A Stranger Thing

A Stranger Thing

by Daisy Jordan

copyright 2016 Daisy Jordan

Smashwords Edition

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Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

To Holly, Katy, and Speedy,

who added so much to my Denver life, and to all the crazy fun we had, especially in the early days of bottomless mimosas at the Coral Room…oh wait…those days never ended for us ;)

Table of Contents

cast of characters

prologue: it wasn’t supposed to be you

summer 2009: new lives, old guys

fall 2009: love can’t keep us together

winter 2009-2010: ghosts of winters past

spring/summer 2010: an act you want to believe

what to read next

discussion questions

author and book info

cast of pre-existing characters

Lorylyn Porter, Kylar Landell, Jansen Montgomery, Cade Walsh, Wes Anders, Xavier Clay, Thaler Davis – attended Irelan University in Irvine, Indiana together starting in August 2001. From August 2004-May 2009 (just prior to the start of the novel), lived together in a house they call The Dilapidated Whorehouse in Irvine. The terms Irelan (the name of the university) and Irvine (the town where it is located) are used interchangeably in this story.

Isabella Zibby Barrini, DJ Ainsley – attended Irelan with those listed above, got married in 2003, and lived in The Dilapidated Whorehouse for one year, after which they lived in a separate house nearby

Jason Auerbach – Jansen’s best childhood friend from New York City, Lorylyn’s crush

Corbin Hershey (Hersh) – Jansen’s other best childhood friend, former fling of Kylar’s

Brady Cash – Lorylyn’s ex-boyfriend, current shortstop for the Colorado Rockies

Sinead (Shin-ade) Cole – Jason’s current roommate in NYC

Kella Auerbach – Jason’s sister

Jacob and Corinne Auerbach – Jason and Kella’s parents

Drew Jacobson – Kylar’s sometime-hookup over the past year at Irelan

Jordy Sinclair – Lorylyn’s two-time fling, most recently from a spring break cruise two months ago

prologue

it wasn’t supposed to be you

Lorylyn’s heart pounded the whole time the plane was taxiing. When it stopped at the gate, she pulled her carry-on and purse out from under the seat and held them in her lap, tapping her foot anxiously. She was so glad she was in the second row. She was afraid she was going to pass out or throw up if she didn’t get off of here soon. She needed the rush of cold air that usually greeted her in the airport when she walked off a plane. She needed to freaking move!

When the seatbelt sign dinged off and the door opened, she jumped out of her seat, flinging her bags over her shoulder, and waited urgently for the man beside her to get out of her way.

Once she was in the jetway she shoved past the man and walked quickly. Then, as she neared the terminal, she slowed. She might see who it was in a matter of seconds. She still felt like she was going to pass out.

She stepped out of the jetway and scanned the crowd. She saw no one who looked familiar.

Slightly disappointed yet more so relieved, she let out a huge breath. The person must be waiting for her at baggage claim. It would’ve been hard to get to the gate anyway…it would’ve meant buying a ticket. And that seemed way overboard.

She stopped in the bathroom and took her time looking in the mirror and brushing her hair, even though her hands were shaking and she felt like anyone who looked closely at her would be able to tell she was a wreck. She wanted to look good though.

On Saturday, two days ago, she’d been in her room at her parents’ house in Indiana getting ready to go through all her mail. She hated doing it because it always piled up; she still listed her parents’ house as her permanent address on everything and got a ton of junk mail there. Just as she’d been picking up the first envelope, her mom had leaned into her room and said, One more. She’d tossed another envelope onto Lorylyn’s bed, and Lorylyn had put the first one back down and grabbed this one instead.

It had no real markings on the outside and no return address, but it was probably some kind of credit card application. They’d made it just nondescript enough so she would at least open it to see what it was.

She opened it and pulled out the contents, then frowned when she looked at them. There was one piece of paper folded in thirds and something else that looked like a plane ticket. It was probably a fake plane ticket, like saying, if you get our credit card and charge so much on it, we’ll offer you free miles, and you’ll get a free plane ticket. But when she peered a little closer at it, she realized it didn’t look fake. And when she looked even closer, she was stunned.

From everything she could tell, it was a valid ticket. Continental Flight 2064, from Indianapolis to New York LaGuardia, business class, for May 11, 2009. Two days away. Seat 2A. Departing at 1:55 p.m. and arriving at 4:09 p.m. What the hell?!

Lorylyn laughed incredulously and a little excitedly as the thought crossed her mind that Jansen might have done this. It might be something like that Fourth of July when she’d sent those invites for the party on the Vineyard without even telling anyone about it. Lorylyn wondered what was going on this time! She remembered the paper and grabbed for it to unfold it.

Please come. I need to talk to you and I have a surprise for you.

The note was typed, and that was all it said. There was nothing else on the page. What? Lorylyn asked in confusion. She grabbed the envelope again and looked more closely at it. Her name and address were typed too, and the postmark was from New York, NY.

Jason? she thought breathlessly for just a second. No way. That would be crazy. In her dreams, maybe.

But she didn’t think it was Jansen anymore, unless Jansen was trying to play some kind of trick on her, because the note didn’t fit. It had to be a guy.

Then her heart raced as she had another thought. Jordy?!

But no…surely not. She’d only talked to him twice on AIM since the cruise, and they’d written on each other’s Facebook Walls once. She hadn’t gotten any kind of impression he even planned on ever seeing her again.

