Coco ordered a drink and then joined the group of three men. “Hi,” she said, inserting herself into the circle. She looked at Hudson and sent him a warm smile. Right away the conversation among the men came to a screeching halt, as if she’d interrupted a confidential meeting.
“I’m Coco Crenshaw, remember?” she said in the uncomfortable silence that followed.
“I think we all remember who you are,” Hudson said, when no one responded.
“Especially Hudson,” one of the others commented.
They all looked at her rather coldly.
“You weren’t a member of the science club, were you?” the guy with the badge that identified him as Willard asked.
Coco had no memory of him. “Not me,” she said, making light of the question. “Did I interrupt something?” That would help explain the frosty reception she’d received.
“Yes, I’m afraid you did,” Hudson said.
“Oh, okay, but when you can I’d like to talk to you, Hudson.” She purposely said his name so he’d realize she did remember him. “Privately,” she added. She wanted to make it clear that it would be between just the two of them.
The others stared at her blankly. She backed away and practiced a few of her power-schmoozing techniques while she made her way to the table where she’d first seen Hudson. Although she chatted with Katie and a few of the others, she kept an eye on Hudson. When he’d finished talking with his science club friends, he drifted away.
Coco followed. “Hey, Hudson?” she said, softly laying her hand on his arm.
He looked down at her fingers, which had curved around his forearm. When he glanced up his eyes were wary. “Is this a joke, Coco?”
“A joke?” she repeated, and then slowly shook her head and smiled. “No. I really want to talk to you. It won’t take long, I promise.”
“Why?” The question was filled with hesitation. Coco didn’t blame him. She was afraid that he might feel the same way about her that she’d once felt about Ryan.
“It took a bit of work to find out who you are,” she said, starting out. “I wish you’d told me your name on Friday.”
He held her gaze. “The truth is I didn’t really expect you to remember me. No reason you should.”
“We were in two classes together and you asked me to Homecoming.”
“I wish you’d forgotten that,” he muttered and frowned.
“I turned you down,” she said regretfully, “and I wasn’t very gracious about it. I’m sorry for that, Hudson, and want you to know I wish I had gone to the dance with you.”
“Considering what happened that night—”
“This has nothing to do with Ryan. This is about you and me. I was rude, and I want you to know how sorry I am.”
Surprise flickered in his eyes. “Don’t worry about it,” he said, brushing off her apology. “It was a long time ago. I got over it.” He turned to leave, but she stopped him.
“Hudson,” she implored, “I really am sorry.”
He grinned as if to thank her. “We’re both ten years older and hopefully wiser.”
“Thank you,” she whispered.
He nodded and started to leave again.
“There’s a dance later this evening…following the dinner,” she blurted out, detaining him again.
His frowning gaze held hers, but he said nothing, as though unsure what she meant.
“Would you consider dancing with me?”
He hesitated.
“Just one dance?” In her mind it would confirm that he had indeed forgiven her.
His eyes rounded. “The thing is, Coco, you did me a huge favor by turning me down. I was a terrible dancer then and I’m probably even worse now. I appreciate you asking, but it isn’t a good idea.”
“I don’t care how coordinated you are on the dance floor, I’d still like to dance with you.”
He blinked as though shocked she’d persisted. “I’d embarrass us both.”
Mentally she thumped her fingers, looking for a way to reach him. “Your refusal tells me that you aren’t willing to forget the past.”
“It’s nothing like that. I’m saving us both from humiliation.”
“Au contraire.”
His smile was genuine. “I’m glad to see you haven’t forgotten what we learned in first-year French class.”
We? “You weren’t in French class with me, were you?” How could she have been so oblivious to him? She had absolutely no memory of Hudson from before their senior year.
The smile disappeared. “I was so hung up on you—you were the only reason I signed up for French.”
She felt foolish. “You did? Oh Hudson, how could I have been so oblivious?”
“Like I said, it was a long time ago.”
She wanted to talk with him more, but he excused himself and left. Coco remained, standing alone for several moments in an effort to absorb what had just happened. Hudson had accepted her apology and while he insisted he had no lingering resentment toward her, she suspected otherwise. His reaction said as much.
Coco had never been one to give up easily. Wondering how best to reach Hudson, she sought out his friend Willard. She caught sight of the other man in the buffet line.
Willard stood in the line that snaked across the polished gymnasium floor, chatting with those around him. By the time she joined him, he was close to collecting his plate and silverware.
“Hey, Willard—”
He bristled. “I go by Will now. I asked Angela to change my name tag, but she said they were already printed.”
“Okay, Will,” she said pointedly, beaming a bright smile at him. “You’re one of Hudson’s good friends, right?”
His eyes narrowed. “Yeah?”
“From what I understand, he had a crush on me in high school.”
Will snickered a laugh. “He was crazy about you. It was nuts the way he felt about you.”
“Really?” She couldn’t hide the smile that came over her. “I didn’t know—”
“You were into Ryan Temple and couldn’t be bothered with Hudd.” He frowned as he spoke. “It took him a solid week to get up the courage to ask you to Homecoming. He had it all memorized. Afterward he wouldn’t talk about it, and heaven help anyone who had the guts to ask. And then after the dance when the rumors started about you and Ryan, Hudd was livid.”
