CHAPTER ONE
Katie Parker walked briskly across the asphalt parking lot toward the hotel as her phone buzzed in her purse for the umpteenth time. Her best friend, Stacey had been dinging and pinging her nonstop for the past hour. Their ten-year high school reunion was in full swing in the outdated hotel near the Interstate, and she could hear the distinct sounds of music thumping through the walls and wafting into the humid night air. A meeting that ran way over and the Atlanta traffic made it impossible for her to get there on time, causing her to curse under her breath. Lateness was one of her biggest pet peeves.
Her heels clicked with purpose as she smoothed her dark hair back, hoping Stacey wouldn’t laugh that she hadn’t had time to change. She was still in her business suit—navy pencil skirt, white blouse and matching blazer looking like the quintessential insurance professional she was.
Folks milled about in the lobby, holding various cocktails while the Nelly track,Hot in Herrecould be heard loudly pulsing from the ballroom down the hall. She was sure some of her classmates would be bumping and grinding to that one. Recognizing several people offering nods, small smiles and waves, Katie approached the registration table and immediately recognized former prom queen, Jessica Southers who sat at the helm. She was now Jessica-Southers-Kaufman, having married an Atlanta real estate mogul and living the high life somewhere in Alpharetta. She was gorgeous as ever and appeared to be hugely pregnant.
“Katie Parker!” She squealed with delight, holding out her manicured hand that jingled with a very expensive David Yurman charm bracelet.
“Jessica… Good to see you. How are you?” Katie shook her fingers limply.
She giggled, pulling her hand back and patting her large, protruding tummy. “I’m about to bust! Another girl on the way,” she replied, her voice tinged with sarcasm. Her pink and white maternity dress was a designer, no doubt—the beauty queen’s obvious homage to her sorority at her alma mater, UGA. All the girls wore pink, pink and pinker. Katie couldn’t imagine being addicted to one color. She had heard that Jessica was on baby number four, trying desperately to give her wealthy husband an heir. Instead, he was surrounded by beautiful, towheaded girls dressed in pink.
“Here’s your nametag and your drink tickets. I’m so glad you came!” Her southern drawl was so sweet, it made Katie’s teeth hurt.
Katie took the tag that had a black-and-white photo of her senior yearbook picture on it. She glanced at her eighteen-year-old self and couldn’t help but shake her head. She remembered despising the off-the-shoulder crushed velvet gown and a string of pearls all the girls were required to wear for their last yearbook photo in high school. The famous Cady Studios had come to their school and set up on the rickety stage at the far end of the cafeteria, the room smelling of boiled hot dogs and sugar cookies from the typical lunch served earlier. Stacey had been adamant that Katie keep her hair down during the shoot, the final shot making her look more like Cousin Itt from the Addams Family. She glanced at Jessica’s name tag and couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy. Her picture resembled one of those glamour shots that was all the rage back in the day—her hair, makeup, and beaming smile were perfect. The crushed velvet and pearls looked beautiful on her. At least the nametag photo she stuck on her blouse was in black and white so no one could comment on the hot-pink lipstick Stacey had also insisted she wear last minute. Thank God, her style choices had progressed over the years. That, and her substantial paycheck that allowed her access to a stylist who helped guide her into a more professional look when her career took off. Her makeup was minimal, but classic, showing off her big brown eyes and full lips. Her long, drab hair was now streaked with copper highlights and straightened with Keratin treatments to fend off the extreme southern humidity. She was proud of her no-fuss routine and forever grateful to her parent’s good genes. If only she had cared a little more back in high school.
A firm hand gripped her arm pulling her away from the table excitedly. “It’s about time you got here!”
Katie stumbled in her pointy-black heels before quickly walking beside her best friend into the back end of the ballroom where several bars had been set up. Stacey bellied up to the bar and yelled over the loud music the DJ was playing.
“Another Cosmo for me and a gin and tonic for my friend! Tanqueray if you have it!”
