You Can't Go Home Again (4 page)

Dani laughed as Jenn bounced down the street a couple of
steps ahead of her. Her energy and zest for life were contagious, as always.
Before they reached the dress shop, they were running down the street like
kids, racing to see who would get there first. Tears touched down in Dani’s
eyes, and for the first time in a long time she wondered if she’d made a
mistake. Maybe she should have come home sooner. Maybe it wouldn’t be like she
feared. Maybe tonight wouldn’t be as awkward as she expected.

The afternoon flew by, and before she knew it they were back
at Dani’s house unpacking her bags. She’d had the house cleaned a couple days
ago, so there was no dust or anything. The house still looked almost the same
as it had when her parents had lived here, minus all the personal touches that
made it a home. When they first walked in, Dani had felt much like she was
walking into the past. She had a quick urge to run to the kitchen to see if her
mom had baked cookies, but it passed almost immediately.

She knew Jenn thought her parents were the reason she had
stayed away for so long, but really that wasn’t the case. Dani knew a little
something about psychics and spirits, and her parents were long gone. They had
left a daughter behind, yes, but their death had been nothing more than a
tragic accident, and Dani had always known how loved she was. There was nothing
here to hold them, and they had already moved on.

Dani was an only child, but not by choice. Her mother had
had a difficult pregnancy, and the delivery was even worse. Her father had been
asked to make a decision no person should ever have to make. If they could only
save one, did he want his wife or his baby girl? When the doctor had managed to
save them both, her parents had recognized it for the miracle it was. After
that, her mother had undergone a hysterectomy so she could never have any more
children. Her father had never wanted to be put in that position again.

Dani knew she had been spoiled. Not so much with material
things, a fact for which she was immensely grateful, but in that she had been
the center of her mother’s universe. And because her mother was the center of
her father’s world, she had been lavished with love her entire life. Even when
their daughter had behaved…oddly…they had never questioned, only supported. No
one could ask for more than that. Being in this house brought back only good
memories. Memories of love and warmth. She thought, not for the first time,
that maybe she should sell it. Let some other family live here. Raise their
children surrounded by the happy times these walls had seen. Maybe it was time…

* * * * *

When Jenn saw the smile on Dani’s face, she knew at once she
was okay being here. Jenn had really been worried for her friend. She knew Dani
hadn’t wanted to come here, was only here because Jenn had all but demanded it,
and she’d wondered if it would be too much. Now, as she saw the peace settle
across her face, Jenn walked in to her own happy memories in this house. They
grabbed the bags and went upstairs, both heading into Dani’s old room out of
habit. Until Dani finally renovated a little, the master bedroom was still her
parent’s room, regardless of how many tenants had been through here. They
quickly unpacked the bags, plunking clothes back into the old dresser, the same
place they would have been years six years ago. They hung everything up,
including Dani’s newly altered bridesmaid dress, and headed into the bathroom.

They laughed and joked while they unpacked her makeup, hair
stuff, shampoos and soaps. They took turns touching up their makeup and hair,
giving little tips like they had all through high school and even college. It
felt natural, comfortable. So when, after Dani changed clothes, Jenn casually
asked, “You ready?” Dani fell right into her old answer.

“Yep. Ready for trouble.”

Jenn laughed, responding with her dad’s nickname for them,
just as she always had. “Double Trouble.”

Jason looked up from the bar just in time to see Brian walk
in with Sean and Zack, the other two groomsmen. They’d all been on the football
team in college, becoming friends their freshman year. After his time in the
Marines, Jason had felt somewhat out of place with Sean, but they’d still
remained on friendly terms. It was kind of a reunion of sorts, all of them
being in the wedding together. Zack he saw all the time at the gym.

Jason finished helping the two customers he was already
taking orders from, then headed over to Dave, his weekday bartender, and told
him he would be out on the floor with friends, but to have one of the
waitresses grab him if it got too busy back there. As he pulled off his apron,
he turned to see Jenn walking in the door, with Dani right on her heels.