Coco felt her face heat up with shame and swallowed hard. “Yes, there was that.”
“Hudd wanted to fight Ryan for you. He was that crazy about you, but Gilbert Reynolds and I told him fighting Ryan was like a death wish. Ryan had muscle, you know, and friends with even bigger biceps. It would have been no contest. Ryan would have taken Hudd down in seconds.”
Will was close to the food now and far more interested in dishing up his plate than continuing this conversation with her. “You blew it,” Will said, planting a large scoop of coleslaw onto his plate. “Hudd would have done anything for you.” He hesitated for just a second and then added, “And I do mean anything, if you catch my drift.”
Huh? The way Will said it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand straight up. She had to wonder what he meant by that slow, deliberate way in which he spoke.
Then it hit her.
It must have been Hudson who’d slashed Ryan’s tires. That had been his method of defending her. Ryan had assumed Coco had been the guilty party.
Shocked, she whirled around and searched the room until she saw Hudson. He was standing next to a table, chatting with one of their older teachers—Mr. Bellerman, the chemistry teacher, who’d retired the year they’d graduated, if Coco remembered correctly. Without giving thought to what she intended to say, Coco hurried to the other side of the room.
When he saw her advancing toward him, Hudson stopped talking, his face full of curiosity. The determined way in which she moved in his direction caused him to square his shoulders as if bracing himself for an assault.
“Hello, Mr. Bellerman,” Coco said, nodding toward the older man.
“I hope you’ll excuse Hudson and me for a few minutes.”
“Of course, of course. You two young people need to get in line for dinner.”
It was a good thing they were close to an exit out of the gymnasium, because it was clear Hudson didn’t appreciate the way she’d interrupted his conversation.
“Now what?” he asked, leading her into the hallway outside the gymnasium.
For the longest moment all Coco seemed capable of doing was staring at him as tears filled her eyes.
“Coco?” he asked, frowning.
She covered her mouth, embarrassed that an incident from all those years ago had the power to reduce her to tears now. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“Thank you? For what?”
“That’s all I have to say.” She would have returned to the party, but she’d be mortified if anyone saw the tears that swam in her eyes, ready to roll down her cheeks.
The cafeteria was across the hall and she walked over to one of the tables and sank down into one of the molded plastic chairs. Her party purse was in her lap and she frantically dug through it, searching for a tissue.
Hudson walked over and stood behind her.
She could feel his presence, his warmth so close, the almost imperceptible sound of his breathing.
After a long moment he asked, “You didn’t answer my question. What’s wrong? Why are you thanking me?”
Despite the emotion that clouded her head and her heart, Coco smiled. “You know why, Hudson. We both know why. It was you, wasn’t it? You slashed Ryan’s tires.”
He didn’t acknowledge her words either way, not that she expected he would. He placed his hand on her shoulder, his touch so light that for a moment she thought she might have imagined it.
“After you left the social on Friday, I offered to make it right with Ryan. I told him I’d reimburse him for what I did back then.”
Twisting around, Coco looked up at Hudson. She was nearly blinded by her tears. “What did Ryan say?”
Hudson shrugged. “Not what I expected. He said he deserved what I’d done and that he wouldn’t take anything.”
Coco bit into her lower lip to control the trembling. “I hated him with a passion and hoped to use this reunion to pay him back for what he did to me. Before I could get out a single word, he apologized to me.”
“And me,” Hudson said.
“You?”
He shook his head as if he regretted saying that. “Never mind.”
Coco was left to wonder what it was Ryan had done to Hudson that required an apology. One day perhaps he’d tell her.
“Do you hate me?” she asked, her voice dropping to a whisper. He tried to show indifference, but she badly wanted to believe that was all a front.
“Hate you?” he repeated thoughtfully, and then shook his head. “No. I didn’t think I felt anything toward you any longer, but now…now I’m not so sure.”
His answer made her smile.
He shifted restlessly. “We better get back inside.”
She agreed and sniffling once, stood, and followed Hudson back into the gymnasium. Almost everyone had filled their dinner plates and was seated at tables. The DJ had arrived and the dancing would be starting up soon. Coco had taken a glance at the song selections the reunion committee had chosen and knew it would be like stepping back into their high school days.
Right away, Coco looked for Katie and saw her friend sitting at the table with her head lowered. It didn’t look like she’d been through the buffet line yet.
Hudson headed off toward his friends, but Coco whispered his name.
He glanced over his shoulder.
“I’m serious about that dance later,” she reminded him.
His eyes narrowed. “Coco, please, it’s not necessary. I don’t dance.”
“Just one dance. That’s all I ask.”
He looked as if he was about to decline yet again, but Coco said, “One dance, Hudd, please.”
“I don’t have the moves,” he argued.
“No moves required.”
He hesitated.
She held up one finger. “Just one?” She smiled.
