"Okay, how many of us are there?" Vanessa asked as she helped Chloe prepare refreshments for the ladies' meeting. "There's you and me. Lucy will be here, right?"
"Yes, she said she would be."
"I think Cassie is going to make it and Reese will be joining us. I asked Alma not to come for Lucy's sake. Alma seemed so down even before I said anything about the meeting that I felt bad asking her not to come, but it needed to be done."
"That is probably for the best," Chloe agreed. "Lucy isn't ready to be anywhere near her."
"I don't blame her, but I really hope Alma finds a way to make amends."
"I don't see how," Chloe scoffed.
"I suppose it's wishful thinking on my part that somehow everyone will find a way to get along again," Vanessa sighed.
Reese was the next one to arrive as James played doorman and showed her into the kitchen. "I'm not too early, am I?"
"Not at all," Chloe assured her. "Make yourself at home."
"So this is your first meeting with us. How exciting," Vanessa smiled. "How do you and Simon like living in the neighborhood so far?"
"We like it a lot," Reese said. "I was worried about the move and worried about living together with Simon for the first time, but it's all been good."
"Well, we're glad to have you as a part of our little family," Vanessa assured her.
Chloe continued the conversation as she poured them all drinks. "So, you and Simon are engaged, right? Any plans to tie the knot yet?"
"I'm working on it, but it's a lot harder than I thought it would be," Reese admitted. "I'm not sure if I have cold feet about the wedding or if wedding planning just isn't for me."
Blaine had been about to walk into the kitchen, but after hearing what Reese said, he stopped short and listened in from the next room.
"If it's the planning that's the problem, I can help you with that," Chloe said. "I am a professional party planner. But if the problem is that you aren't sure about getting married, that's something you need to find out first."
"Oh, definitely!" Vanessa agreed. "I think the key is to try to imagine what you want your future to be like. Is Simon there in your picture? How would it make you feel if he wasn't? I don't mean the big romantic moments, but if all of the little everyday life moments seem better with him and emptier without him, it's probably just jitters about the wedding."
"It had been just Natalie and me for so long, if it went back to being just us again, it would be like going back to the status quo," Reese admitted. "But yes, I think my life would be much emptier without Simon. I do picture my future being the three of us. But when I try to picture our wedding . . . that's another story."
"Not everyone needs a big wedding. James and I didn't have one."
"Logan and I didn't either. His work with the SCIA had us apart for so long that by the time we were reunited, all I cared about was us being together. None of the details mattered."
"I was thinking about going small, but I just don't think I'm into wedding stuff."
"That's fine, not everyone has to be," Chloe assured her. "There's no reason you have to have a traditional wedding. There are a lot of unique ways to get married. If you want me to be your wedding planner, or if you just want someone to talk to about it as a friend, we can meet for lunch sometime and discuss ideas."
Blaine backed away from the door before he could get caught eavesdropping. Vanessa's advice to Reese had struck him personally. How did he picture his future?
As he walked through the living room he came face to face with Cassie who was entering through the front door.
She froze in her tracks, startled by seeing him unexpectedly. She tried to quiet her racing thoughts and play it cool, but it was so hard to be around him. She understood his reasons for moving out, but she couldn't stop feeling like he was abandoning her and their children.
"So, how are you?" Blaine asked.
She wanted to tell him that she was doing horribly and that her life was in shambles without him. She wanted to grab him and shake him until he remembered their life together and she wanted to get on her knees and beg him to move back home, but she knew she couldn't say or do any of that. She had to let him come back to her on his own if he was ever going to come back to her.
"I'm here," she said with a shrug. She desperately wanted to ask if any more of his memories had returned, but she knew he had been feeling pressured before he left, so she held back. "And you?"
"The same, I guess. How are the kids?"
"They miss you a lot. They ask me when you're coming home, but I have to tell them I don't know."
"Are they at the house right now?" he asked. When she nodded, he suggested, "I could stop by and spend some time with them now, if that's alright."
"Sure, any time."
After Blaine left, Cassie collapsed onto the sofa and buried her face in her hands.
When she heard Chloe, Vanessa, and Reese approach from the kitchen, she straightened up, wiped her eyes, and tried to put on a brave face, but she wasn't successful at hiding her feelings.
