Then the young woman stood and said, “Holy shit!” Lustrous curls framed her full face, setting off her brown eyes, now wide and staring with surprise at me.
“Bess? Bess? It’s you!” she said, grabbing me and pulling me into a bear hug.
Jake shook his head and rolled his eyes while Lane grabbed his forehead, appearing to be in pain.
“Camper?” I said, stiffening in the girl’s arms before pulling away. Concerned about Lane, I turned to him and asked, “Are you okay?”
How many times am I going to say that today?
But he didn’t look right. He was pale, his eyes were a stormy dark gray, and his brow was pinched in distress.
“Bess! I can’t believe it!” Camper exclaimed. She was like a broken record, repeating my name, so excited to see me that she was oblivious to my discomfort.
“Wait!” she said, waving her hand between Lane and me. “Have you stayed in touch all this time?”
“Huh?” I asked.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Lane shaking his head, his eyes wide as he stared at Camper.
“What do you mean?” I asked. “Do you know each other?” My attention pinged back and forth between the three of them like I was watching a game of doubles tennis and I was the fourth. But I’d never played tennis before.
“Well, yeah, Bess. This guy,” she said, pointing at Lane, “was the person who helped when you collapsed in yoga years ago. Don’t you remember him helping you out to the bench? God, you fell right on top of him.”
My mouth dropped open as I tried to make sense of it all, while Camper went on like she always did.
“When I showed up here for the interview,” she said, “I thought it was Lane sitting there, and then he introduced himself as Jake. Now that I think about it, you got an odd look on your face when I asked if you had any brothers who went to Pitt.” Her voice trailed off as she glanced at Jake.
Lane was now white as a ghost, his dark hair falling down his forehead from him pulling on it. His normally vibrant eyes looked flat as he stared at the black-and-white checkerboard floor.
“I didn’t want to mention that night,” Camper went on, still looking at Jake, “in case you had no idea what happened, or didn’t have a brother, or I was just totally wrong. I’d hate to not get this job.”
While Lane glared at Jake, and Jake smirked back at him, Camper grabbed me in another bear hug.
“What happened to you, B? I missed you. You went to rehab, they wouldn’t let me visit, and then you disappeared. No Facebook or Instagram, nothing. I’ve been hoping to find you for years.”
Stunned and confused, I hadn’t said a single word since asking Lane if he was okay. I wasn’t even sure if I was still breathing.
All eyes turned to me, waiting for my answer.
“You were there?” I choked out as I stared at Lane, my voice so tight it was unrecognizable. “You knew?”
He nodded.
A little light-headed, I placed my palms on the table, hanging my head for a moment as the chill traveled all the way through my spine while I tried to collect myself. My heart was already ice cold.
Nobody moved as I took a few deep breaths, then stood up and turned to Jake. “And you knew when you showed up at my place yesterday?”
He nodded, giving me a little smile as he said, “Not right away, but I figured it out while waiting for you to come to. It’s okay, I didn’t judge you back then.”
“No, it’s not okay,” I said through clenched teeth as my emotions spun out of control. “I left that whole life behind me. The coked-out college girl with the party boots is my past, a past I wanted to forget. I work hard every day to move forward, to leave it behind, and I don’t share it with anyone.” Turning to Lane, I shrieked, “And you knew? You knew when I told you I was in recovery? You knew when I didn’t order a drink? You knew!” Turning on my heel, I stormed out of the coffee shop and ran down the sidewalk, headed to my car.
“Bess! Wait!” Camper yelled after me. “Hold up!”
She caught up with me and bundled me tightly in her arms, where I cried for what felt like hours, not caring who saw me. She rocked me gently from side to side, her voice low as she said, “I’m sorry, Bess. I never really understood how bad you were. I let you down as a friend. You’re so beautiful and perfect, you didn’t deserve that.” Pressing her cheek against my hair, she sighed as she rubbed one hand in soothing circles on my back, trying to calm me down.
“I need to get out of here,” I said, and my heart sank as I realized that Lane didn’t come after me. Hiccupping, I pointed at the parking lot across the street. “That’s my car.”
“Let me come with you,” Camper said as we crossed the street, her tone brooking no argument.
“I live ninety minutes away near Ligonier, that’s crazy,” I said, but by that time Camper was already standing at my car door, ignoring Brooks’s excited barking as she held her hand out for the keys.
