“How about you? Didn’t you go into publishing or something like that?”
Leah let out a low whistle. “Something like that.”
“Hmm.” Marcy appraised her. “I sense another drink is in order. Shall we?”
For the next half hour, Leah surprised herself by how much fun she had. Together she and Marcy navigated the homecoming queen and the it-girls, who proved slightly less annoying than Leah remembered, and grabbed another drink at the bar. The small crowd had rounded out. Many of Leah’s former classmates turned out to be married with little ones, and most lived out of the area. A handful of the locals had heard about her store. It was fascinating to see whose careers had blossomed and whose hairlines had waned. As drinks were poured and nineties music pumped through the speakers, a few took to dancing. Leah enjoyed the sensation of the gin loosening her limbs, along with her nerves. Some in attendance were well ahead of her.
Marcy nodded to the bar where the former athletes kept adjusting their comfort waistbands and throwing back beers. “I may be swinging single tonight, but looking at these guys doesn’t inspire any high school crush.” Her gaze traveled across the room and stopped. “Although… there’s one I’d make an exception for.”
Leah turned to look. In the doorway stood Luke, looking crisp and cool in a blue button-down and khaki linen pants that highlighted his summer tan. Marcy sucked in her breath.
“Wasn’t he friends with your brother?”
“Still is. Actually, I’ve seen a decent amount of him since I moved back.”
Marcy raised her eyebrows. “Decent or indecent?”
“Oh, please.” Leah slapped her arm playfully and looked up in time to see Luke heading their way.
“You made it!” he said, leaning in to peck her cheek. Was he wearing cologne?
“I wasn’t sureyouwould,” Leah joked. “You remember Marcy Brooks?”
“Of course I do. Good to see you.” Luke pecked her cheek, too, and as he did Marcy made a swooning face at Leah.
“I’m going to grab a beer,” he said, glancing around the party. “May I get you ladies anything?”
Leah agreed to another gin and tonic, though what she needed was some food. Marcy said she’d love a club soda. “Let’s hit the buffet while we wait,” she wisely suggested.
The resort had set out an artful array of coastal appetizers along with summer salads, and platters of grilled fish and steak. They filled their plates and took seats at an empty table. “Looks like we may have to rescue our drinks,” Marcy mused. Over at the bar, Luke was stuck talking to a group of guys he used to play soccer with, holding their drinks.
“I’ll relieve him.” Leah was halfway through the dense crowd around the bar, thinking what a great evening it was turning out to be and how much greater it felt now that Luke had arrived, when a woman cut her off. She was petite and blond, in a snug little red dress, and to Leah’s consternation she stayed in her way, right up to where Luke was standing.
Before Leah could call his name, the woman in red threw her arms up. “Luke Nickerson?”
Luke’s head snapped in her direction. “Holly?” He did not see Leah right behind her. What he did do was set both drinks down on the bar just in time for Holly to throw her arms around his neck and shriek. Only then did he look up and notice Leah.
Who the hell is Holly?Leah wondered.
“Holly, do you remember Leah Powell?” Luke interjected, when she finally let go.
Holly threw her a cursory look. “No.” She turned back to Luke and launched into conversation.
“Uh, excuse me,” Leah said, pivoting around her as politely as she could. What she really wanted to do was shove her. “Luke has my drinks.”
There was the briefest pause as Luke passed them to Leah, and then he, too, became lost in whatever Holly was saying.
“Who is that?” Leah hissed, returning to her seat. Marcy had witnessed the whole thing.
“Holly Houston. You don’t remember her?”
Staring at Holly’s tiny backside, Leah could not.
“Chirpy cheerleader, maybe three years below us?” Marcy went on. “I only remember her because of her pole-dancing name. And how flirty she was with the upperclassmen. She’s vapid but harmless.”
Watching Luke look at Holly, she suddenly didn’t seem so harmless. Unsurprisingly, he did not find his way back to them.
As the night went on, Leah caught up with people she remembered and connected with a few she didn’t. Small talk had never come easily to her, but the libations and ocean air coming in off the terrace lent a pleasant gauzy feeling to her interactions and a particular lightness she had not felt in ages. All the while, she tried not to sneak glances at Luke, who made the rounds. It was a reunion, after all. The confounding new constant was Holly, who seemed to join him at every turn, despite the fact she was there with a sizable group of her own friends. It was none of her business, soLeah danced. She listened to Jenn Flint’s class speech and tried not to laugh at Marcy’s running commentary. She took breaks outside catching her breath and enjoying the ocean view, and then returned to the action on the dance floor. When Marcy bid a good night, Leah was surprised at how late the hour was. “How’d it get to be eleven-thirty?” Leah gasped, walking her out. “I didn’t think I’d last here for an hour. Thanks to you, I made it through the night.”
