Love Waits Read online

  “You know very well how old I am.”

  Pam laughed. “Yeah. Two years older than me.” She bumped her arm. “So don’t go.”

  “I have to go. I was class president. I was Miss Calloway the year we graduated. And the damn prom queen. Besides, my mother would kill me if I didn’t go. It’s a small town. If I didn’t go, everyone would talk and wonder why. My mother hates it when people talk.” Ashleigh stopped. “That’s not really what’s bothering me either.” She pulled Pam to the side of the trail as a group of bike riders sped past. “She might be there.”

  “She?”

  “You know.”

  “I do?”

  Ashleigh rolled her eyes.

  “Oh. That she. The girl you lost your virginity to?”

  “Gina Granbury.” God, Ashleigh thought to herself, just saying her name brought back a rash of memories. Memories she’d tried so hard to repress over the years.

  “And you think she’ll be there?”

  “She wasn’t at the tenth, thank goodness. But twenty? Everyone goes to their twentieth reunion, don’t they?”

  “How long has it been since you’ve seen her?”

  Ashleigh started walking again. “My first semester in college. I transferred. She was sleeping with practically every girl at school. It was disgusting.”

  “Is this the one who broke up with you without giving you a reason?”

  “Yes.”

  “You were still in love with her?”

  “Madly. But we were kids. What do kids know about love?”

  Chapter Five

  Twenty-three years earlier

  Ashleigh hurried down the hall, not bothering to stop at her locker to dump off the books she didn’t need. She smiled and waved at Crissy, another cheerleader, but didn’t stop to chat. She knew Gina Granbury rode her bike to and from school, so she hurried out the side door where the bike racks were. For some reason, the tall, dark-haired girl intrigued her. She often felt her eyes on her, often caught her staring. There was just something about the way Gina Granbury looked at her. It was mysterious. It was also a little frightening. She didn’t know Gina. Not really. They’d had a class together their freshman year but they rarely spoke. Now their sophomore year had all but passed and they’d only said a handful of “hellos” to each other. They had only one class together this year—American history—and they sat at opposite sides of the room. Even then, whenever she turned, she found Gina watching her. The other girl would look away, embarrassment showing on her face each time. This confused Ashleigh more than frightened her. Gina Granbury was obviously harmless. But the look in her eyes...well, it was almost like how a boy would look at a girl. That frightened her. Only a little.

  There was a whirr of bikes and bodies as everyone raced away from school. She spotted Gina in the middle of the pack, her long dark hair flowing out behind her as she peddled away.

  “Crap,” she murmured. It was Friday. She wouldn’t have a chance to see Gina again until Monday. She spun around, wondering what her mother would say if she suddenly started riding her bike to school each day. She would think she’d flipped out, of course. The cool kids didn’t ride their bikes to school. The cool kids either drove themselves or, better yet, rode with a cute guy.

  She walked back inside, slower now. She was a cheerleader. She was officially one of the cool kids. She couldn’t ditch her new car for a bike. She’d waited too long to be able to drive to go back to bikes.

  “Hey, Ashleigh. Wanna go swimming?”

  Ashleigh stopped at her locker, her fingers moving automatically over the combination lock, turning it at precisely the correct spot. “Where?”

  “Jennifer’s house.” Crissy leaned against the locker next to hers. “James will be there,” she said, her sing-song voice teasing Ashleigh. Everyone knew James had the hots for her.

  “Boys?”

  “Yeah. Jennifer’s mom said she was finally old enough to have unsupervised parties with boys.” She rolled her eyes dramatically. “As if we weren’t old enough last year.”

  Ashleigh took two books out of her backpack, then slammed her locker shut. “Yeah, she wouldn’t allow it if she knew that Jennifer’s been screwing Seth since last summer.”

  Crissy laughed. “Speaking of that, when are you going to give in and go out with James?”

  Ashleigh shook her head. “I don’t like James. Not like that.”

  “What’s not to like? He’s one of the cutest guys in school.”