So was it Jason? As much as she wanted it to be, her brain told her there was no way. It was something he would do, yeah, but she really didn’t think he would do it for her. Why would he need to see her right now? Jansen was there. Wait! Unless Jansen had told him about how she was going to be with Thaler when she moved to Chicago in August…and Jason was really upset…and so he wanted to see Lorylyn. Or maybe he’d wanted to see her all this time, but hadn’t thought he should because of Jansen, but now that he’d heard about Thaler…

Stop it, Lorylyn! she screamed silently at herself. There’s no way it’s Jason! And if so it’s nothing like what you’re thinking…at least not that he’s secretly in love with you!

It could be him if it was something like the Vineyard party though, she supposed. Maybe it was just some event in the city he thought she would like. Maybe he and Jansen had done this together. But it didn’t explain the I need to talk to you part.

Another thought occurred to her and she grabbed her laptop. She could check to see if this was even a real flight. She quickly went to Continental’s website and searched for flights from Indy to New York for May 11. She inhaled sharply when she saw the second result. Flight 2064…departing at 1:55 and arriving at 4:09.

Then she had another idea, and she grabbed the ticket. There. Her confirmation number. She went back to the main page and under Change or View Reservations, she typed it in, along with her last name. She waited breathlessly while the next page loaded. She fully expected it to come up saying Error! No Itinerary Found! or something of the sort.

She inhaled sharply again when it displayed her reservation. Lorylyn Porter, 5/11/09, Flight 2064, IND-LGA, Seat 2A. Holy shit, she whispered.

She grabbed her phone off the bed and called Jansen.

Hey, this is Sinead.

Oh, hey! Sinead was Jason’s roommate in New York. Jansen was staying at their apartment while she was in the city for the summer.

Hey. Jansen’s hungover and asleep. Her phone was on the couch so I just answered.

Lorylyn laughed. Oh. Well is Jason there?

No, he stayed at Hersh’s and I don’t think he’s coming back here before the wedding.

Oh! Duh! Lorylyn had been so wrapped up in the plane ticket mystery she’d completely forgotten today was Hersh’s wedding. Her friend Kylar was there for it too…staying with Sinead, Jason, and Jansen. Kylar had hooked up with Hersh all through college, most recently on the cruise a bunch of them had gone on together in March, which had been dubbed Hersh’s unofficial bachelor party. Kylar had debated long and hard over whether to go to his wedding, and finally she’d decided to, as a way to say goodbye to him. Well…um…you don’t know anything about either of them, like, sending me a plane ticket to New York, do you?

No, why, did they do that?

No, I don’t know. I got one from somebody. Don’t mention it to them though. Lorylyn didn’t know why, but she didn’t want them to know. She’d been planning on pretending she’d just called to talk and then asking Jansen random questions to fish for the answer, such as what she and Jason were doing this coming week.

Okay, I won’t. Don’t worry.

Do you know by any chance what they’re doing next week?

No, I’m not sure. Nothing big that I know of.

When do they leave for Europe?

Not for a couple weeks.

Oh, okay. Thanks.

Yep! Bye.

Bye. Lorylyn hung up, her heart racing again. So it could be Jason, or both him and Jansen together…it sounded like they were going to be in the city next week…

Then she had another crazy idea, and her heart pounded against her chest. Her hands shook a little as she typed in the first few letters of the address and waited for Firefox to come up with the past places she’d visited. She clicked on the URL for the Rockies’ 2009 schedule. When the page loaded she quickly scanned the May calendar.

Three days in a row, Tuesday, May 12 through Thursday, May 14, the purple boxes in the calendar read, @ NY Mets.

No fucking way, Lorylyn whispered. No…fucking…way.

She fell back against her pillows, staring at her computer screen and then at the plane ticket. Was it Brady?! But he always handwrote his notes…and wait, no, it couldn’t be him. Because the postmark had come from New York. And he wouldn’t be there already…his first game there wasn’t for three days.

She let out a huge breath that was a mix of relief and disappointment. The possibility of it being him had left her stunned…and now that possibility had been yanked away already. Unless…she leaned forward to peer at the Rockies’ schedule again. Thursday, May 7 through Saturday, May 9… @ NY Yankees.

Oh my gosh, Lorylyn breathed. So he would’ve been in New York since at least Wednesday…plenty of time for him to mail this from there. No way.

She fell back against her pillows again. She had no idea what to think! Which one of them was it?!

Brady? Her first love, the guy she’d thought for years was The One? With whom she’d had a blowout fight last October and only recently gotten back on speaking…or more like texting…terms?

Or maybe Jordy…her fling from that Vineyard Fourth of July party three summers ago and the cruise two months ago?

Or Jason? Her absolute fantasy guy, with whom she’d shared what was probably the best day of her life on a beach in Curaçao during that same cruise but who could never really be hers because his whole past and a big part of his present belonged to Jansen?

Or Jason and Jansen together, because they loved to be outrageous and were always creating some wild new adventure?

She still didn’t know why, if it were Brady, he’d be so secretive. He’d never been like that before. He always included a handwritten note with anything he sent her and signed it. Would he have not done that this time hoping she wouldn’t know who it was, because he thought if she did know she wouldn’t come? No, that didn’t really make sense.

She picked up the note again and reread it. The wording sounded like something Brady would write. It sounded less like Jason or Jordy…but with Jason, you never knew what he and Jansen might be up to. And it kind of sounded like Jason by himself…depending on the situation. She just had no idea what this situation was, so how was she supposed to know if it was something Jason would write or not?!

