Falling Back Together Read online

  I nervously got into the elevator next to one of my favorite nurses I had ever worked with. Michelle was one of the people I could always count on to lift my spirits in the cafeteria when I was having a bad day. She had started working in the emergency room not too long before I’d started with the HR department. We’d always seemed to run into each other, and her bouncy, positive attitude exuded from her every pore, from her wide eyes to her squeaky, white sneakers.

  “Hi, Michelle. I, uhh…” I stared at the floor for a while, not really knowing how to break the news to Michelle that I’d quit.

  Her eyes softened as she put her hand on my shoulder. “Are you all right, sugar?”

  Ah, there it was—her Southern accent. It was so close to Walker’s that I almost doubled over from his face flashing before my eyes. Michelle was from Athens, Georgia, where she used to be a juvenile probation officer who’d wanted to still make a difference in peoples’ lives, so she went back to school and became a nurse. Her drive was pretty inspirational.

  “Yeah, actually, I’m great. I just quit. Something that I should have done a while ago.” I let out a deep sigh and forced a smile as I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to calm the shaking from my nerves.

  She grinned her wide, toothy grin again. “Well, good for you, love. I always knew that you’d move on from all this one day and find your true passion in life.”

  The doors to the elevator opened to the ground floor, a hustle of doctors, nurses, and patients moving about in front of us. Michelle and I stepped out of the elevator and she hugged me tightly as she whispered in my ear.

  “You’re going to do great things, sugar. I just know it! But be careful with that Kyle character roaming around.”

  A confused look spread across my face as I pulled away from her. “How’d you know about Kyle?”

  “Oh, sugar, we used to talk about Cali all the time, so when I saw the newspaper article, I was worried sick. I’m just glad to see you’re all right.”

  “Thanks, Michelle. For everything. You’ve been a good friend.”

  “So have you. Now take care and run off before Eleanor sees you and tries to change your mind.”

  We hugged one more time and promised to keep in touch before I made my way out the electric double doors for what I was hoping was going to be the last time.

  Eight

  Walking out to my car, letting the sunlight warm me up from being in a freezing hospital¸ I shot off a text to Cali:

  Hey, girly. Still on for lunch?

  Not even a minute later, Cali’s reply was lighting up my phone:

  Yup, just heading out of a meeting with my awesome boss now…See you in ten at our usual place? (And that awesome comment was totally sarcastic!!!!!)

  I quickly responded:

  Sounds good. Sorry you work for such a jerk-face…

  I could practically hear Cali’s sigh and see her eyes roll when I read:

  Oh well… Just because he’s miserable doesn’t mean he needs to drag the rest of us into it… See ya soon. I’m already in my car.

  As I took my seat in Caffé Divina across from Cali, who had been waiting for me long enough to order both of our drinks and soup-and-half-sandwich combos, I couldn’t help but glare at her with my knowing smile.

  “Hey, love. Been here long? Sorry it took me so long. I hit every red light!”

  “Not too long.”

  “Okay good.”

  “Mags!” Cali’s looked me up and down for a second. “Your outfit is adorable!”

  I blushed a little, feeling extremely proud of myself for impressing Cali for the first time ever with an outfit. “Thanks! I think I’m learning.”

  “You’re doing well, grasshopper.” We both giggle as I looked over the menu. “Oh, Mags. I already ordered. I hope I got your drink right when I ordered. Aussie Iced, right?”

  I nodded with delight as the server brought over our amazing beverages, and I took a few moments to enjoy my Aussie Iced before starting in on my mini interrogation. Cali’s lips pursed and turned an adorable pink tone as she sipped her Chai Latte Float, trying to hold in a smile that was begging to spring across her face.

  After I had been working for the hospital for a few months, Cali finally got her job close by at the import-export company as a sales rep. It was her dream job, and her overly nice, middle-aged boss who’d seemed to have only the best of intentions back then treated her very well in the beginning. Her first Monday on the job, her boss had taken her to Caffé Divina for a “getting to know each other” lunch. Ever since she dragged me to the café that following Friday, claiming that this awesome little coffee shop was a hidden gem, we had been going almost every week at least once. I had fallen in love with the combination of coffee, coffee ice cream, whipped cream, and cinnamon that made up my delectable Aussie Iced. Once I’d had their pesto chicken and vegetable soup and avocado turkey club lunch combo, I’d been sold.