The bartender nodded as Stacey drew Katie in eagerly, speaking closely into her ear. “He’s here.”
Her eyes widened as she looked around the room for Stacey’s former high school boyfriend, Brent Rowan. “Really?”
She nodded. “I’ve already said hello.”
Stacey and Brent were inseparable back in the day, the two of them joined at the hip. Katie was always the third wheel when they would hang out on campus, but she didn’t mind. Brent was like a big brother to her. They had called themselves “The Three Musketeers” rarely doing anything at school without each other. They sat together during countless pep rallies, football games and band concerts. Katie swore he and Stacey would eventually get married. But when the time came for all of them to go off to separate colleges, their Musketeer-bond was broken. Brent eventually married and settled somewhere in North Georgia. They had only recently learned that he was now single.
Stacey handed her the gin and tonic and enthusiastically grabbed her elbow, leading her to a vacant table covered in multicolored confetti and several old yearbooks.
“Did he tell you himself that he’s divorced?” Katie asked.
“Yes. I told you we’ve been texting over the past month.AndJessica confirmed it when I checked in. She’s got the scoop oneveryone, of course. I’ll bet she couldn’t wait to give me that news.” Stacey’s green eyes sparkled. “Did you see Annette? She looks like a blowfish!” She erupted in a bout of giggles and Katie was suddenly taken back to those old high school feelings of judgment, curiosity, and jealousy. Her chest expanded with gratitude, thankful she was an adult now. High school was fun, but she would never want to go back to those days of puberty and angst.
“Geez, girl! You didn’t have time to change clothes?”
Katie was aware that her BFF was giving her the once-over in the dim light. She sat up straight and sipped from her glass. “Some of us had to work,” she chastised.
Stacey rolled her eyes. “Well, you aren’t gonna get lucky in that outfit tonight, that’s for sure. At least take off your blazer and let your hair down. We’re on a mission, girl!”
With all the obviously married couples in the room, Katie wasn’t so sure how she’d fare picking up a guy at their high school reunion. In fact, it seemed kind of pointless. She eyed her friend’s outfit which showed off her cleavage pushed up in a daring off-the-shoulder blouse making her look like a pin-up girl. Her faux-leather pants hugged all the right curves, accentuating her perfect, tight ass. Stacey was a professional yoga instructor and had the hot body to prove it. She owned a thriving studio in the affluent part of Buckhead where the rich and privileged southern women in that area swarmed. Flaunting her perfect body was something she had always done, much to Katie’s chagrin.
Neither one of the two friends had taken the marriage plunge since graduation. Stacey had come close, accepting a proposal from a no-nonsense lawyer she’d met on Match.com, but things fizzled pretty quickly when they realized they weren’t on the same page when it came to children and careers. Of course, Stacey wanted kids, but she also wanted to continue to work and handle her own business. She wasn’t the type to give up everything she had worked so hard for to be a Southern-stay-at-home-mom like her fiancé insisted. It just wasn’t in her. Katie had never come close to any kind of long-term commitment. She dated off and on and had several suitors over the years, but no one who ever felt likethe one.
“Here, let me help.” Stacey stood and grasped the clip that held Katie’s hair in an up-do. Thick waves tumbled over her shoulders. “Now, take off that jacket and unbutton at least three buttons.”
Katie shook her head as she peeled off the blazer and hung it over the back of her chair. It was no use arguing with her bestie. She unbuttoned the top button of her white blouse.
“Two more…” Stacey insisted.
She unbuttoned two more and palmed her chest making sure her lacy, white bra wasn’t showing.
“There! Now you’re ready to party! Come on!”
Stacey grabbed her by the hand and pulled her onto the packed dance floor filled with their aging classmates. Pink’sGet this Party Startedwas blaring as large LED lights spun and flashed from heavy light stands in the corner aimed at the dancers. Katie couldn’t help but grin, watching her friend strut her stuff as onlookers gawked. Yep, she was hot.