Then she had a totally different thought. It could be Hilton! Or Kelsey! They were two of her best high school friends. Hilton was in New York a lot for her job, and Kelsey lived there.

But neither of them would word the note like that. Lorylyn laughed at the thought. If it were from Hilton the note would read more like, You better come, I have a kickass surprise for you! with a big wink sign afterwards. Kelsey would probably write something similar.

Lorylyn screamed in her mind. Aagghh! She had no freaking clue, and she was going crazy!

She picked up her phone to call Cade, her best friend. Maybe he could help her figure it out from a guy’s perspective. Disappointed when he didn’t answer, she called Wes. Maybe Cade was in his room and had just left his phone downstairs or something.

Hey, what’s up? Wes answered.

Hey, are you at The Dilapidated Whorehouse? Lorylyn asked, naming the house she had just moved out of a few days ago. It had been their college house for the last five years…not just Lorylyn, Cade, and Wes’s, but seven of them total, including Jansen, Kylar, Thaler, and another friend Xavier. Their other two best friends at Irelan, Zibby and DJ, who were married, had lived there for the first year and then moved into a house nearby.

Yeah, Wes said.

Is Cade there? I just tried to call his phone and he didn‘t answer.

No, he had to go to New York.

What?! Lorylyn cried, sitting straight upright so quickly she felt a jolt of pain in her back.

Yeah, the traveling athletic trainer was sick or something, so he had to go with the baseball team this weekend.

Oh my gosh.

What’s wrong?

Nothing, Lorylyn said quickly. He didn’t say anything about me, did he?

No, Wes said.

Wait, where in New York? New York City?

I don’t know.

When did he leave? Lorylyn asked, thinking of the postmark. She suddenly realized it would show the exact date and grabbed the envelope again. May 7. Thursday. Two days ago. Brady would’ve already been in New York for one day.

Um, Wednesday? Yeah. He flew out there on Wednesday. Their games were Friday through Sunday.

Oh my gosh, Lorylyn said. Okay, thanks. I guess I’ll just try calling him again.

Okay, Wes said. See ya.

See ya. Lorylyn hung up and dropped her phone on the bed, staring but seeing nothing. Was it Cade?! They had history too…some of her most important history. Five and a half years ago, they’d gotten married while studying abroad in Amsterdam. It wasn’t legally recognized in the States, but they’d kept it going for a year after they’d come back. Since then they’d hooked up a few times and remained best friends and talked about how maybe someday they’d be together again, but…

Lorylyn tried to piece together all the clues. Every one of the possible senders would’ve been in New York City at the time the letter was postmarked. Wait. She looked up Irelan’s baseball schedule. Maybe the games were in some totally other part of New York, which would rule out Cade. She scrolled down, searching, searching… May 8-10… her eyes darted across… @ Long Island University.

Lorylyn let out a deep breath. Long Island. That was New York City, or at least close enough. She didn’t know where on the island the university was, but it didn’t really matter. Holy shit. It could be any of them.

Continental…Jason and Jordy had flown that to San Juan for the cruise. But that didn’t mean anything. It may have just been the cheapest flight, or the one with the best times. She had never heard Jason say he always flew Continental or anything. The business class ticket…Jason or Brady could easily afford to do that and probably would. It seemed less like Jordy or Cade. But…if Cade were doing something really big, like telling her he was in love with her and wanted to marry her again…he would go all out. Jordy…she didn’t really know. He had a job in sales of some kind and made enough money to live in Manhattan, but it seemed somewhat overboard that he’d buy a business class ticket.

The wording of the note probably sounded most like Brady, but really it could be any of them. She still thought it was weird that Brady would be secretive about it though, just because it didn’t fit his past note-writing style. She could see Cade being secretive about it for the element of surprise. He would know it would drive her crazy. Jordy…once again…who knew? Maybe he wouldn’t even realize she wouldn’t know it was him. He didn’t know anything had ever happened between her and Jason, so what other guy did she know in New York?

She stretched her brain. Did she know anybody else in New York? No. Not anybody who would send her this note and plane ticket.

She picked up her phone again to call Zibby. Maybe Zibby would have some idea, or maybe if it had been Cade, Zibby would know.

Just as she picked her phone up off the bed, it rang, startling her. It was Jansen.

Hello? she asked, her heart pounding.

Hey, it’s Sinead again.

Oh, hey. Lorylyn let out a long breath and tried to calm her racing heart.

Hey, well Kylar’s here for the wedding, you know, and she just got up so I asked her when she’s staying till and she said Tuesday. So I asked her what her and Jansen are doing for the next couple days, and she said on Monday they’re going to a Dierks Bentley concert. And I was like, ‘Is Lorylyn coming?’ and she was like, ‘No, I don’t think so.’ Like she sounded like she hadn’t heard anything about it. She said Jansen surprised her with the ticket when she got here, ‘cause Jansen had just heard about it a few days ago and knew Kylar thought he was hot or something. Kylar was like, ‘Yeah, Lorylyn likes him too, but as far as I know she’s not coming.’ So I don’t know if that means anything to you, but I thought I’d let you know. I wasn’t even gonna call back ‘cause it didn’t seem like a big deal, but then she went to get in the shower so I figured why not. Since Jansen did surprise her with the ticket or whatever, I was like, well maybe she’s surprising Lor too. I don’t know.