She wore tight, low-slung jeans that fit every curve like
they’d been custom made. Her long legs seemed to go on forever. Her silky red
blouse was loose fitting, but seemed to accentuate the soft fullness of her
breasts. When he finally made it past the lean, tan arms accentuated with
jangly silver bracelets, up the sexy slope of shoulders, the view got even
better. Her lips were full and red, glossy without looking made up. Her
cheekbones were sharper, leaner than they had been. Her eyes were just the
same. Wide, deep and dark blue. Her hair was longer, but still that dark brown,
almost black, falling heavy and straight around her shoulders.

Jason felt the air leave his lungs in a whoosh. He felt like
he’d been sucker-punched. If he could have pulled his eyes away from her, he
would have looked around for the bastard who’d hit him. Instead he stared, feeling
his body responding against his will. She was curvier, lusher, more beautiful
than she’d ever been.

He’d wondered how he’d feel when he saw her again. He’d
expected to feel some shock, hadn’t really believed she would come home, even
for Jenn. She hadn’t come home for anything else. He had even been prepared for
mild resentment, considering. But he hadn’t expected the instantaneous rage
that rushed through him. Nor the desire. He fought to tamp down his response
before he walked out from the bar, his hands fisting at his sides.

He slowly schooled his expression back into something more
neutral, more reasonable. He glanced into the mirror behind the bar. It would
fool anyone who didn’t look too closely at his eyes. There was nothing he could
do about that. He forced a smile onto his face, determined to have fun tonight.
Determined to simply ignore her presence.

* * * * *

Dani saw the group sitting at the table. Brian, Sean and
Zack had been joined by Sara and Beth just as Jenn and Dani had walked in. The
gang was all here, with one noticeable absence. Before she had a chance to look
around for him, Jenn and Brian exchanged a quick kiss just before Brian swooped
her up into a giant bear hug.

By the time he set her down, Dani was laughing, trying to
catch her breath. “I’d forgotten how strong you are. You just squeezed the life
out of me.” She patted his shoulder, looking into his smiling eyes. Jenn was so
incredibly lucky.

He gently squeezed her shoulder. “Nah, you’re just too
skinny.” He ruffled her hair, then comfortably settled his arm back around
Jenn’s waist.

Sara and Beth stood up, coming around the table for their
own hugs and hellos, and the guys followed suit. Zack was last, making sure to
tease loudly enough for everyone to hear. “I don’t care what Brian says, you’re
definitely not too skinny. I think I would go more for sexy as hell.”

Everyone laughed, which would have caused Dani to redden in
the past. Now she decided to play back. “Aww, too bad I’m not blonde, Zack.
Maybe we could have had something meaningful…for the next three days.” She
winked at him with a little smile. “That’s your standard relationship, isn’t
it?”

Everyone chuckled again, even louder as Zack put his hand
over his heart, making a wounded expression. “For you, I might make an
exception, darlin’.”

She didn’t see him approaching the table. There was no way
she could hear him over the noise in the bar, so she had no warning whatsoever.
No way to prepare herself for the sound of his voice. Or her own response to
it.

“Well, look what the cat dragged in.”

She knew his voice immediately. How could she ever forget
it? At his first word, tension shot through her body, raising the hair on her
arms and neck. Now, his voice was calm, friendly even. As she made her way up
his face, finally settling on his deep green eyes, she knew he felt anything
but. His voice may be serene, but his eyes were shooting sparks at her. He was
furious. And his anger was aimed directly at her.

She felt the tension and nerves settling in to fear. This
was what she had been afraid of, what she had been trying to avoid.

“What, Danielle… Everyone gets a welcome-back hug except
me?”

Again he seemed pleasant, unless you looked directly at him.
There was a sardonic smirk on his lips, hate burning in his eyes. Hate and
something more… He was daring her!

As Dani started to rise from her seat, she felt the fear
slowly giving way to anger. Why was he angry? She was the one who had the right
to be angry! How dare he try to make her feel guilty for staying out of his way!

She stepped forward to meet him, expecting a brief,
perfunctory squeeze, knowing this was only a show for his friends and a
challenge for her. She’d been shyer in college, but she’d never backed down
from a challenge.

