Crossroad to Love (Fab Five Series)

chapter 7

“I see you’ve started the party without us,” Angie chuckled, slightly taken aback at the glass of wine in Marianne’s hand. It was so unlike her to drink alone.

“Come here, you guys, I’ve been waiting patiently for hours for you to get here,” replied Marianne with a forced laugh.

With that, the three friends rushed to her. After much hugging, kissing, and crying, finally reunited again, the four friends sat down, each with a glass of wine in their hand now, ready to catch up on each other’s news.

“So, who wants to go first?” Marianne ventured.

The three looked at each other and giggled like schoolgirls. Lizzie and Katy both looked pointedly at Angie, who turned beet red.

“You already know something, don’t you?” asked Marianne, her curiosity building.

“Tell her, Angie, you know you are not going to get away with not telling,” Katy coaxed her gently.

“Alright, already, I can see I’m going to have to tell my story first or you two will burst.” She looked at Marianne and continued, “Well, Mari, I got the biggest surprise of my life yesterday. I had scheduled a meeting with an architectural firm to work on a new project for the hotel. It’s an expansion project.” She paused, took a sip of wine, and continued, “I pitched the idea a few months ago and it was wholeheartedly approved. I am basically in charge of the whole project, which is a major undertaking. I’ve been working long hours on it,” she explained, “which is why I am so looking forward to this week with you guys. I really needed a break before the bulk of the work begins.” She was taking her time telling the story, savoring every word.

“On with the good part, Ang,” Lizzie said impatiently.

“I’m getting to that. All in good time, my friend, all in good time,” Angie replied. “Anyway, when the architect walked in the door, it was none other than the still-gorgeous Michael Gray. There he was, a blast from the past after all these years, and still as hot as ever. He waltzed right in and sat down. Now are you happy? I’ve said it.” Angie waited for Marianne’s reaction, while her other two friends burst into yet another fit of giggles.

Marianne looked at each of her friends in disbelief. “You have got to be kidding me. What in the world did you do?”

“After I picked my jaw up off the floor and stammered a little, I acted like the professional career lady that I am and conducted the meeting, of course. He really had some wonderful ideas and I think I’ll like working with him, actually. On a professional level, of course,” she quickly added.

“What about on a personal level?” Marianne ventured to ask.

“That remains to be seen. We had dinner together last night. He is still single in answer to your next question,” Angie offered.

“Wow, you didn’t waste any time, now did you?” Marianne looked at her friend warily.

“Now what is that supposed to mean? It was a friendly business dinner. That is all.”

“Sure it was. Honey, we all know that you never got over the man. Why you ever let him go in the first place is beyond me. You guys were great together. You should never have let your careers get in the way. You could have made it work, lots of couples have high-powered careers and stay married. They lead successful lives and do just fine.” Marianne had finally put into words what they all had been thinking.

“But, at the time, it just didn’t seem to be working. You are right about one thing, though, and I never thought I would ever admit it. I never got over the man, plain and simple fact. And I probably never will.”

“Well, now is your chance to rectify the mistake of letting him go in the first place. You may never get another chance like it,” Lizzie, who had been listening intently, added.

“But so much time has passed.”

“Did he act interested?” Katy asked, knowing full well that he was.

“Maybe, I just don’t know what to think. I have to work with the man for the next several months.”

“There’s that work thing getting in the way again,” Marianne replied.

“You have got to find a way to work with him and a way to get to know him all over again. You might just like the man he has become even more than the Michael you fell in love with all those years ago,” Katy said.

“You are both established in your careers now, sounds like you are both doing well for yourselves. You are both available and obviously neither of you has found anyone else, which should be telling you something. It may be destiny’s way of stepping in where you two have been too stubborn to go,” Lizzie offered.

“I agree,” said Marianne, who had always been a great believer in fate and destiny.

“Well, I do feel better after talking with you guys. I knew I would. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens from here, I guess. Enough about me, who wants to go next?” Angie was glad to get the conversation going in another direction. They did not know everything about her breakup with Michael. She had never told them. She had never confided the most personal thing in her life to her best friends in all the years since it happened. Actually, she had never even told Michael the real reason she had set him free.

“I’ll go next,” Katy offered. The others leaned forward to listen, eager to hear as she began.

