As I held the door for her to precede me out of her mom’s kitchen, Lori glanced back, a tiny smile playing about her lips.
“And you never know, right? Maybe somethingwillhappen tonight that will change your life.”
I snorted. “Doubtful. I’m on a track, Lori, and nothing and no one is going to derail my plans.”
* * *
Willow
“How did you say you know the guy throwing this party?” I had to shout so that Violet could hear me above the thumping bass of the ear-devouring music.
“Jimmy went to high school with him.” Vi leaned closer to me. “They’re still pretty close friends.”
I nodded to show that I understood, but honestly, I was a little nonplussed. Okay, I was alotnonplussed, and maybe slightly disgruntled, too. I’d been so excited to spend some quality time with Vi and Cindy. The three of us had been friends for the first three years of college here in this small Pennsylvania town. We’d roomed together during our sophomore and junior years. Leaving them had been so hard when I’d won a scholarship to finish school overseas. I’d spent the past year in Amsterdam busting my ass to get my master’s degree concurrent with my bachelors. I hadn’t had time for parties or vacations or long visits with friends.
That was why I’d been eager to spend my first week back in the US with the girls—and up until now, it had been all that I’d hoped. We’d stayed up late talking about everything under the sun, taken an impromptu daytrip to the Jersey shore to get pizza on the boardwalk, and laughed until we cried remembering the old days. When Cindy had started talking about this party, I’d jumped on board because . . . well, why not? Parties were fun. I knew they wanted me to meet their new friends, people they’d gotten to know since I had left.
So before I dove into the real world—a place that apparently required a full-time job, responsibility and sobriety—I was going to have one last hoorah. One last fling. One final chance to get wild and crazy without any consequences.
But what I’d pictured had been the kind of party we used to have when I’d been at the college where I’d met my best friends. Those had felt daring and a little decadent, even though we were almost always in someone’s dorm or one of the Greek houses. Where we were tonight? This place was kind of a dump. And the people who were partying didn’t seem particularly happy. They weren’t celebrating; they were dulling some sort of pain that I couldn’t quite pin down.
“Hey.” Vi slung an arm around my neck. “I know this isn’t what you had in mind for tonight, but Cindy is just crazy for this guy. She wanted you to meet him, and so she insisted that we had to be here. Sorry.”
“It’s okay.” I knew it wasn’t Vi’s fault. “I really just wanted to spend some more time with you both before I leave tomorrow . . . but I get it. Cindy’s in loooooove.” I stretched out the word and winked at Vi. “She’s the first of us to fall, huh? Do you think it’s serious?”
Violet looked pained. “Unfortunately, yeah, I do. She’s talking about moving in with Jimmy. Which sucks for me, because I’ll probably have to move, find a smaller place that I can afford by myself.”
I blew out a long breath. “Damn. For real? She wants to stay here, in the boondocks? I thought the three of us were going to be world adventurers.”
“You took off without us,” Vi reminded me gently. “Cindy and I didn’t get the scholarship you did. We’ve been back here this last year while you’ve been out adventuring, girlfriend. I think Cindy decided she’d rather find her next big dream right here. She’s excited about her job in the school system—getting hired here as a counselor was a super big deal. And now that she has Jimmy, for her, happily-ever-after just might be a white wedding and the picket fence deal.”
“I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that.” I felt suddenly on the defensive. “It’s just not anything we ever talked about.” I paused. “And how about you?”
Vi’s gaze dropped to her lap. “I don’t know. There was a guy . . . but it didn’t last, and he left me behind when he took a job in Japan.”
“I’m sorry.” I reached across and squeezed her hand. “That sucks. And the dude doesn’t know what he gave up—the absolute best woman in the known world.”
One side of her lip curled. “Damn right.” She cocked her head. “You know you could always move in with me when Cindy moves out. I mean, while you’re trying to find the right doctorate program. That’s still the plan, right? Finding a school?”
I lifted one shoulder. “Eventually, yes. I’ve been researching a bunch of different colleges. The best-case scenario is for me to land a position—as a TA, or working in the library, anything I can do that might let me get my foot in the door. That way I can earn something while I’m getting my degree.” I patted her arm. “As much as I’d love to live with you again, it wouldn’t be for long, since there’s no place around here that offers my area of study. Also, staying with my folks will let me save up before I have to pay my own way once I’m back at school.”
“You’re all about that college life still, aren’t you?” she teased. “Growing up on the campuses of the USA just did it for you.”
“Hardly.” I wrinkled my nose. “I don’t want anything to do with the athletic departments. If I get my way, I won’t even know where the stadium is at the school where I land. I’m happy to stay hidden deep in the library . . . oh, and in the archeology department.”
“Our very own Indiana Jones.” Vi leaned her head onto my shoulder. “We’re super proud of you, Will. You know that, right? Even if Cindy and I stay here for the rest of our lives, we’ll always be able to say we knew you when. Before you made the greatest discoveries of the twenty-first century.”
“They won’t be as much fun without you two with me,” I sniffed. “Just think, you could be sitting next to me in that dark, cramped space in a museum basement when I make that big discovery.”
“We’ll be with you in spirit,” she assured me. “But listen, I was serious before, about sharing the house. Are you sure you want to live up at West Point with your parents while you’re deciding where you want to go next? You know you’re welcome to stay with us as long as you want. Especially if Cindy moves in with Jimmy, but even if she doesn’t do that right away. You always have a bed here.”
“Awww.” I patted her arm. “That’s sweet. But my mom and dad have this huge house up there, and they promised me I’ll have plenty of space. Todd’s away at school in Virginia.” I winked at her. “Plus, Mom keeps trying to sell me on the idea that I’ll have my pick of hot guys with all of the cadets at the academy.”
“That sounds like a winning combination to me,” Vi laughed. “Maybe you’re going to be the next one to find her happily ever after.”
I rolled my eyes and was about to shoot back something smart-assy when we were interrupted by a deep voice.
“Hey, you wanna dance?”