Hudson’s eyes grew softer. “You make it hard to say no…”
Her smile was wide and warm. “Thank you,” she whispered.
Katie and Coco were standing in line at the buffet table when Katie looked up and noticed that James and Emily were sitting at a nearby table with friends from high school. Their heads were together and they were laughing at some shared amusement. Looking at the two of them so wrapped up in each other produced a sharp physical pain, and Katie forced herself to look away.
Coco caught the direction of her gaze. “Remember what I said. James is looking for a replacement for you.”
Katie didn’t believe it. She was a realist, and while she wouldn’t argue, she knew she was right. She’d finally seen more than enough evidence to prove otherwise.
“Don’t tell me you don’t see it?” Coco argued. “You’re about the same height, same coloring. She even wears her hair the way you did in high school.”
Coco might see it, but Katie didn’t. Really, it would prove nothing, even if Coco was right. The woman James had chosen to marry was Emily.
In order to move on in her life she had to accept that James was lost to her. From this point there was no turning back.
They both helped themselves to salad, prime rib, and potato casserole, then made their way back to the table.
“I saw you talking to Hudson,” Katie said, once they were seated. She was eager to turn the subject away from her and James. “How’d that go?”
“Surprisingly well,” Coco said between bites of prime rib. “He’s a lot different than what I remember.”
“He is?” Katie thought he basically looked the same as he had in the photo Coco had showed her in the yearbook. No question he’d filled out some, and he was dressed less eccentrically. But then in his graduation photo he’d looked older than his years.
“I’m dancing with him later.” Coco’s eyes brightened with the prospect. “He hasn’t exactly agreed, but I’ll convince him.”
“No doubt you will.” Despite her own misery, Katie smiled. Coco had moved quickly from being a bit obsessed with Ryan to being a bit obsessed with Hudson. She was like that. She could be persuasive, that was for sure, and Katie felt confident she would get her dance. Her gaze drifted in James’s direction, and to her surprise their eyes met and held for just a second before he determinedly looked away. Katie turned her attention to Emily Gaffney, his fiancée. She’d like to believe that James had chosen to marry the other woman because of their resemblance, but frankly Katie didn’t see it. Okay, maybe the hair. Emily had curly red hair, too, but that was it.
Coco finished eating and was ready to hit the dance floor. Katie, who had only taken a few small bites, felt her stomach tighten.
The music had started up and already two or three couples had taken to the floor. James stood and reached for Emily’s hand. Watching the two of them would be much too painful—Katie couldn’t bear it. Not knowing where else to go, she told Coco she was headed toward the ladies’ room.
Coco didn’t stop her; Katie knew Coco could tell what she was feeling.
Outside the gymnasium, Katie wandered down the familiar hall. The school cafeteria was adjacent to the gym and she walked around the area until she found the very table where she’d once sat across from James as he tutored her in algebra.
She ran her hand along the top of one of the chairs and smiled. Memories floated by like they’d happened just yesterday: the first day that James had sat down on the chair next to her, instead of across the table. Their first kiss outside the swimming pool after that disastrous meet.
With her hand on the back of the chair, Katie closed her eyes and allowed the best days of their relationship to scroll through her mind.
He’d moved on and now it was time for her to do the same.
“It’s you, isn’t it?”
&n
bsp; The disembodied voice came out of nowhere, and Katie opened her eyes and slowly turned around.
James’s fiancée stood only a few feet away.
Katie’s mouth went dry as she stared at the other woman. “I’m sorry?” she said, pretending she didn’t understand.
“It’s you, isn’t it?” Emily repeated. “You’re the woman James once loved.”
Once loved.
Emily moved a couple of steps forward. “He told me about you, but he didn’t mention your name.”
“I’m Katie…we met earlier.”
Emily crossed her arms as if experiencing a chill. “I know. I should have guessed when I saw the two of you in that intense conversation.”
Katie wasn’t sure what she should say, if anything. The best thing she could do, she decided, was to offer the other woman reassurances. “Don’t worry. You have nothing to fear from me. What happened between James and me was a long time ago.”
“You broke his heart,” Emily said.
“Yes,” she responded sadly.
Emily moved even closer. “I told James I was going to find the restroom.”
“It’s that way,” Katie said, pointing in the right direction. “Just around the corner.”
“It was a lie. I saw you leave and came to find you.”
Katie frowned. “Why?”
Rubbing her palms together, Emily glanced down at the floor. “I saw the look the two of you exchanged a few minutes ago. The longing and pain in your eyes struck me here.” She placed her balled fist over her heart. “You’re still in love with him, aren’t you?”
Emily was too smart; she had clearly seen through Katie. “Yes. I came to the reunion, hoping…but then I met you, and I could see that it was too late.”
Emily didn’t say anything for a long moment, as if absorbing Katie’s words. Slowly she walked over to the table where James and Katie had once studied together. “He didn’t tell me a lot about the two of you, but I do remember that he said he’d tutored you in algebra. Was this where the two of you sat?”
Katie nodded. “It’s the same table.”
Emily held her look. “How can you tell?”