“Well, you all know that Alex has gone off to college. It has been wonderful raising him, even though we were very lonely at times. Now, it’s been ten years and it’s time for me to decide what I am going to do with the rest of my life. Bill would want me to move on and be happy. I need to decide on a job, for starters, and then who knows what will happen next? It has been so many years, I just don’t know if I can do the whole dating thing again. And things are so different now from when Bill and I got together. I mean, we were high school sweethearts, for God’s sake. I thought I could gain a little perspective this week while I’m here.” Katy was very serious now.

“Well, Katy, I think you’re right, the time has come for you to start the rest of your life. It won’t be easy, I’m sure, but something or someone will come along when you least expect it and just like with Angie, it will be meant to be,” Lizzie said with a smile for her friend.

“She’s right, you know. You need to see what happens. What kind of job are you thinking about?” Angie asked.

“I really don’t know. I’ve always been interested in interior design, you know. I took those classes after high school and worked for a decorator before I had Bree.”

“Well, maybe you could start a business of your own. I think it’s great you are thinking about doing something like that. Maybe you could work on some ideas for my project at the hotel. That would be a start for you. Let you get your feet wet and see if this is really your thing.”

“I think that’s an excellent idea, Angie. That is so like you to think of something like that,” Marianne said.

“Wow, I knew you guys would have ideas for me, but I never expected anything like this. Thank you, Angie, I would love to work on something for you. Let’s set a time this week to talk about it some more.” Katy was excited at the prospect of working with Angie.

“Okay, two down and two to go. Whose problem do we solve next?” Angie laughed. This is great, being with the three of them again. She wondered how many other people could say that they had friendships that had stood the test of time like this.

“Well, mine is not really a problem.” It was Lizzie’s turn to speak. “It’s just me being silly. I have been at loose ends since the twins have moved on with their own lives. Cara still lives at home, but she is super busy with her job and her guy. I’m expecting to hear that she will be either moving out or getting married any day now. And Colt has already moved out. He still comes over for the occasional home-cooked meal, but less and less often. He’s started a new job, which has been hard for Rex. He wanted Colt to come into the business with him right out of college. But Colt had other ideas. He wanted to test the waters first and try a job on his own. We’re still hoping that he will eventually change his mind, which brings me to Rex. He is still my sweet, charming, teddy bear Rex, don’t get me wrong, but he is so busy now that the agency has taken off. He is hardly ever home and when he is, he is exhausted. This should be a time in our lives when we are doing things together. Instead, we never see each other. I am really having a bad case of the empty nest syndrome, I’m afraid.” Lizzie sighed as she told her story to the group.

It’s not silly, sounds to me like your dilemma is similar to Katy’s. Have you thought about going to work?” Angie asked with a smile.

“Well, that brings me to an idea I had while having breakfast with Rex this morning. I want to run it by you guys and see what you think.” Lizzie went on to explain her brainstorm to the group and was met with approval all around.

“And you think he would be against it?” Angie asked.

“I just don’t know how he will react to me wanting to work with him. You would have thought he would have suggested it, but he hasn’t even given me a clue that he has thought about it. Maybe he doesn’t think I have the ability anymore or maybe he simply does not want me in the office every day,” Lizzie said with a worried look on her face.

“Well, there is only one way to find out,” Angie was quick to reply. “When you get back to Columbus, you need to sit that man of yours down and have a real heart to heart. You need to tell him everything you have told us. I bet you’ll be surprised at his reaction. Maybe he has never given it a thought that you would even want to work, let alone with him. And if he says no, you convince him to give it a try. You have the ability. You know that and we know that. Your writing won you so many awards in school. And you have marketing experience. That was how you two met. And if he has forgotten that, then he is just getting senile and you need to prove to him that you can be an asset to the company.”

“Okay, as always, you present a good case. I’ll talk to Rex when I get home. I will let you all know how it goes.” Lizzie felt better already.

“Well, we all seem to be solving our problems on the first day of the trip. Now the rest of the week can be spent reminiscing and having a good time,” Angie added.

“Marianne, you’ve been awfully quiet. It’s your turn. What can we help you with today?” Katy looked at her friend with concern. The half-empty wine bottle had not gone unnoticed by her keen eye.