"A Dierks Bentley concert?" Lorylyn thought she might pass out.

Yeah. Isn’t he that totally hot blond country singer? Maybe I should go. Sinead laughed. So does that help at all?

Yeah, it does, Lorylyn said. Thanks. Don’t tell them still.

Okay, I won’t.

Lorylyn was out of breath as she hung up, and her mind was whirling even faster than before. Her immediate thought was Brady; he’d mailed her every new Dierks CD since 2003 and marked a song in each one that reminded him of her. But a second later that certainty swirled back into all the other ideas in her brain and became clouded again. Maybe it really was just Jansen…the surprise would be the concert…and Jansen would totally throw the I need to talk to you in just to screw with Lorylyn.

Lorylyn laughed a little at that thought, then screamed in her head again. Aaggghhh!

And two days later, she was no closer to figuring it out.

Jansen did seem like the most logical answer now, since she had surprised Kylar with the Dierks ticket, but Lorylyn didn’t want to believe that. She wanted it to be a guy.

Of the guys, it seemed most likely it would be Brady, because he didn’t have a game tonight and he would be able to take her to the Dierks concert. And that was definitely the type of thing Brady would surprise her with.

But not now, she realized on the flight to New York.

It was the type of thing he would’ve surprised her with. When they were together, or even the first few years after. But not now. Tickets to his games this summer…sure. But sending her a plane ticket to New York to take her to Dierks? Why would he do that? The whole Dierks thing could just be a coincidence. Brady might not even know Dierks was in New York tonight.

And Cade…if it was him it would’ve had to be totally spontaneous, because he hadn’t even known he would be going to New York. That would make sense why the ticket was one that looked like it was issued by the airline rather than an e-ticket…maybe he had gotten it at the airport when he landed. Maybe he’d had the whole idea on the plane. And he had never called her back after she’d called him the other day. That was unusual for him; she hadn’t left a message, and normally he would’ve called to see what was up. But maybe he had known she would’ve been calling to tell him about the plane ticket, and he didn’t want to give anything away.

Oh my gosh! What if it’s Cade and his surprise is he’s taking me to Amsterdam?! she thought. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought of it before. Irelan’s last game in New York had been yesterday…it made perfect sense. She suddenly panicked. She hadn’t packed enough stuff for a trip to Amsterdam. She’d only packed enough for three or four days! But whatever, it didn’t matter. If they were going to Amsterdam…that would be so freaking awesome. And she did have her passport; she always carried it with her when she traveled in case she lost her license. And…Cade had said they should go back sometime. Just a week ago, on one of their last nights at Irelan. Maybe this week he’d gotten really sad about her being gone…and realized he wanted to be together again…. Holy shit. Could it be?

The ticket not being an e-ticket made it seem probably less likely that it was Jason. He would’ve bought a ticket online, wouldn’t he? Either Brady or Cade could’ve bought it at the airport when they flew into the city. But why would Jason go all the way to the airport?

But then maybe he had a travel agent who had booked it for him and given him the real ticket. He did! Or at least his family did. She had booked the room for Jason in Cabo a few years ago over spring break when his flight to Switzerland had gotten cancelled and he and his friends had decided to go to Cabo with Lorylyn, Jansen, and their friends instead.

Or Jansen could’ve gotten the real ticket. For Jason or herself. She had worked at a travel agency for the last four years.

Lorylyn sighed. She wondered for the millionth time which of them she even wanted it to be. And the answer, like every other time, was all of them.

She wanted Jordy to have realized he liked her more than he’d thought, she wanted Brady to surprise her with a Dierks concert, she wanted to go back to Amsterdam with Cade, and of course she wanted it to be Jason.

Her thoughts whirled.

Brady…Cade…Jordy…Jason.

The four main guys from her past, the four main guys in her life so far. She still talked to all of them, still saw a chance she might hook up with all of them again. Still saw a chance she might date any one of them in the future, even if with Brady it was just the smallest chance, one she really didn’t even want to admit existed.

She was almost twenty-six, and no guy doors had closed in her life. Every guy she’d loved or even liked a lot…every guy she’d slept with…was still there, still a possibility in her mind. She’d acted as though the door with Brady was closed and believed in her head it was. But her heart had always kept a little opening tucked away for him, and she knew it. With Jordy she’d been okay knowing it would never go anywhere, and she still was…but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t be open to it going somewhere if the opportunity arose. And Cade and Jason…of course the door was still open with both of them.

In the bathroom at LaGuardia, she was growing more nervous with each stroke of her brush through her hair. Another part of her couldn’t wait to see who it was, because there was a crazy hope building inside her by the second too. Agh! She felt like she was so conflicted she might burst.

Finally she dropped her brush in her purse, offered her reflection an edgy smile, then left the restroom and continued walking.

She took an escalator down and followed the signs for baggage claim. She took another escalator down.

And then, just as she was coming off the second one, she saw who it was.

She froze, and somebody bumped into her from behind. Sorry, Lorylyn muttered, barely turning her head, but the person had already rushed past.

What? her confused brain asked. What? She hadn’t thought she knew who she wanted or didn’t want it to be, but this was wrong. No, no, no. What?! No!

She’d told herself not to get her hopes up; she’d known she really had no clue how she would react when she saw who it was. But now that she had, she knew right away it was wrong. This wasn’t how this was supposed to turn out. What?! She didn’t even understand what was happening, couldn’t swallow the stunned disappointment.