  “There’s just no spark there. I need there to be a spark,” Ashleigh said, surprised that her mind flashed to Gina Granbury and those dark eyes that often watched her.

  “Maybe if you’d go out with him, there’d be a spark,” Crissy said, tugging at her arm as they walked down the nearly empty hallway.

  Ashleigh shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

  “Oh, and you know that basketball player? The one who made the varsity team last year as a freshman?”

  Ashleigh stopped. “Gina Granbury?” she said, the name sounding strange to her and she realized it was the first time she’d spoken it out loud.

  “Yeah, her. Jennifer invited her to the party, too.”

  “Why? Does she even know her?”

  “Not really. But Brian thinks she’s hot.”

  “Brian? But he’s—”

  “They broke up.”

  “When?” Ashleigh started walking again, her mind racing. Gina Granbury at the swim party? She didn’t know whether she was happy or annoyed. Yes, she wanted to get to know her. She just didn’t necessarily want the whole gang to get to know her.

  “They had a fight last weekend. Cheri told him to go fuck himself,” she said, breaking into a fit of giggles.

  “He’s an asshole.”

  “He’s the quarterback. What do you expect?”

  Ashleigh’s mind wasn’t on Brian. She chewed her lip as she wondered what she’d wear. Boys would be there. It stood to reason she’d wear her bikini. Then she imagined those dark eyes watching her and she felt an involuntary chill. Maybe she should wear the more conservative one-piece. She tilted her head thoughtfully, a slow smile forming.

  Or maybe not.

  Ashleigh pulled her long T-shirt off, conscious of the tiny bikini she wore. She expected wolf whistles from the guys and she wasn’t disappointed. Pity not a one of them stirred any interest in her. She stood at the edge of the pool, then dove in, disappearing underwater, loving the cool, clean feel of the water on her heated skin. When she surfaced, she wasn’t surprised to find Gina Granbury watching her. Gina pulled her eyes away immediately but not before Ashleigh felt the heat of them.

  Again, she didn’t understand the pull, didn’t understand her fascination with Gina. They weren’t friends. They never ran into each other outside of school. In fact, she doubted anyone at the party had ever spent time with Gina. Yet here she was, at their swim party because Brian The Asshole thought Gina was hot. She’d seen Brian talk to her, had seen the other girl smile at him, but Gina still sat alone, removed from the others, her red one-piece suit revealing little, other than she had a perfect athlete’s body.

  Ashleigh lifted herself out of the pool, pausing as her thoughts sunk home. Gina was invited because Brian thought she was hot. But that wasn’t the reason Gina was here. No, Gina was here because Ashleigh was here. She turned slowly, again finding Gina’s eyes on her. This time, she didn’t look away as quickly and Ashleigh held her gaze for seconds longer, acknowledging the totally unexpected—and completely foreign—spark between them.

  Oh, God...finally a spark. Not from James Simpson, no, but from another girl. Gina Granbury.

  Embarrassed, she turned away, walking quickly to a lounge chair and plopping down. She grabbed a towel to cover her face, pretending the need to dry herself. She heard laughter and splashing, knowing the others had jumped in. She lowered the towel, making an effort to keep her eyes from straying to Gina. It didn’t matter though. She knew she would go over to talk to her. She
had to. It wasn’t every day that she got chills just from looking into someone’s eyes.

  Chapter Six

  Present Day

  Gina had spent most of the week debating—mainly with herself—whether she should go back to Calloway for the reunion or not. Her decisions ranged from definitely not going to probably not going to maybe going. The maybe was garnered after Tracy turned into a therapist one evening while they shared a bottle of wine in Gina’s tiny apartment above the office.

  “Did you ever think the reason you haven’t settled down with anyone is because of the way things ended with Ashleigh?”

  “That’s ridiculous.”

  “Is it? You broke up with her, then slept with practically everyone in school, me included.”

  Gina felt her face blush. “Do you have to bring that up?”

  “Well, it’s the truth.”

  “You never told Sammy, right?”