"Cassie, what's wrong, hon?" Vanessa asked as she set down her tray of refreshments and sat next to her former stepdaughter.
Cassie shook her head. "I just saw Blaine on his way out."
"I know it's hard right now," she said. "But we have every reason to hope that things will keep getting better."
"I'm trying to be patient, but instead of coming back to me, he just keeps moving further away."
"I hope you're not mad at us for offering him our guest room," Chloe added. "We were hoping it would help."
"No, it's okay," Cassie said. Until Blaine got his memory back and remembered their life together, there was no good situation. "I just wish things were different. I wish he would reach out to me."
Cassie was relieved when the other women's attention was drawn away from her by Lucy's arrival and everyone settled in to start the meeting.
"It looks like we're all here, so we can get started," Vanessa declared. "I think we have a fun agenda for this meeting since the holidays are coming up. First, let's talk about holiday decorations. What does everyone think about having a neighborhood theme?"
Before anyone could share their thoughts, the front door opened and Shayna strolled in. She was surprised to see that they were already getting down to business.
"Oh! I'm sorry I'm late."
"What is she doing here?" Lucy glared.
"Why wouldn't I be here?" she asked. She glared challengingly back at Lucy with her hand on her hip. "I always attend these meetings."
"Didn't you get my message, hon?" Vanessa asked tentatively.
"I am a resident of this neighborhood and practically a founding member of this social group and I have every right to be here," Shayna insisted.
"Maybe we should put it to a vote," Lucy said sarcastically. "All who want Shayna to leave raise your hands."
Lucy, Chloe, and Vanessa all raised their hands into the air, while Cassie and Reese looked at each other awkwardly.
"And who thinks I should be allowed to stay?" Shayna retorted, but when she looked around, only her hand was raised.
Chloe stood up. "That's enough. This is my house and you aren't welcome here, Shayna. If you want to be invited in the future, you need to apologize to Lucy and earn her forgiveness. Until then, get out."
Shayna looked around the room for some show of support but was only confronted with hostility and avoidance. Refusing to give up even a shred of dignity in front of these women, she simply answered, "Fine," before turning to leave.
* * * * *
At home, Alma busied herself around the house as she tried not to think about how her friends and neighbors were at the meeting without her. She honestly wasn't that upset about Vanessa asking her not to come. She understood that her presence there might make things awkward. Besides, she was more preoccupied with her own problems.
As hard as she tried, she couldn't stop thinking about what she had overheard Mason say about her at the school. All this time she was starting to develop feelings for him and he just saw her as a motherly figure. She felt so ridiculous for even having romantic thoughts about him in the first place. She couldn't believe how close she had gotten to throwing away her entire marriage for some silly crush.
She'd never been so crazy about a man before, even when she was a young woman. She always prided herself on being levelheaded and rational. What was she thinking?
Judith walked through the kitchen, avoiding eye contact with her mother as she grabbed a drink from the refrigerator. She still wasn't talking to her parents or even acknowledging them any more than she absolutely had to.
When the doorbell rang, Alma asked her to answer it, but she was already headed back to her room.
With a sigh, Alma went to answer the door herself. When she opened the door she was stunned to see Mason standing on the other side.
"Mr. Clark!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm sorry for just dropping in, but I was kind of worried about you."
"About me?" She felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment and she hated that she was having a physical reaction to his concern.
"Yeah. When you called in sick and missed your last week, you missed out on the party. I saved you some cake." He handed her a leftover box. "It was supposed to be a thank you and goodbye party for you and a welcome back and congratulations party for Mrs. Neilson."
"Well, thank you. That was very thoughtful of you."
"You know, you're welcome to stop by the school sometime. I'm sure you're busy, but if you had the time I would still appreciate your help with the play. The kids miss you at rehearsals."
"I enjoyed working with them, but I do keep busy with being a mother of four kids of my own. Maybe I should focus on that," she said pointedly, but he seemed oblivious to her hint.
"You aren't giving up on teaching, are you? Because you're really good at it."
Again, his praise was making her blush. "No," she admitted. "I don't want to give it up."
"Good. Well, I just wanted to see if you were feeling better and drop off the cake," he said awkwardly as he started to take his leave. "And I hope you have time to come to our opening the night. It would mean a lot to the kids."
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