She felt like she was in a dream. She remembered Kylar’s dream about Hersh last weekend, when Hersh had said, It wasn’t supposed to be you, and Kylar had woken up knowing with absolute certainty she wasn’t the girl he was supposed to marry. Those words had allowed Kylar to go to New York for his wedding at peace with the situation.

But Lorylyn was definitely not at peace with this situation. She knew with absolute certainty this wasn’t who was supposed to be waiting for her today.

She still hadn’t moved from her spot just off the escalator. She shook her head slowly, the words from Kylar’s dream replaying in her head.

It wasn’t supposed to be you, she whispered. It wasn’t supposed to be you.

summer 2009

new lives, old guys

Shots are ready! Sinead called.

Ooohh, what are those?! Kylar asked as she emerged from the hallway.

Jansen grabbed her purse off the couch with one hand while pulling her left heel on with the other, then went to join Kylar and Sinead in the kitchen.

I’d like to call it Little White Tank Top, Sinead said with a grin. She handed one to Jansen and one to Kylar.

Kylar’s mouth dropped open. What?!

Oh yeah, Sinead said as she lifted her own shot off the counter. It was white and creamy-looking. I did my research.

Yeah, you Googled him, saw the pictures, and then spent four hours watching his videos, Jansen said.

Well, true, Sinead said. But who wouldn’t?

I’ve spent way more than four hours watching them, Kylar said.

To Dierks Bentley! Sinead said, holding her glass up to Kylar’s. "And how freaking awesome this concert’s gonna be!"

You whore, Jansen said with a laugh. You didn’t know who he was two days ago.

"I’d heard of him. And in those last two days I’ve downloaded every one of his albums. So I think I’m a worthy fan. Even if a newer one." Sinead grinned.

Hey, I agree, Kylar said.

To Dierks Bentley! Sinead repeated.

And to my last night in New York! Kylar said.

The three of them hit their shot glasses together and tipped them back.

That was really good, Jansen said.

That was amazing! Kylar said. What was in it?

Vanilla schnapps, vodka, and a tiny little bit of actual vanilla, Sinead said.

I couldn’t even see the vanilla, Kylar said, peering into her empty shot glass.

All right, let’s go, Jansen said. It’s rush hour; it’ll take forever to get up there in a cab.

Isn’t it only like fifteen blocks? Kylar asked.

Jansen and Sinead both looked at her.

"Okay! Kylar said. I guess I don’t remember rush hour in New York. Let’s go then, ‘cause I am not walking a mile and a half in these shoes!"

Hey, did you ever get ahold of Jason? Sinead asked Jansen as they pushed the button for the elevator.

No, I called and he didn’t answer, so I texted him to let us know what he’s doing later.

What time does he usually get home from work? Kylar asked. It was just after seven.

Um, maybe like six? Sinead said. I don’t pay that close attention. Half the time I’m not home anyway.

That’s weird he didn’t even text you back, Kylar said to Jansen. He should at least be off work by now.

The elevator dinged and opened into the apartment, and Jansen shrugged as they stepped in. I’m sure he just went to happy hour or something. He’ll probably come out with us later.

***

Jordy shoved through the doors of the 7 train just as they were sliding shut, ramming his shoulder into one of them.

Fuck! he swore under his breath, grabbing his shoulder and practically tripping over a little girl. The train lurched into motion, and he pulled his cell out of his pocket. Damn it! No signal. Even though he never had a signal on the subway, it still pissed him off. He couldn’t believe, on the one day he freaking needed to leave work early, he’d gotten stuck in a meeting that had kept him there two hours late. Somebody had just quit over the weekend without even giving his two weeks’ notice, and Jordy had been asked to step into his place to make a sales pitch to a huge potential client. It was clearly a test and an enormous opportunity; his boss had implied if he did well, he would be taking over that project permanently. It meant a promotion and a raise, so it’s not like he could say no.

The problem was Jordy hadn’t been asked to make the sales pitch until fifteen minutes before the meeting started. That had only given him time to send a text saying he would be late. She wouldn’t have gotten it until she landed, and by that time he’d been well into the meeting and unable to check his phone; that was his boss’s biggest pet peeve. No phones were even allowed in meetings, except for work phones, and no personal texts or calls were allowed on work cells; somebody in HR or someplace actually line-itemized the bills.

Jordy knew he’d done a good job on the pitch…a lot damn better than his boss could have ever expected, actually, considering the amount of time he’d been given to prepare. But the memory of his boss shaking his hand afterward and congratulating him on a job well done just caused him to glower now. He’d rushed out of the boardroom and back to his office, immediately grabbing his phone off his desk and then staring at it blankly because the screen was just that…blank. She hadn’t texted back. He’d glanced at the clock…6:54. She should’ve landed almost three hours ago. Why wouldn’t she have texted back? What the hell did that mean? Was she irritated? Wishing she hadn’t come? That wasn’t like her, but… Surely she would still be waiting when he got there…she didn’t know many people in New York…where else would she go?

He’d texted her again, saying so sorry on my way right now, then rushed out of his office building and through the throng of people clogging the three blocks between him and the subway station on the edge of Times Square. Normally he liked leaving his office at rush hour; the mass of people in the streets was energizing. It added something to the air, and it was one thing he loved about living in New York. But tonight it had felt like his worst nightmare. And now that he was a hundred feet below the city and had no signal, he wasn’t even going to get her text if she sent it.

