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CHAPTER 24
It was quiet. A sound London hated. It was one of the reasons she worked so hard, traveled so much, stayed so busy. Distracting relationships and a raucous lifestyle drowned out memories mostly dead and buried. Whispery images that every now and then would try and creep into her consciousness, begging to be resolved. Drakes didn’t run, but for more than ten years she’d beaten a steady trot away from a series of incidents she’d never before shared. Until last week. When Ace pushed a button hard enough to open her up.
“I can’t deal with this boring town. Coming home was a big mistake.”
She grabbed her purse, keys and shades and headed for the door. Once in the car, she rang Quinn.
“What are you doing?”
“Hey, London. I’m visiting my grandmother. What about you?”
“Bored out of my mind. Want to get together and, I don’t know, do whatever you guys do in this place?”
Quinn’s laughter, usually contagious, grated on her nerves. “You sound so much like me when I first got here. I didn’t think I’d last a week, let alone the six months I’d promised Grand. You’ll get used to it, maybe even learn to enjoy it as I do now. Something about the slower pace allows you to reconnect with yourself, hear yourself think, you know?”
“More than you realize.”
“Grand and I were just about to have dinner. Would you like to join us?”
“Sounds good, but no. I’m having big-city withdrawal and need a little excitement.”
“What time is it, seven o’clock? Right now you have the choice between bingo at city hall, skating at the community center or watching the ripples at Drake Lake.”
“Very funny, Quinn.”
“Why don’t you do what you really want to do and return Ace’s calls? I don’t know what you argued about, but nothing’s so bad that it can be fixed.”
“There’s no fixing necessary where that’s concerned. Ace and I were just having fun, doing what some models do when stuck on a tour together. That situation was more about business than anything.”
“Was? Aren’t you forgetting you’re the face of the line?”
“Yeah, well, I don’t know if that’s what I want to be anymore.”
“London, what’s really going on?”
London pulled into a strip mall. Located on the main road that went through the town, it was a place where teenagers often came to meet their friends, drink beer smuggled from their parents’ homes and to see and be seen by all passing by. London watched a group of girls laughing and joking with a boy who looked like the town jock. Happy. Carefree. Funny, until now London would have used those words to describe herself. They came close to describing her personality, but not exactly.
“London?”
“Oh, sorry, Quinn. I got distracted.”
“Where are you?”
“Over by the mall. Thinking about going into Acquired Taste, having a glass of wine.”
“Oh, I hate for you to drink alone. What are your brothers up to? Or your sisters-in-law. Call one of them, London. You know too many people in this town to hang out by yourself.”
“You’re right. Maybe I’ll go over to the center, see if Terrell’s still there. He’s usually there late, especially if Aliyah has to work.”
“Jennifer told me about the charity fashion event. She’s really excited.”
The fashion show. Yet another topic to remind her of Ace and how quickly he’d become entwined in her life.
“Hey, London. Dinner’s ready. You sure you don’t want to come over?”
“No, but thanks for the offer. Give Grand a hug for me.”
“Will do.”
London ended the call. Head in hand, she muttered out loud, “London, what are you doing?”
A commotion began among the teens nearby.
“Whoa!”
“Hey, y’all, that’s my car!”
“Man, you wish you could drive something like that.”
“What is that?” one girl asked.
“Looks like a Firebird,” another answered.
High School Jock pushed the girl who’d answered. “Y’all don’t know nothing. That’s a Porsche.”
