CHAPTER 1

Kayla was sitting in a coffee shop having a vanilla latte with extra whipped cream while she was grading papers for her 3rd and 4th grade students. She had just finished her last paper when she heard a voice behind her.

"G'day, mate.:

Kayla turned in her seat and smiled as she rose to her feet.

"Shannon Rollins. Good to see you."

The two friends shared a friendly hug.

"Thanks for meeting me here, Kayla."

"Hey, it was no problem."

"Hope you weren't too busy."

"Oh, no. Not at all. Anytime there's a chance for you and I to sit and talk is an oppotunity I will never turn down. Can I buy you something to drink? A dessert?"

"Yes to the coffe. Yes to the dessert."

Shannon and Kayla walked up to the counter and ordered a pupmkin spiced latte and two strawberry cream filled danishes, then went back to their seats.

"So, Miss. Greene. How's life in the teaching world?"

"Really good. Just finished grading some papers for the kids in my class. Such bright pupils, but at times, quite the handful."

"I'm sure they can be," Shannon stated after sipping her beverage. "How many kids are you up to in the classroom?"

"13."

"Wow."

"Yeah. 7 boys, 6 girls. How about your personal trainer job? How's that going for you"

"Really well. Anyway I can help somebody better their life. I'm having more and more people signing up and it's been great."

"And Seth? How's he?"

"Fantastic. The stinker was just promoted to head architect. Plus a $2.00 raise."

Kayla swallowed her bite of danish. "Really? That's amazing. Tell him I said congratulations."

"I'll tell him. However, I had better not lay it on him too thick cause just a couple of times last week, he was going around the house, waving his arms around, saying 'I am the architect of a dream, baby!'"

The girls burst out laughing.

"Wow. That sounds just like Seth."

"Tell me about it. He's actually the reason why I asked to me up with you. He wants me to invite you over for supper tomorrow night. We're having eggplant parmesan."

"Sounds great. What time and what do I need to bring?"

"7:00 and just bring yourself."

"I'll be there."

"Oh, yeah, and something else."

"What's that?"

"You'll never guess who he saw a few days ago."

"Who?"

"Guess."

Kayla thought for a moment. "Tiffany Jenkins."

"Strike one."

Kayla thought again. "Roger Smith."

"Strike two."

"Um...Jake Matthews."

Shannon shook her head back and forth. "Dean Ambrose."

Kayla looked at her friend in shock letting the name run through her mind. Dean Ambrose?

"I knew it would come as a shock to you," Shannon said after a while.

"Did Seth talk to him? How did he sound? How did he look?"

"Yes, Seth talked to him. He said Dean sounded good. He had to look twice when he first saw him. He's changed a little bit. He even said that Dean's moving back to Boston to join the police force."

Kayla sat there in silence, her eyes darting back and forth.

"Kayla? You okay?"

Kayla shook her head bringing herself back to reality. "Yeah. Fine. Listen, I'm sorry, but I have to get going. Thanks for meeting me here."

Kayla picked up her papers and stuffed them in her bag. She grabbed her drink and dessert as she was rising from the table.

"I'm sorry if I upset you, Kayla."

"You didn't. I'll see you tomorrow night."

-Kayla unlocked the door to her house and stepped inside quickly. She shut the door behind her and rested her back against the door. She closed her eyes and began taking deep braethes. She couldn't believe it. The man she grew up with, the man she went to school with, the man she shared her first kiss on prom night with. Dean Ambrose. He had moved back to Boston. He came back. She didn't know how she would react if she ever saw him again.