To: randigirl@miranda.com
From: SikorskiK@WIndiU.edu
Hello to all of Gracie’s Girls, class of 1999. Once again, thanks to all of you for the flowers and phone calls after my aunt Gracie's passing last winter. You all meant so much to her, and to me.
As I’m sure you all know, our tenth college reunion is coming up this summer. Since I now have Gracie’s big rambling house all to myself, I’d like to extend an invitation. If any of you are coming back for the reunion, you’re more than welcome to stay here, in your old rooms. Gracie quit taking in college students several years back, so there’s no one here but me, and I’d love to have some company while I’m getting the house ready to put on the market. So what do you say? One last time as roommates? It would be great to see all of you again.
Hugs,
Karen
* * * *
Miranda Ellson stood on the sidewalk, staring up at the stately Victorian house that she had called home while at Western Indiana University, and drew in deep breaths of the warm, fresh air. She immediately recognized the voices of both Lily and Karen as their laughter floated out of the open windows. They were probably hanging out in the living room, eating snacks and catching up. Vivid memories of marathon study sessions, pizza and gossip in the kitchen, and late night, pajama clad conversations flooded her mind. Six girls had started out as strangers, bonded over the trials and tribulations of growing up, and ultimately set out to pursue their own dreams.
She was the one who had left telling anyone in earshot that she was going to make her mark on the world of interior design and never look back. Ten years, five job changes and three boring, failed relationships later, Miranda stood in the same spot where she’d started, trying hard not to vomit as another wave of nerves assaulted her.
Reunions were the type of events where people bragged about their perfect marriages, or their stellar career successes or showed pictures of adorable, dimpled offspring or, in the worst-case scenario; all of the above. She had no husband, no ex-husband and no dependants. She was financially secure, which was easier to accomplish without the afore-noted complications but she didn’t consider her lack of tenure in any one spot a comfortable subject of discussion.
The idea of re-connecting with her roommates had sounded good when Miranda had first read Karen’s email. She hadn’t kept up with the girls with any kind of regularity over the years and the thought of some female camaraderie had been appealing. She was pretty light in the friends department.
Oh, who was she kidding? The possibility of hooking up with Jeff Briggs while in town had been more of the reason for coming than anything else, despite the fact that she hadn’t heard from him in a couple of years. In her mind, they had unfinished business. He was still her fantasy of choice when spending quality time with her favorite toys.
As the reunion approached, she had convinced herself that if they met up, she would throw caution to the wind and honestly confess her desires. Her plan had seemed provocative, tantalizing and irresistible in the privacy of her condo, but with her dubious track record in the man department, she was having some serious second thoughts. He was probably happily married, or affianced or otherwise spoken for. Did she really want to come face to face with that reality? What the hell had she been thinking?
Miranda crossed the street and walked quickly over to a bench on the far corner. It was probably for the best if she just got back in her car and headed home to Chicago, but it was a long drive and she should rest first. She dug around in her purse, finding her cell phone and the list of hotels that the reunion committee had sent, and started dialing. By the time she hung up with the last hotel, still hearing the clerk laughing at her request for a room during one of the busiest weeks on campus, tears clouded her vision. Maybe she could nap in her car?
Not paying the slightest bit of attention to her surroundings, Miranda jumped up from the bench and collided with an immovable object.
“Whoa, impressive hit.” Strong hands gripped her hips. “If you’d lowered your right shoulder a bit, I’d be flat on my ass.” Lord that voice. The deep baritone mixed with the southern drawl sent butterflies dancing in her tummy. How many nights had she imagined him whispering all of the naughty deeds they were going to do together? Miranda squealed in surprise when he lifted her off the ground and hugged her tightly.
“Jesus, Jeff. You startled the crap out of me,” she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged back. How freaky good was this? A faint scent, spicy and familiar, instantly sent a rush of heat to her pussy. “It’s not nice to sneak up on a girl, you know.” Her fingers inadvertently tightened on the corded muscles of his shoulders when he set her down. Maybe it would be okay if she held onto him for a second longer?
“You were so lost in your thoughts I’m pretty damn sure I could have parked my pickup right here on the sidewalk, and you wouldn’t have noticed.”
“Point taken,” she laughed. “It’s good to see you again, Jeff.” Her pulse rate sped up when his hands moved to lay scandalously close to the upper swell of her ass.
