“I’m sorry, Sarah,” Caitlin spoke softly, desperately searching Gemma’s face for understanding. For forgiveness. Her blue eyes rippled with anguish.
When Gemma didn’t respond, Caitlin reluctantly turned and strode away, effectively ending the scene. Gemma couldn’t move, a chasm opening within her chest as she watched Caitlin’s auburn hair swing over her shoulder. It was shorter now—so familiar, yet jarringly different. Caitlin’s exit, scripted or not, hit Gemma like a blow to the stomach.
FOUR
Two Days Before the Reunion
AFTER ANOTHER EXHAUSTING DAY ATwork, Caitlin had decided that her best friend was right. She needed to go out and have a little fun. Picking up her phone, she shot off a quick text.
Caitlin:Hey Mads, SH for drinks tonight?
Maddie:I thought you'd never ask.
Caitlin called her assistant, Lara, and asked her to arrange a driver for the night and call ahead to the club. Lara had been with Caitlin for five years, and Caitlin couldn’t imagine life without her. Lara was, without question, the best assistant she’d ever had.
Lara kept Caitlin’s daily life running smoothly—stocking her refrigerator and pantry with groceries, managing her household staff and vendors, keeping her calendar meticulously updated, coordinating her appointments, and fielding emails. And those were just the tasks that Caitlin noticed. She was sure that Lara took care of even more behind the scenes. She wasCaitlin’s saving grace, always anticipating her needs before Caitlin herself even recognized them.
Two hours later, they were pulling into the underground garage of the sleek high-rise building on Sunset Boulevard. Caitlin got out at the valet parking service and headed up the elevator to meet Maddie in the main room of Soho House West Hollywood. This members-only club was Caitlin’s usual choice for last-minute drinks. They were reliable, discreet, and always willing to make space for her. Most nights, she could slip in unnoticed and leave without ever drawing attention.
Caitlin walked through the thick scent of honeyed California citrus and white gardenia. The wafts of musky cologne and the sharp tang of gin curled into Caitlin’s nose as she wove through the clusters of Hollywood creatives. Some were clearly dressed to impress, while others were still in their business casual clothes from the workday. She slid onto the dark sofa tucked into the corner of the room, the spot offering a small degree of privacy. With her back to the restaurant, she settled in quietly.
While she waited for Maddie, Caitlin gazed through the floor-to-ceiling windows in front of her. She admired the city lights glittering against the clear night sky, their reflections dancing like fireflies on the glass. This was one of her favorite views of Los Angeles. Around her, the low hum of conversation, bursts of laughter, and the delicate chime of clinking glasses wove together in a warm, comforting symphony. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea to leave her house every now and then.
Before she knew it, a voice caught her attention from behind. “I guess my pep talk the other day really got through to you.”
“I’m not sure if your reminder of how long it’s been since I’ve slept with someone constitutes a ‘pep talk,’” Caitlin said as Maddie made herself comfortable on the stiff brown leatherchair across from her. “Maybe I just wanted to have a drink with my best friend.”
“Sure.” Maddie waved her hand, not believing a word Caitlin was saying, just as the waitress approached. “Can we have one scotch on the rocks with a twist and one whiskey neat, please?”
The woman nodded and walked back toward the bar, leaving the two of them to continue their conversation.
“Well, I for one am happy that you got out of that big empty house. I’ve missed those crazy nights we used to have together. God, all those Hollywood Hills parties were wild.” Maddie’s gaze blurred, trying to recall their early twenties.
Caitlin laughed, knowing neither of them had very clear memories of those outings. She could vaguely recollect arriving at each mansion hidden in the hills, but by the time they left, they would stumble out arm-in-arm, giggling as the sun was rising the next morning. She shook her head, grateful that they had somehow always made it home safely.
“Those were some good times. Until you would inevitably ditch me for another woman.” Caitlin sighed dramatically.
For as long as Caitlin had known her, Maddie had always been magnetic. Everyone, especially women, gravitated toward her charming friend. She wasn’t a player—not exactly—but she thrived in the limelight. Caitlin knew that Maddie was just waiting for the right person to stick. That’s why she went out so much more often than Caitlin did, hoping each night might lead to something real, even if it only lasted a few hours.
“Cheers.” Caitlin clinked her glass of scotch to Maddie’s.
“To Thelma and Louise back out on the scene,” Maddie added. The film about two best friends was the first movie Caitlin and Maddie watched the night Caitlin moved in, which was fitting for their budding friendship. Minus the outlaw part, but the nicknames for each other stuck anyway. “And I neverditched you. I distinctly remember leaving you to your own pursuits. You were never alone.” She winked at Caitlin.
A few hours in, Caitlin was already feeling the buzz from her third drink when a group of men nearby sent another round to their table. She drank that one too, of course, and now it was absolutely time to head home before tomorrow turned into a hungover disaster.
“I’m heading out.”
“Noooo!” Maddie cried out. “Stay! One more drink.”
“No more drinks. We have work tomorrow, and I’m already drunk.” Caitlin stood up, reeling from the four drinks. “I’m definitely out of here.”
Caitlin hugged her best friend and made her way toward the exit, leaving Maddie behind to seduce a woman she had spotted earlier alone at the bar.
Once she was home, the first thing Caitlin did was pour a tall glass of water and throw back two Advil. Once she made it into her on-suite bathroom in her primary bedroom, she washed her face, brushed her teeth, completed her nightly routine of serums and creams, and then headed into her walk-in closet to grab pajamas. She flipped on the light and pulled out the clothes from the top drawer of the island. As she slipped into her soft pink organic cotton pants with the matching short-sleeved top, her eyes wandered to the section of long jackets in the back.
Caitlin’s heart hammered in her chest as she remembered the last time that she had pulled out the large frame that was hidden behind the overcoats. It had been six years ago, after a spontaneous trip to Pennsylvania that hadn’t ended the way she had hoped. When she got home, she had almost angrily thrown it into the big dumpster outside. But instead, she had hidden it where she would never have to see it.
Now, with her bare feet sinking into the plush carpet and the warm buzz of alcohol softening her edges, Caitlin felt pulledtoward the corner as if a neon sign flashed with temptation. The devil on her shoulder urged her to dive into nostalgia, to revisit the embrace of those honey-brown eyes. But the angel on her other side begged for caution, reminding Caitlin just how badly the wound had hurt.