All he could do was hope she was still there waiting and that she wasn’t so upset with him it ruined the night.

***

Brady was kind of glad the beer line was so long. It gave him a chance to think…although maybe that would turn out to be a bad thing.

Half of him didn’t even know why the hell he was here or what the hell he was doing. A bunch of his friends from the team had been going out tonight…to SINY, the Sports Illustrated bar in Times Square he had always wanted to try. That would’ve been the way easier and probably way smarter choice. This night could turn into a disaster. It wasn’t off to a great start…everything he said felt forced, like he was playing a role. She hadn’t really seemed to notice…but she was probably just being nice. She was probably thinking this was a total disaster too. Maybe he would go back in and she wouldn’t even be there. She might already be on her way out. He imagined her waiting a few seconds after he left then darting for the nearest exit. He glanced around, but it was so crowded it would be nearly impossible to spot anyone specific.

And the Dierks Bentley concert…why had he chosen that?! He’d liked the idea when he’d first had it…he had thought it would represent a fresh start. But now it felt like a huge mistake.

He’d thought he was over Lorylyn, and Holly too. Holly, his ex-fiancée who’d broken up with him because she’d thought he was still in love with Lorylyn, hadn’t talked to him since he’d shown up at her parents’ house last Christmas and she’d told him to get the fuck out and never try to contact her again.

He’d thought Lorylyn hated him that much too, but a month ago he’d finally taken some advice from his older brother and decided to reach out to her and try to repair their friendship, because even though they’d been broken up for years, their friendship had always been important to him and he had thought it would last. He’d sent her a letter and the newest Dierks CD, and she’d texted him shortly after, thanking him for the letter and CD and letting him know she’d passed her dissertation defense. And even though he’d known he should leave it at that and not hope for anything more, his mind had been going crazy ever since. And those crazy thoughts were what had eventually led him right here, tonight. To the damn Dierks concert.

The couple in front of him stepped aside, and Brady was at the counter. Two Coors Lights, he said.

That’ll be eighteen bucks.

Brady pulled out his wallet and handed the guy a twenty.

While he waited, he told himself this was it. He was going to stop second-guessing shit and have fun. This was the right thing; he’d felt it as soon as he’d seen her tonight. So he had to stop acting like a jackass, or he would end up blowing it.

The guy handed him two overflowing plastic cups.

Thanks, man, Brady said. He tossed five more dollars on the counter, then turned, took a deep breath, and headed back inside.

***

Hey, Cade answered his phone, hoisting his duffel bag higher onto his shoulder as he walked through the airport.

Hey, Wes said. What’s up?

Just at the airport.

Oh, you headed home tonight?

No, I’m actually gonna be gone a few more days.

Oh. Well hey, I just wanted to tell you there’s a leak in the upstairs bathroom. I just found it today; it was leaking into mine downstairs. So anyway, I called the landlord, and a plumber came out today and basically had to cut a hole in your floor around the sink. They’re coming back tomorrow and they should have it fixed by the end of the day, but I’m headed to Sara’s for the night so I didn’t want you to get home and be like what the hell.

Seriously? Cade said. Then he laughed. Well, I guess we should be surprised it didn’t happen sooner. Their house was decades old and had been falling apart when they moved in five years ago, thus the name The Dilapidated Whorehouse.

Yeah, no shit, right? Okay, well have a good one. Where you headed?

North Carolina. Last minute change of plans.

Oh okay, man, have fun.

Yep, see ya in a few days.

See ya.

Cade hung up and dropped his phone back in his pocket.

Wes? Lorylyn asked.

Cade looked over at her. Yeah. There’s a freaking leak in the bathroom. It’s leaking down into his.

Are you serious? Lorylyn laughed too. "I am surprised that didn’t happen sooner."

All right, well if I don’t go through security I’m gonna miss my flight. They had stopped right near the entrance.

Okay, Lorylyn said. She reached up to hug him.

This was so crazy, Cade said with a grin as he hugged her back.

I know. I have never been so glad to see you.

Glad I could save you from that shit.

Uh, yeah. Lorylyn pulled back and shook her head with a wry grin. "I never, never expected that. Out of all the possible thoughts I had about who it would be…I came off the escalator and I’d like, never felt so disappointed in my life. I seriously felt like, how could this happen? She shook her head with wide eyes. But then I saw you, and I was like, this is the luckiest thing that’s ever happened to me."

Cade laughed. Well I’m sorry it wasn’t me taking you to Amsterdam. I’d much rather be doing that. Although North Carolina should be kinda sweet. Even though it’s for work. The traveling athletic trainer for the baseball team was apparently still sick, so Cade was staying with the team for the next series of games.

Hell yeah. It’s never bad to get an unexpected trip.

You could look at your situation the same way, Cade said. You’re in New York now, and you love it here…

I know, Lorylyn said. I’ll enjoy it. And I am gonna call her.

Good, Cade said. I think you’d regret it if you don’t.

Yeah, Lorylyn said.

Okay, Cade said. I seriously have to go.

Have a good trip, Lorylyn said. They hugged one more time, then Cade turned to go. He waved at Lorylyn over his shoulder, and Lorylyn smiled as she waved back. She watched until he was stopped in line and had dug out his ID and boarding pass, then she walked away from security and pulled out her phone.