Much to the surprise of the other three, Marianne burst into tears. “I think you all had better pour yourselves another glass of wine for this one. Your problems are all a piece of cake to what I am about to tell you. I’ve been sitting here listening to all of you. Katy is beginning a new life, Lizzie may be starting an exciting new career, and Angie is embarking on the greatest thing she has ever done in her career, not to mention the fact that she is probably going to get back together with the love of her life when all is said and done. I just don’t think any of you can solve my problem. And it is a true problem.” Marianne looked solemnly at the group gathered around her.

“Sweetie, what in the world is it? We all thought you had it all, great part-time nursing job, beautiful house, two great kids, plenty of money, and the most handsome, successful husband in the world. What could possibly be wrong in your world?” Lizzie asked in awe.

“Looks can be deceiving, you know. Up until a short time ago, I thought I had it all, too. How quickly that can change. My world came crashing down around me in a heartbeat.” Marianne burst into fresh tears.

Her three friends were at a total loss. None of them knew what to do or say next. Marianne seemed to be in such a fragile state, which was not the Marianne they all knew.

Lizzie was the first to speak. She broke the silence by asking gently, “Can you tell us what happened? Just take your time, catch your breath, and tell us slowly everything that happened. You know that whatever it is, we are all here for you, one hundred and ten percent.”

The other two nodded in agreement. Whatever was bothering Marianne had certainly unnerved her. And how many glasses of wine had she had already? Something was really wrong in her life. And for the first time in all the years they had been friends, would they even be able to help her through it?

Marianne took a deep breath, took a sip of the wine still in her glass and began telling her story. She told them about what Julie had seen. She told them about how distraught she had been. And then she told them about how loving Jon had been before she left for the hotel.

“I am at my wit’s end. I don’t know what to think, I don’t know what to do. All I know is that I have got to make a decision this week, once and for all. I can’t go on like this. I am drinking way too much, but I just don’t seem to care anymore.”

“Oh, honey, we are here for you, whatever you need. You know that. Even if life seems to be against you, you will always have us.” Lizzie put her arms around her friend.

“The snake, how can he do this to you, after you put him through med school, gave him two wonderful sons, and catered to his every need all these years? I guess it was all too good to be true. Maybe I had the right idea after all, getting rid of the man in my life years ago.” Angie was livid.

“Now, now, Ang, calm down, your situation with Michael was completely different. He loved you with every fiber of his being.” Katy went on, “I know we are all upset with Jon right now, but maybe there is more to this. Maybe Julie was mistaken. You really need to get Jon’s side of the story. Does he even know that you suspect anything?”

“I don’t think Julie would lie to me. She has been through this herself,” Marianne answered as the tears rolled down her cheeks once again.

“Well, Marianne, there is just one thing you can do,” Katy said. “When the week is over, you’ll go home, confront Jon and get everything out in the open. You get his side of the story and go from there. He may break your heart. You may split up. You may stay together. There is no use fretting about it or ruining your health because of it. I know this sounds harsh, but it is your only option. You cannot walk out on him after all these years without at least hearing him out. Do the boys know anything, by the way?”

“No, I haven’t had the heart to tell them. I have been trying to keep things as normal as possible so they don’t suspect a problem. Jackson was home from school last weekend. And Jordan is so busy with football and school and girls, he wouldn’t notice if anything were amiss anyway, I don’t think.”

“Let’s not let this ruin our week. You need to put it out of your mind, as much as you can anyway, and relax. Enjoy this time we have together. Then, next week, you need to deal with the problem head on, once and for all.” Angie gently patted Marianne’s hand as she spoke. “I shouldn’t have spouted off like I did before. This has been hard enough for you as it is, without me going off at the mouth like that. I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings, Mari.”

“You didn’t say anything I haven’t thought a thousand times over, Angie. And I agree. I need to enjoy this week. I have needed this break for a while now and I am not going to let Jon ruin it for me too.”

“Now you’re talking. The ‘Fab Four’ are together again. Let’s move on to important issues. Like, where are we going for dinner?” Lizzie tried to lighten the mood.

And with that choice to make, the four of them all began chattering at once, trying to decide whether to go out on the town or to order in and have one of their good old-fashioned slumber parties like in the old days. They unanimously voted on the latter and the party began.