“Ah, Miranda, it’s a whole bunch better than ‘good’ to see you. What are you doing out here plowing into innocent pedestrians? Shouldn’t you be hanging out with the other Gracie Girls, getting caught up on ten years of goings on?”
“They don’t know I’m in town yet. I never exactly committed to when I was going to get here or where I was staying. I was kind of working up the nerve to go in when I bumped into you.”
“You were starting to run down the street in the opposite direction, darlin.”
“Oh you noticed that, did you?” She glanced down at the ground while nervously shuffling her feet.
“It was hard to miss.” Jeff chuckled, lifting her chin with a finger. “Why the sad eyes, Randi?” The look of concern on his face was heartwarming. “Tell your old buddy what’s going on. We used to be able to talk about anything.” Jeff stared down at her with a crooked grin and a raised eyebrow. “If I remember correctly, we would have done a lot more than just talk if you’d had your way,” Heat instantly infused her cheeks.
During the two years they had been neighbors and friends, they’d spent countless hours studying together, solving the world’s problems with high-spirited political debates and talking about their plans for the future. They had also spent a great deal of time and energy not dealing with the serious sparks of sexual tension that arched every time they were in the same room. Miranda had shamelessly used every trick in the book to seduce him, but despite her most fervent efforts, he always gently refused her advances with soothing compliments and vague explanations of her not understanding what a relationship with him would mean.
“It’s not very gentlemanly of you to remind me of that, Jeff,” she admonished with a grin. “I was young and inexperienced, and with you being so much older and wiser than I was; well I was just bowled over by your manly goodness.” Miranda stared up at him with mischief dancing in her eyes.
“There’s the Randi I know: sharp tongued and sexy as hell.” She gasped in surprise when he hauled her up against his solid frame and planted a kiss on her forehead. “What do you say we take a walk and get reacquainted? Maybe if you start out with me it won’t be such a big deal to meet up with the others.” He let her go, took a step back and held out his hand in invitation.
Miranda didn’t hesitate. She placed her hand in his, allowing him to guide her toward the southern end of campus. His grip was strong but the pace he set was slow and comfortable. She glanced over at him and smiled, taking her first good look at the man he’d become. He hadn’t gotten any taller, not that he needed to at probably six foot three or four inches. His deep brown hair was cut short now, his face a bit fuller and there were little personality lines around his piercing green eyes. The black t-shirt he wore did nothing to disguise the muscular physique beneath, and did everything to accentuate his perfectly defined biceps. The faded, snug blue jeans sitting low on his hips further accentuated the fact that physical fitness was still a big part of his life.
Images of him pumping iron, shirtless and glistening with perspiration assaulted her, and she clumsily stumbled over a piece of uneven pavement. Jeff released her hand and drew her against his hip without breaking their stride. She felt the heat of his palm right through the thin cotton material of her skirt. Oh yeah, this was going to help her pay attention to where they were going. They entered one of the many small parks that edged the campus and sat down at a picnic table secluded among thick bushes and towering trees.
“So how’s business, Jeff?” she asked, trying for casual and hoping he didn’t interpret her breathlessness to her being out of shape. “The last time we emailed, you were thinking about opening your own gym, right?”
“I own and operate two private gyms now, and I’m still on staff with the athletic department of the university.”
“Heartwood has enough exercising people to support two different facilities?”
“I think you just insulted both my business ability and anyone in the area who wants to be physically fit,” he laughed.
Miranda fought to stifle a groan of embarrassment as she wrung her hands together in her lap; so much for starting the conversation off with witty banter. “I guess I haven’t changed much, Jeff. You know when I get nervous something stupid is bound to tumble out of my mouth.”
“Nervous? What’s there to be nervous about?” Miranda practically jumped when he set his hand on her thigh. “Jesus, darlin, did you have extra caffeine or something today?”
“Actually I did.” She chuckled, tearing her eyes away from where he touched her once she decided the electric jolt she’d felt wasn’t visible. “I’ve been on the road for a long time.”
“You drove straight through from New York?”
“Chicago,” she corrected with a shy smile.
“Apparently we have lots of things to catch up on,” he noted with a grin. “When did you move again?”
“Two years ago. I’m a manager for a company that specializes in designing office spaces.”
“Are you happier there than you were in New York?”
“The pay’s great and I live only a few blocks from work, which cuts way down on the wear and tear on my car.”
“A poor attempt at evading the question, Randi. ‘Re-connecting’ requires honesty don’t you think? Without out it, we’re just two people trading bullshit.”
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