She leaned in, smirking with just as much anger as he had.
“Of course, Jace…you need only ask.”

* * * * *

Jace hadn’t expected the sly grin. He had actually figured
she would simply shake his hand, if not ignore him completely. He remembered
too late just how feisty she really was. When he saw the answering spark of
anger flash across her eyes, he realized that time may have changed her, as
well. This could be an interesting visit. He wondered just how much she could
take before she caved and ran back to L.A.

He pulled her close for a full-body hug, resting his head on
her far shoulder, away from their friends’ view. He wasn’t sure why, but after
his very physical response to her arrival, he felt the need to prove
something.  To himself or to her, he didn’t know. Within the first second of contact,
Jace realized this had been a supremely bad idea. As soon as her body pressed
against his, he felt the heat race across his skin. He couldn’t tell if it was
anger or desire driving him, maybe both. But something made him press a soft
kiss against her neck.

At the touch of his lips, he felt her shiver. He stepped
back as soon as the pressure rose in his groin, knowing that six pairs of eyes
were watching their every move. He smiled at her, cruelly, letting her know
that he’d felt her response. He was grateful he had tucked his erection into
the waistband of his pants before he’d ever walked to the table. Otherwise,
everyone would know just how screwed up he was.

* * * * *

She saw the smile, saw the little knowing glint. Right then
and there, she knew he was playing with her. This was some sort of game. She
didn’t know the rules, was sure he wouldn’t bother to explain them, but damn
it, she was not going to lose.

She sat back down in her seat next to Jenn, knowing the only
open spot was on the other side of her. She also knew that if he looked
closely, he would see that her nipples were tight, pressing against her bra
simply from that one hug. She gave thought to trying to hide it, then decided
it would be more fun if he did happen to glance her way.

Most of the evening passed relatively uneventfully. They all
told stories, catching up on what they’d been doing since college. They asked
about Dani’s life, questioning her relentlessly about how many movie stars she
knew. She told them repeatedly that it wasn’t like that. She explained that she
worked on low-budget films, no big stars, and really it was more grunt work
than glamour. Jenn even stepped in to back her up, having been on set with her
a few times. It didn’t seem to matter. They had an image of Hollywood that
wouldn’t be shaken.

She found out that Sean was a CPA, with his own small firm.
Zack was a cop, working for the Austin Police Department. No major surprise
there. Zack had always been the cop or fireman type. Sara was a manager at Starbucks,
having been with the company all through college. She was hoping to get into
their corporate structure soon. And Beth was a paralegal, oddly enough with the
same law firm Brian had started with a little over a year ago. She knew that
was part of what had finally brought on the proposal. Brian had finished law
school and was settled into his job as a corporate lawyer. When Sean mentioned
his girlfriend, Joanna, Dani asked why she wasn’t here this evening.

“Oh,” Jenn said, “that was my idea. I thought it would be
fun to spend some time with just the old friends.” She glanced over at Dani.
“You know, catch up with everyone’s lives before adding new people into the
mix. I’m quite sure Joanna and Nicole don’t want to hear any more about our
college days. Not to mention Colonel. But they’ll all be there for the dinner
at my house tomorrow night.”

“Tomorrow night?” Jace asked.

“Oh, didn’t Brian tell you?” Jenn looked over at Bri, who
grimaced and hung his head. “Aaahh, apparently not. Hmm, well, tomorrow night
we’re having dinner at my house. It’s for everyone, not just the wedding party.
It’s kind of a celebration, just dinner and wine, though. Nothing fancy.
Anyway, make sure you bring Nicole.”

Dani glanced over at Jace for the first time in over an
hour, surprise evident in her look. If he had a girlfriend, then why was he
kissing her neck?

The smirk she remembered slid across his lips, this time
with a slightly menacing quality to it.

“Don’t look so surprised, Dani. Our lives continued without
your presence. And apparently you had no interest in anyone, since you didn’t
know even the most basic information. Tell me, what kept you away so long? Were
you really that busy, or was it just pure selfishness?”