  “All right, girly. Enough stalling.” I helped move the saucers and condiments on the table for the server as he set down out plates of steaming, delicious-smelling soup and mouthwatering sandwiches. We both thanked him and then I waited patiently for Cali to start talking.

  “What do you know?” she asked, smiling over her soup spoon right before she blew on it to cool it off enough to eat.

  “I talked to Mitch this morning. He said all you did was talk. That’s all I know.”

  She nodded with a full mouth of soup. After daintily wiping her mouth, she nodded again. “Then you know pretty much everything. We just talked about his and my feelings about what had happened yesterday.”

  This was not at all as juicy as I’d been expecting it to be. I knew Cali and Mitch well, and both of them usually would try to show restraint but then give in to weaker desires as the night turned into early morning hours. “Really?”

  “Yeah. Well, kind of. We kissed and just talked.” She held up her pinky, offering it to me to wrap mine around. I did jokingly, laughing at how childish we must have looked to others in the coffee shop.

  “How was kissing him?”

  “Pretty great. He was gentle and rough all at once. It was a few minutes of hardcore high-school-style making out. His abs are pretty great to caress during all of it too. So yeah, it was pretty enjoyable.”

  I laughed a little at Cali’s goofy grin before I could even spit words out again. “And right then, caressing his abs and playing tonsil hockey, you decided to call up your doting rock star and call off the trip.”

  “Yeah. It was the right thing to do. I told Mitch last night that with everything that is going on with Kyle, I don’t want to really start anything until I know he wouldn’t be a rebound and we left it at that. We’re friends who are really attracted to one another.”

  “Did you want to?” I smirked at her with a wink.

  “Want to what?”

  “Want to go further than just feeling his abs?”

  Through a little giggle, she answered, “Of course. Mitch and I almost hooked up at your wedding. I have thought he was attractive for a long time.”

  I almost choked on a piece of turkey from thinking back to that day. “Isn’t that where you and Kyle met?”

  Kyle was one Randy’s family friends’ sons who’d gotten a courtesy invite to my wedding. For a long time after, I’d given Randy a hard time for making me send out that invitation. Thinking back on it now, I realized how true the saying was about hindsight being twenty-twenty.

  “Uh huh. Mitch and I were dancing for a little while. We actually kissed on the dance floor in our drunken giddiness of your nuptials. But when he went off to the bathroom, Kyle asked me to dance and there you have it. The worst dance of my life.”

  I grimaced. “Yeah, but now it’s over and you got a second chance with Mitch. Everyone wins and Kyle is the dirtbag that we all thought he was, just now showing his true colors.”

  With a sigh, Cali just nodded, slowly touching her lips to the rim of her cup. “He is cute, isn’t he?” A blush
danced over her cheeks as a faint smile started to form, slowly transforming her face back to its normal cheery expression.

  It helped pull me away from reminiscing about my wedding day, Walker’s best man’s speech, and my first dance that had turned into one of my last with Randy. Missing Randy still stung my heart, but I was starting to become numb to it. I wasn’t sure if it was healing or callousness that was shifting my feelings about my late husband, but as selfish as it made me feel, the change was welcome.

  “So what about Mr. Maverick Steele? How’d that call go?”

  “Oh, yeah. That.” Cali looked down at her glass, pursing her lips. “I told him that long-distance relationship with an overly flirtatious rock star seemed too cliché for a rebound and that we should stay in touch as friends.” With a shrug, she added, “He didn’t seem to mind too much, saying he ‘completely understands.’ And that was that.”

  “Well, I am glad that the cards are finally being dealt in one of our favors.”

  She shot me a sympathetic glance. “Yeah. How’re you holding up with everything that has been going on? You miss him, don’t you?”

  “Which one?” I dramatically let my forehead crash into my open hands on top of the table.

  “Walker.”