  “God, no. Husbands don’t need to know everything that went on in college.” She raised her glass in Gina’s direction. “At least it reaffirmed to me that I was straight.”

  “And it taught me not to sleep with friends.”

  Tracy laughed. “Which is why you had so few friends back then. You slept with everyone else.” She nodded when Gina went to refill her glass. “But back to Ashleigh. You were best friends in high school, you end up having an affair, you go off to college together, then you break up with her. And you’ve not seen her since.”

  “So?”

  “So in high school, how did you end up being lovers? I mean, from what you’ve told me, it was a small town where everyone knew each other’s business. You surely weren’t out, were you?”

  “Are you kidding? She was a cheerleader.”

  Tracy frowned. “A cheerleader? Was she sleeping with boys, too?”

  “No. Gross. They just believed us when we said we were saving ourselves for marriage.” Gina laughed. “Actually, I never dated anyone once I gave Brian the slip. He was the quarterback. He went on to greener—and easier—pastures.”

  “And Ashleigh?”

  “Ashleigh went out with a guy occasionally, James Simpson. He was crazy about her. She broke his heart when she wouldn’t be his girlfriend.”

  “And yet no one suspected you two?”

  “No one seemed to think it odd that we spent nearly all our time together. I mean, we were best friends.”

  “Best friends and lovers?”

  “We were inseparable.”

  “Yet no one knew?” Tracy leaned closer. “So tell me, how did you end up sleeping with a cheerleader?”

  Chapter Seven

  Twenty-three years earlier

  “You don’t talk much, do you?”

  Gina wished she had sunglasses to shield her eyes as Ashleigh Pence sat down beside her. The black bikini revealed far more than it hid and Gina’s gaze strayed to Ashleigh’s breasts before she could stop herself.

  “I’m Ashleigh, by the way.”

  “I know,” Gina said stupidly.

  Ashleigh arched a perfectly plucked eyebrow, waiting.

  “Gina. Gina Granbury.”

  Ashleigh leaned closer, her eyes holding Gina’s captive. “I know,” she whispered.

  Gina found it hard to breathe as the object of her teenage fantasies sat so close to her. And if Gina had all her wits about her, she’d swear Ashleigh was flirting. Of course, why would Ashleigh Pence—cheerleader—flirt with her?

  “So, you don’t talk much, do you?” Ashleigh said again.

  “No.” Gina smiled and tried to relax. The others were splashing in the pool, not paying them any attention. And here they sat, side by side on chaise lounges, bare legs stretched out, soaking up the sun. She chanced another glance at Ashleigh, finding her still watching. Her heart lodged in her throat and she looked away quickly.

  “Gina?”

  Gina slowly turned, deciding right then and there that she loved the way Ashleigh said her name.

  “You know Brian thinks you’re hot, right?”

  Gina rolled her eyes. “If he only had a brain.”

  Ashleigh laughed out loud, then covered her mouth as the others looked their way. “Not only does he not have a brain, he’s an asshole.”

  She glanced to the boy in question and Gina followed her gaze. Sure, Brian was cute. And he was slated to be the starting quarterback on next year’s football team, and most of the girls would give their right arm to date him. But he was crass and conceited and so full of himself—even if Gina wasn’t totally enamored with Ashleigh, she’d still have no interest in Brian.

  “Is that why I got invited?” she asked, the realization dawning on her.

  “Jennifer didn’t tell you?”

  “No.” She shrugged. “I thought it was strange for her to invite me.”

  “Why did you come?” Ashleigh asked.

  Gina felt a blush cover her face and she nervously twisted the edge of her towel between her fingers. She shrugged again. “I thought...well, I thought it’d be cool to hang out with you guys.” She nearly jumped when she felt a warm hand touch her arm.

  “Cool or not, I’m glad you came.”

  Gina stared at the hand touching her. Her flesh felt like it was burning. Finally, Ashleigh released her and Gina brought her eyes up, colliding with blue ones that held just a hint of a challenge in them.

  “And don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t think you’ll fit in with this crowd.”