***

Let’s get drinks before we go in, Sinead said. The lines are crazy.

Yeah, I’d rather miss part of the opening act than have to leave during Dierks, Kylar said. We should each get two.

Who’s the opening act? Sinead asked.

Holy shit! Jansen said as the three of them stopped at the end of a long drink line. She pointed. Is that Brady?!

Kylar whipped her head around to look.

Who’s Brady? Sinead asked.

Holy shit! Kylar echoed. What’s he doing here?!

Do you think he’s in town for baseball? Jansen asked.

"Why would he be at the Dierks concert?!" Kylar asked.

She and Jansen exchanged a look. They both knew all about the Dierks CDs Brady sent Lorylyn.

Who the hell is Brady? Sinead asked.

Lorylyn’s ex-boyfriend, Jansen said.

Wait, Lorylyn?! Sinead said, her eyes widening as she thought back to the phone call two days ago. She’d never told Jansen or Kylar about it.

Jansen looked at her, confused. Yeah, why?

That was definitely him, Kylar said. Jansen turned back, and they both followed him with their eyes as he passed holding two very full beers.

Yeah, Jansen said. Shit, my phone’s ringing. She pulled it out of her purse and glanced at the screen. Her eyes widened and she looked up at Kylar as she answered. Lorylyn?

***

1:22

The bright red numbers screeched at Brooke, a hideous laughter only she could hear. Around her, the hotel room was dead silent.

She tore her eyes away from the clock and looked at her engagement ring. She twirled it once around her finger and watched it shine in the red glow. An image of blood on ice flooded her mind. She imagined herself walking late at night and that same red glow catching her eye on the slippery sidewalk. Fear gripped her, that feeling of dread when her instincts told her something was off in a horrible way. Her terror grew as she saw a wider and wider stream of blood pooling out and over into the ditch.

She snapped out of it and looked back at the clock. 1:22. One-two-two. Just like 12/2, December 2, the day she’d had her miscarriage.

A miscarriage Tate, her fiancé, knew nothing about. Tate, who was home in their Chicago apartment, fast asleep in their king bed. He could sleep because he was unable to hear the haunting laughter of numbers on clocks and because he was oblivious the ring he had given Brooke ten days ago made her think not of a beautiful dress and walking down the aisle, but of death and walking into a nightmare.

She’d known the proposal was coming; she and Tate had gone ring shopping together three times over the past couple months. She’d been thrilled. Everything in her life was coming together just the way she had hoped. She had a job she loved, she was living in downtown Chicago with her amazing boyfriend and close to her best friend Lindy, and her past was so far down the Indiana Toll Road it was essentially forgotten. She never looked beyond the Chicago Skyway, that barrier at the Illinois state line separating her from Indiana and everything buried there.

But now that past and its secrets had come careening all the way east to New York with her and right into her hotel room, taking life in the clock beside her bed. She closed her eyes and saw the icy bloody sidewalk again. She started and her eyes flew open.

1:23.

Brooke breathed a huge sigh of relief, then sat up angrily and flung off the covers. Why the hell was she getting all freaked out about this?! And now that today hadn’t gone the way she’d expected, was it going to keep happening?! Was the time 1:22 going to haunt her forever?! This was total bullshit.

She stormed toward the bedroom door, sliding through it and into the sitting room of her suite. She yanked the minibar open and grabbed the first thing she found, which turned out to be a bottle of Ketel One. She unscrewed the cap and swallowed the whole thing in one gulp, then sank onto the couch, scrunching her face against the burning in her throat. She closed her eyes, and she was back in her apartment on her engagement night, having a similar storm-out-of-bed-and-grab-the-first-drink-in-sight moment.

That night she had gone to the kitchen and shakily poured herself a glass of wine from the half-finished bottle on the counter. She and Tate had finished the first bottle with dinner, then opened the second and taken their glasses out to the balcony, where he’d proposed. After that, they’d pretty much gone straight to the bedroom.

But when he had gone to sleep, Brooke had lain awake. She’d felt uneasy, but she hadn’t been able to pinpoint the reason. At first she’d thought she was just too excited to sleep, but then she’d realized she wasn’t smiling. She was just lying there. Awake. She’d tossed and turned and started to doze, and then she’d flipped over again and squinted her eyes open to glance at the clock. It had said 1:22, and her new ring had caught its glow. That’s when she’d first seen the blood on ice.

After fleeing the bedroom and pouring herself the glass of wine, on an impulse she’d headed for the balcony door. She’d felt like the apartment was closing in on her.

As she’d stepped outside, the cool night air had hit her face like a refreshing wave. It had been humid and only a little chilly. It had almost felt like summer.

And that’s when she’d realized. It was May 2. The nine year and five month anniversary. And probably about the time of year her baby would’ve been born. A baby who would be nine now. She’d sunk into one of the cushioned chairs, closed her eyes, and started to wonder.

How different would her life be? She probably wouldn’t be living in Chicago, that was for sure. She’d probably be back in Indiana. And would he be with her? No. He’d made it perfectly clear—when she’d told him about the miscarriage almost nine months after it’d happened—that he didn’t care about her at all, that he didn’t even believe the baby had been his, that he never wanted to see or talk to her again. And he hadn’t. They hadn’t had any contact since that night.

With her eyes still closed, she’d seen herself, dressed for work with her hair in a ponytail, smiling at a little girl as she held the girl’s hand and helped her into the car. The girl climbed in eagerly, her long wavy black hair swinging around. She shut her door and looked out at Brooke with a smile.