  With that one word, my heart started racing. I knew that was who she’d meant, but I’d been hoping she would say, “Randy.” The longing and grief I felt for him was easier. It made more sense. It was not normal to feel the way I did about a man who’d caused the death of my husband. In that moment, I felt crazier than ever and started bawling into my cloth napkin.

  Cali’s hand rested on my forearm as she tried to soothe me. “Mags, it’s okay. Walker has changed so much, and you know that where ever he is, he’s thinking about you.”

  Anger rushed in fast and violently. “Then why the fuck is he running away from me?” My voice was low enough that the neighboring tables were oblivious to the pain that scorched our table as they went about their cheery conversation, but my strong exterior was crumbling down around me. I hated losing control like that in public, but sometimes there was no helping it, and Cali was the only one who never made me feel judged about it. She always let me cry or lash out or what have you and just smiled warmly or patted my back and tried to say the right thing.

  “I wish I knew.”

  “Well, that’s enough of that crappy conversation.” I wiped my dripping mascara with my napkin before continuing. “Want to get our nails down at VIP this weekend? We both could use some pampering!”

  “Yeah. Sounds good to me.”

  I made a note in my phone to call and make reservations at our favorite nail place before signaling to our server to bring us our check. While I signed my name on the credit card slip, I heard Cali sigh dramatically. “I really don’t want to go back to work!”

  “You know, Cali, you could just quit. All the cool kids are doing it,” I teased as she hopped up from her seat.

  With a quick wink, a shake of her head, and a giggle, she said, “Not this cool kid!”

  Nine

  The front door slammed, echoing through the Katzes’ home. It shook me awake from my little catnap. I was curled up on the family room sofa, sunken into the cream, corduroy fabric. Stretching out a yawn, I heard Cali’s heels hastily clicking on the marble towards the white noise of afternoon programming.

  “Hey, Mags.” She slumped down onto the couch next to me, grinning from ear to ear with a fire in her eyes I hadn’t seen in years.

  “Hey, Cali. What’s going on?” I threw the blanket over her legs to ease the goose bumps that were spreading quickly.

  “Thanks.” She rubbed her legs hastily then turned to me, still smiling like the Cheshire cat. “My boss was arrested today. Right after I got back from lunch with you.”

  “What? Why? How could you wait until now to tell me? That is news you text right away!”

  The giddiness was making her eyes crease and her cheeks turn red as she fiddled with the blanket, which was now clutched in her hands. “Oh, it was crazy in the office. I didn’t get a free minute away from the gossip. Anyways, he was arrested for tax evasion!”

  “And this makes you this happy, why? I know he was a sleazeball and everything, but that’s really sad for his family and is going to be really hard on the company.”

  “Because the vice president is now in charge and came into my office right after his emergency meeting with the board members and told me that I had a meeting with them first thing tomorrow.”

  “That’s good. I’m glad they are taking time to meet with you at such a—”

  Before I could finish my sentence, Cali shot up off the couch and was practically jumping in front of me as she cut me off. “Because they are going to freaking promote me! I am going to be the head of sales! No more traveling, no more pitching. I will just run all of sales people! And I get a huge bonus!”

  I jumped to my feet to wrap Cali into a hug. “That is awesome! I am so happy for you! Finally getting the recognition that you deserve!”

  “I think I am going to serve Kyle with the divorce papers in a couple of days, after I meet with Paulina. I want the divorce to be over before I get this raise. I am going to talk to the board and see if they can help me.” She slumped down onto the sofa, wrapping the blanket around her entire body as the color in her face drained and her eyes started to get misty. “Why can’t I just enjoy this moment? Why does he have to steal all of my happiness?”

  Seeing her defeated stare broke my heart. Cali deserved to relish in this moment and not be so weighed down by a jerk who’d broken her down. “Look, Cali, maybe you need to walk away even more. Have you thought about selling your house? Maybe just getting an apartment for a while?”

  “I love my home. And it’s only in my name. I bought it before Kyle and I got married and he only helped with other bills, not the mortgage. That cheap bastard!”

  “I was just throwing it out there. It’s hard to go back into a place that holds such profound memories, good or bad. Trust me.”

  “Then why don’t you sell yours?”