  Gina pulled her eyes away, focusing on the group splashing in the pool. No, she didn’t really think she’d fit in with the cool crowd. Not enough to hang out with them. It was just nice getting invited for once.

  “I said not to take it wrong.” Ashleigh reached for the suntan lotion and poured some into her palm. “They’re shallow and they have no goals,” she said. “You don’t strike me that way.”

  “Thanks.” Gina was mesmerized as she watched Ashleigh spread lotion on her legs.

  “School will be out in a couple of weeks. Do you have plans for the summer?”

  “Just basketball camp,” she said. “I go every year.”

  “Where?”

  “San Antonio.”

  “Is that why you’re so good? Because you go to camp?”

  Gina blushed yet again. “I’ve been playing since I was a kid. My dad loves basketball.”

  Ashleigh laughed, noticing her blush. “So you’re shy and you don’t talk much. Yet...”

  “Yet?”

  “Yet sometimes I’ll catch you watching—”

  “Come on, girls. Time to get wet!” Brian said as he grabbed both hers and Ashleigh’s arms.

  Ashleigh managed to pull away from him. “I just put lotion on. But take Gina,” she said, smiling as she motioned them away.

  Gina must have had a panicked look on her face when she glanced back at Ashleigh. The other girl gave her a reassuring smile and nodded, leaving Gina no choice but to follow Brian to the pool. She pretended to enjoy the banter of the others as she splashed in the water with them, but she was conscious of the blue eyes that watched her, eyes that didn’t shy away when she chanced a glance in Ashleigh’s direction.

  She was totally confused. It was one thing to know she had an enormous crush on the girl, but it was a crush she dealt with from afar, never having to face Ashleigh. Now, because she’d accepted the invitation to the stupid swim party, she’d had to talk to Ashleigh face-to-face. Not only that, Ashleigh had touched her. And not only that, but she’d swear Ashleigh was flirting with her. Which meant only one thing—Ashleigh knew of her little crush.

  So was she just playing with her? Teasing her? Gina held on to the side of the pool, her eyes sliding across the concrete patio to the chaise lounges, finding Ashleigh watching her again. Their eyes held, the intensity so strong Gina nearly lost her grip on the side of the pool. No, that look wasn’t teasing. And that confused her even more.

  Chapter Eight

  Present Day

  Ashleigh stood at the window
, her gaze absently traveling over the high-rise offices of the adjacent buildings in downtown Houston. Her office, while not huge, was certainly large enough to compare with some of the executive clients she had. One wall was comprised of nothing but glass, giving her an expansive view of downtown. A view she once craved and even enjoyed.

  She turned away from the sight, sitting down in her luxurious leather chair with a heavy sigh. She hated her job. Actually, she hated her life. Twelve years she’d been fighting the daily traffic of this huge city. Fighting it so that she could come here to Peters, Wells, Hancock and Bayer, a prestigious law firm whose clients included the most successful—and powerful—in the oil and gas business. Her specialty was loopholes. She’d written countless contracts with hidden loopholes, most to skirt environmental laws. And she could find even the most inconspicuous loophole written by competing attorneys, saving her clients millions of dollars in the process. She’d argued contracts with juries and judges, convincing them of loopholes, even if there were none. She was good at her job, yet she hated it.

  As Pam had said, she had a cushy job with an outrageous salary. It allowed her to live in a very expensive condo surrounded by green in this city of concrete—a hike and bike trail and a golf course, both of which she enjoyed. She was a small-town girl, still not used to the city. She doubted she’d ever embrace the city wholeheartedly, but it was where her profession had taken her. Far from the small south Texas town of Calloway.

  She sighed again, spinning around in her chair to face the windows once more. Her class reunion was less than two months away. She’d convinced herself she had no choice but to go. It was expected. It wasn’t like she never saw those people. She did. She visited her parents a handful of times each year and she always ran into someone from her class who’d never moved away. They’d been talking about their twentieth reunion for the last two. And really, it was something she’d normally look forward to. Except this year, she had a nagging feeling that she would be there. And she wasn’t certain she could handle it.