.
"Is it ever going to be the right time, Jane?"
"I think now is." Joan whispered it, a note of reflection in her voice. Adam leaned across the table and kissed her gently.
Joan finally pulled
away, smiling, "All we need are some feathers."
"I'll see what I can do."
Joan allowed a delighted laugh to escape her lips as she realized what had happened.
"Let's go home, Adam."
"I do want to see Mrs. Helen again."
Joan took her purse off the table and offered her hand. Adam took it and they walked on out of the gymnasium.
Grace held onto Coral's hand, feeling a nervousness she hadn't felt since she'd found out she was pregnant. Coral was fidgeting next to her, excited at the prospect of going to a new place and meeting new people.
"This is a big
house, Mommy."
"Yes, it is."
"It's a lot bigger than ours."
"That's because we live in an apartment."
" 's still
bigger. Why are we going here?"
"You know how I went to a reunion tonight?"
"Yep!"
"Well, my best friend lives here. Joan and Adam are coming over here after
the reunion's over. She wanted to meet
you."
"Someone wanted to meet me?"
"Yes. And this is her house."
"Who will answer the door if she's at the union?"
Grace smiled at the word Coral used.
"Well, her brother's here."
"Is it the boy from that picture?"
Coral asked, referring to the picture that was on the side table at
their apartment. It was a photograph of
the four of them that Mrs. Girardi has taken, Grace in the center, with Joan
and Luke's arms around her neck and Adam leaning over all of them. She'd had it framed and even though she
never talked to the three; she'd kept it out and told Coral about each of them.
Grace nodded. "Yes. He's here."
Coral released Grace's hand and ran up the porch steps.
"Coral!" Coral ignored her mother's call and rang the doorbell. And before Grace knew it, Luke was answering the door.
"Grace?" Luke said quietly, after looking past the charming little girl on his door stoop. The surprise was evident on his face, as if he didn't think Joan would bring her friends back to the house after the reunion.
"Hi, Luke. Joan wanted us to meet her here for an after-reunion celebration."
"Okay." Luke glanced down. "And who's this?"
Grace ascended the stairs and wrapped her arms around Coral's shoulders.
"This is my daughter, Coral."
"I hadn't realized you'd gotten married."
Luke seemed disappointed almost, which made Grace feel a little more confident. Or at least gave her a little satisfaction, as horrible as that sounded. Maybe Luke hadn't moved on at all. She could still remember Luke, being a puppy dog for her, and she remembered how foreign that had been to her. She hadn't known how to react, how to learn what exactly it was she'd been feeling. She'd ended up becoming a psychologist to help others learn how to deal with what she hadn't been able to when she was their age.
"Uh, no, actually, I'm not. It's just me and Coral."
"Pretty name."
Coral beamed and tugged on the hem of Luke's shirt.
"Thank you very
much. Did you know I'm four years
old? How old are you, Mr. Luke?"
"How did you know my name, Miss Coral?"
"You're in the picture in the frame by our couch. Mommy tells me about you all the time. Now you didn't answer my question!"
"I'm 27."
"That's not much
older than Mommy, right?"
"Actually, you're Mommy is a year older than me."
"Oh. I can only count to twenty right now."
"Smart girl."
That caused Coral to giggle. She liked this man in glasses. He looked funny, but he was nice.
She held out her hand to Luke.
"You didn't invite us in, you silly goose!"
Luke couldn't stop from smiling at the little girl. She was irresistible. He gave her his hand and allowed her to enter the house. Grace followed them in.
"Sorry about
that. Coral and I are still working on
manners."
"You never used them."
Grace shrugged and walked on into the living room.
Helen was delighted to see Grace and to meet her daughter. Coral methodically won over the hearts of each Girardi that had remained behind. Helen had pulled out a photo album that covered the high school years of Joan and Luke, including pictures of a teenage Grace. Helen told Coral stories of her mother's teenage years, causing Grace to shrug and shift uncomfortably. Helen even told the story of Grace and Luke going to the Crystal Ball and kissing. Of course, Helen left out the part of it being a political statement. Coral giggled and looked at Luke, "Mommy still loves you! She did when she was little and she does now."
Luke raised his eyebrows. "No, Grace doesn't love me, Coral. We were young then. And she didn't love me, then, either."
Coral shook her head stubbornly, a sign that she was her mother's daughter.
"No. She talks about you sometimes. And she always changes her voice when she talks about you, Mr. Luke."
Luke glanced over at Grace, not wanting to get his hopes up, but when he saw Grace's face, far from impassive, nearing embarrassed, he knew.
"She does, does she?"
Coral nodded, hoping that Luke believed her. She wanted her Mommy to be happy.
"You want to know a secret?"
Coral leaned forward, excited at the thought of learning privileged information.
Luke said in a stage whisper, "I still love your mommy, too."
Coral giggled and turned immediately to stare at her mother's reaction.
Grace
was smiling, suddenly, something she only did for Coral. Grace scooted across the couch, and leaned
over Coral, kissing Luke quickly. Of
course, she wanted the kiss to last longer, but she was kissing a man in front
of her daughter. Luke couldn't think
straight. He didn't know what it meant,
but Grace loved him. That's what he'd
always wanted, even when he was a teenager.
He'd never gotten over her and they'd never been together. But apparently, they would be now The door slammed, breaking them from their
quiet world as a sudden shout came from the doorway.
"What did we miss?"
Joan and Adam stood there, holding hands and the Girardi's worlds were all right. Joan had found Adam again and Luke had found Grace. Grace grinned, a thing that had changed since high school.
"My daughter decided her real name was Cupid and set me and Luke up."
"Smart girl." Joan stated.
"I'd suggest she work on you two, but it looks like someone already took care of it."
Joan beamed and squeezed Adam's hand.
"Yeah. I'm moving to New York. I can write anywhere and I'd rather write with him near."
Grace shrugged, "We don't know what we're doing, but I'm happy you guys figured everything out."
Joan nodded as she stepped forward and knelt in front of a beautiful girl.
"I'm Joan."
"I'm Coral."
The two eyed each other before Coral rushed forward and hugged Joan.
" 'm happy I'm meetin' you. Mommy talks about you guys a lot."
Joan ruffled her
hair. "I'm glad to meet you.
You're nothing like Grace."
Grace glared at her friend but Coral took it all in stride. She was excited to finally meet people from
her Mommy's life. Her mommy always kept
things secret from her, but not anymore.
Joan and Adam sat on the floor, in front of Luke, Grace, and Coral as
they popped in a movie. Coral was
asleep in no time and soon, the others fell asleep feeling happy and complete
for the first time in ten years.
THE END!
