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Hours of “rehearsing” with Roxi meant Gia rolled in well past midnight—so much for getting home early. She had a mere six hours to sleep and get to the gym for the big carpool to Newport Beach. Courtney made a point of telling everyone to “be there at 7 a.m. sharp or be left behind.” And while there was a part of her that didn’t think being left behind would be the worst thing, she’d made a commitment to herself and the team. And she’d taken three days off work for the excursion.
A flip of the light switch just inside the front door reminded Gia what she already knew: her apartment was nothing compared to Roxi’s house. And she really needed to wash dishes.
The envelope Roxi gave her was burning a hole in her back pocket. She’d stuffed it in there nonchalantly, fighting every instinct to rip it open right then and there. The car didn’t feel like the right place to read it, so it stayed safely tucked into the back pocket of her 501s until that moment. The reckoning. What had Roxi written?
Gia poured a glass of water and walked ten paces to the couch—her mother’s contribution to her home. Was it a good idea to open it then, when she really needed to get some sleep? But if she didn’t open it, would she be able to sleep? A lose/lose proposition.
With a sigh, she melted into a pleather cushion and gave herself permission. “Okay.” Another sigh.
Gia slid her index finger under the flap and tore at the top of the envelope in tiny, jagged little sections and pulled out a small notecard. On the cover, a golden retriever wore a pointy birthday hat, complete with a pompom on top. Inside, the card had a pre-printed message.
I hope your birthday is Golden.
Cute, Gia thought. Roxi remembered her fondness for big, loveable dogs from their time on the beach. Opposite the stock message, she’d scribbled a personal note. Her handwriting was bubbly, like that of a teenaged girl, minus the hearts to dot theis.
Dear Gia,
Happy Birthday! I’m glad you were born! And I’m glad you’re who you are and moved to Palm Springs. Even if it is hot as a sauna you can’t escape.
I hope you get everything you want in the next year.
Con amor,
Roxi
Gia read the card a half dozen times before placing it on an end table. Roxi was wrong—she wasn’t a terrible writer. She was a great writer, and she remembered their first conversation, when Gia complained of living in what she felt was an inescapable sauna.
Why was Roxi so good at this? Her tone was light and heartfelt. She seemed to genuinely care about Gia, with no unrealistic expectations or demands. She walked the line between “just friends” and potential for “future benefits” with grace and aplomb.
“I hope I get everything I want in the next year, too.” Gia said aloud and stood, pushing herself up with both hands on her thighs. Sleeping would be fruitless that evening, but she’d try, anyway.
???
She’d done the drive from Palm Springs to Los Angeles before, under the guise of a weekend away with a friend. On the sand in Santa Monica, snuggled into a borrowed concert hoodie, she felt the air sucked out of her lungs when Roxi confessed she was moving back in with Savannah. When their temporary roommate arrangement expired without warning, that’s when it hit her. Her fantasies were more than a crush. More than optimism about what was to come.
Months later, she was shoehorned into the middle seat of a Volvo station wagon between sisters on her climbing team who talked over, around, and through her the entire ride. Why did they not sit side-by-side? Perhaps she should’ve agreed to drive the rental SUV for Courtney.
“Do you think Soojin will be there?” Sister A asked.
“Who cares?” Sister B shrugged. “The only person we need to worry about is Karina Belle. We’re the next best.”
Though she knew their names—Janelle and Jen—thinking of them as Sisters A and B was more amusing. A mental dressing down of the sisters who thought they were Venus and Serena Williams of the climbing world.
“What about you, Gia?” Sister A asked as they entered the Los Angeles city limits in route to Newport Beach. She finally acknowledged there was someone in between her and her sister nearly two hours later. “Anyone you’re worried about?”
“I wouldn’t knowwhoto be worried about,” Gia said, hoping that would be the end. She’d been thinking about two things on repeat: the birthday card from Roxi, and how she could get from Newport Beach to Pasadena, where Lorrainne Mitchell lived. Who was competing in the climbing event didn’t even register on the scale of what was important about the trip, even though it was for the sole purpose of participating in a climbing competition. Minor detail.
“Okay, well, if I were you—” Sister B ran down the roster of all the potential players in the event. Who was mostly smoke and mirrors, who was the real deal, and who she could probably surprise with her relative unknown-ness.
If there was anything Gia cared less about in that moment, it was surprising strangers with her ability to climb. She was there to climb, so she would. But her brain and body didn’t have to agree. If she missed a hold or wasn’t quite fast enough, who cared? Well, Courtney cared, but beyond her—really. Who cared?
As Sister B continued to bloviate about the mundane aspects of climbing man-made walls for time, Gia’s mind wandered back to finding Emily. Derrick hadn’t been able to confirm the owner of The Mitchell Trust, so they’d thrown a Hail Mary. Gia’d written a letter to Lorrainne Mitchell—on stationery; in cursive!—explaining who she was, that she’d befriended a woman named Jennifer EdelmannéeWilkins, and that she was hoping to locate Emily Lorrainne Mitchell of Burbank to reunite these old friends. She said nothing about love affairs or longing memories. Gia was simply trying to reunite long-lost friends. Was Lorrainne perhaps the person she was searching for? And either way, would she mind calling Gia and letting her know?
It was a longshot.
The longest of shots, as a matter of fact.
But Gia’s mind had created a filmstrip of a reunion, and that black-and-white movie played with enthusiasm during her downtime. On break at work. While lifting weights. When the climbing route wasn’t difficult enough to keep her full attention. During these moments, an imaginary reunion happened in her head. Over and over, Jennifer and Emily were reunited, and it was like they hadn’t missed a day. The only thing that made Gia’s heart hurt more than not making this reunion happen was the potential of Roxi becoming a big star and forgetting about her.