  The quick smirk that played on her lips pissed me off for a second. I knew that I was probably better off taking my own advice, but I was a train wreck of a widow, not a bitter divorcée.

  “I thought about it a long time ago, but I wasn’t strong enough to.”

  “Well, if you will, I will.”

  “Man, everyone is laying that on me! First Buck with the whole drinking thing. Now you with the freaking house!”

  “I guess we just know how to get to you.” Cali winked at me and smiled again. “Maybe we could move into your place? You know, in a little while? I know that I don’t want to go back to my house anytime soon. I may even sell it eventually, but overstaying my welcome here is not an idea I want to entertain.”

  “Yeah, maybe that is a good idea. I’m not ready for that yet though. Are you?”

  “Nope.” Cali shook her head vigorously. “There’s a boy that I like visiting at night.” Rose color popped back onto Cali’s cheeks as she bit her lip and giggled.

  “Yeah, I guess we should stick around for a little bit longer. Besides, this couch is amazing!” I shifted to let myself sink even more into the cushion.

  Cali put her head on my shoulder, exhaling. “Mags?”

  “Yeah, Cal?”

  “Thanks for being my best friend.”

  “You’re welcome, silly. I think our kind of crazy just meshes well. No one else could put up with me other than you.”

  “Yeah…you got that right!”

  “You’re not going to sell your house, are you?”

  Cali peeked up at me with a challenging glare. “I’m as willing to make that big of a step as you are, Mags.”

  “Yeah that’s what I thought. We’re both stuck with giant-ass houses that scare the living daylights out of us.”

  The padding of feet coming down the stairs made Cali and me instinctively hush our conversation. Mitch cleared this throat befo
re poking his head into the room.

  “Am I interrupting girl time?” A cute grin quickly popped up while Cali shook her head no and patted the cushion next to her. He gladly took his seat, casually putting an arm around her shoulders. “What are you two talking about then? You sure hushed up fast when you heard me.” He shot both of us knowing glances before beaming down at Cali as she began to explain.

  “I was just finishing telling Mags some pretty awesome news.”

  “Oh yeah?” An almost mocking expression pulled the corner of his mouth up as he looked from me to Cali.

  Cali’s excitement oozed from her again as she excitedly told Mitch the same story she had just finished telling me. Once she got to the part of serving Kyle with the divorce papers so soon, Mitch’s expression went to sheer hope and delight, just like a little boy finally getting to open a huge present on Christmas morning.

  Mitch took Cali into his arms, kissing the top of her head as she smiled. “I am so proud of you. Congrats, babe.”

  The use of the pet name signaled a cue for me to leave the two of them to enjoy some time together. “Well, I am going to take a shower. I’m so proud of you, Cal!”

  She cuddled more into Mitch’s arms. “Thanks, Mags. I had a great time at lunch today with you! You better tell Buck that you’re going to need to continue our lunch dates when you’re working for him.”

  “I’m sure Dad won’t mind that at all.” Every tooth in Mitch’s mouth could be seen as his delight with the situation spread from ear to ear.

  I smiled at the two of them. “I’ll make him put it in my contract.”

  As I made my way up the stairs, a warm feeling spread through me as I heard Cali and Mitch giggling and carrying on in the family room. It was so nice to see how much they were starting to care about each other. Then the lonely longing for Walker smashed hard into me as I realized that I used to have exactly what Mitch and Cali were starting to fall into.

  The steam of the shower wrapped around my body as I sat on the stone seat, my hair dripping with suds as I shaved my legs. Thoughts of Randy, Walker, and this terrible situation that we all had fallen into consumed me. The only reason why I’d even decided to shave my legs was to have an excuse to hide away in my warm solitude of despair for a little bit longer. There was no way to shake these feelings other than let them fall into their natural course. The old saying is “time heals all,” and I was going to have to hope that it was actually true, but I was beginning to think that it wasn’t the time that healed but what you did with the time that actually made the difference. There was no bringing Randy back, but there was a possibility of saving Walker. I was just not sure how strong I was or how ready I was to confront him yet. I was scared, nervous, and mad, but the little ember of hope started to smolder just a little bit brighter each day.