Bye, baby, his voice said, and Brooke turned to find Brady smiling down at her.

Bye, Brooke said. She smiled back and kissed him, running a strand of his curly black hair through her fingers. Have a good day. She hurried around to the other side of the car.

You too, Brady said, still smiling as he waved. Then he looked into the car and waved to their daughter, making a silly face at her.

Brooke’s eyes popped open, and she was surprised for a second to find herself in the hotel in New York, rather than back in her apartment in Chicago. She smacked the couch angrily.

You are being so stupid, she chastised herself. Really?! How could you like that fantasy even a little bit?! How could you even have it, after all this time?! How could you have it again?!

And yet, just like on the night of her engagement, it ached to let it go. She had felt so close to Brady in it. That was probably the stupidest part, because she didn’t even know him. He was essentially a stranger. They hadn’t spoken in almost nine years. He probably hadn’t thought of her in eight, at least. But in her mind, in her stupid little scenario, she’d felt so close to him despite all that. She’d felt like she did still know him.

In reality, she knew a little. She’d looked at Facebook and followed his life somewhat, his and someone else’s who had played a part in their saga. She wasn’t friends with him on Facebook, but he had kept part of his profile public.

But not quite public enough. She hadn’t been able to find the answer to the one thing she wondered the most about, the thing that still kept her up some nights.

And now, she probably never would.

She wondered if she’d approached this whole thing the wrong way, if there was something she could’ve done differently today, or in the last ten days, to make her trip to New York turn out how she’d imagined.

When she’d had the idea that night on her balcony in Chicago, she’d jolted upright, splashing wine all over her leg, sure it was the answer to this whole stupid mess, sure she’d be able to stop wondering, stop secretly Facebook stalking, and move on with Tate. For good. She had thought it would be her closure, that one thing she had to do before she got married. And she’d had to do it as soon as possible, somewhere far away. She couldn’t let that part of her life, that unspeakable part, touch her Chicago life.

But maybe in her rush to clear her conscience, to have her answer, she hadn’t thought things through well enough. Obviously she hadn’t, because here she was in her damn hotel room, her issues nowhere near gone.

And this time, she had no bright idea. She was out of options; she’d used her only shot. And it had been an epic fail. So how the hell was she going to go forward from here?

***

That is just an insane number of coincidences, Jason said.

I wanna know who Brady was at the concert with! Sinead said. I was sure it was you, after Jans and Kylar told me who he was! ‘Cause you had told me about the plane ticket on the phone…

I know! Oh my gosh! Kylar said. I’m so pissed we couldn’t find him!

Yeah, who knows, Lorylyn said, shrugging. It made her uneasy, somehow, to think of Brady so close…the concert had been only fifteen blocks from here…and to wonder what he was doing now, after it, to wonder where he was staying, to know they were both in New York and would probably have no contact. He had probably just been at the concert with his friends from the team, but…she wondered why he’d gone. Had it been one of their ideas, or his? Had he thought of her at all while he was there? Okay, that was a stupid question…he would’ve had to. Most likely as a distant passing thought, or maybe a fond memory…but nothing more. They were back on texting terms, but they weren’t close friends. Maybe someday they would get back there, but they weren’t now. She shook her head slightly, swishing her drink around. She’d been thinking maybe he had invited her here, bought her a plane ticket, sent her a note to come to New York and see the concert with him. But he wasn’t even close to that place.

And at the same time, she couldn’t stop thinking about Jason, sprawled on the other end of the couch, his feet up on the coffee table. She was facing him, her own feet curled under her, but there were probably two feet between them. Still, she could practically feel his body heat. He was wearing shorts made out of sweatpant material and his shirt from work, which was unbuttoned a couple buttons down. It had vertical green and blue and gray stripes, and it brought out his dark blue-green eyes. Not that they needed bringing out; they mesmerized her every time she saw him, and sometimes when she didn’t. She could close her eyes and picture them at any given moment, even though she usually saw him about once a year or once every other year. This was the second time in three months, so that was good.

Are you gonna text him or anything? Kylar asked. And let him know you’re in New York?

Lorylyn looked up. I don’t know. The thought had occurred to her to go to his game tomorrow and just see what happened. She thought he would like the surprise. I haven’t decided yet.

When do you fly back? Sinead asked.

I don’t know. All I got was the ticket here. So I guess whenever I want.

Jansen smirked. A first-class ticket here but no ticket back? What a cheap bitch.

Lorylyn laughed out loud, and she suddenly felt lifted out of her murky swirling thoughts. She looked around the room. Despite the disappointment today, she had ended up here. With some of her best friends, and Jason, in a city she loved and sometimes craved. It didn’t matter how she’d gotten here. She was here, and she was going to stop thinking so much and make the most of it.

Hey, what’s Jordy up to this week? Kylar asked Jason, throwing a glance at Lorylyn.

Lorylyn flashed a quick grin at Kylar, then looked at Jason, her expression one of innocent curiosity. She hadn’t told him she’d thought it might be Jordy; he probably would’ve been so surprised he would’ve laughed, then proceeded to tell her Jordy had a girlfriend or something. She’d only told him about thinking it might be Brady or Cade or, maybe even you and Jansen together, doing something crazy like the Vineyard party. He’d laughed, and she’d felt relieved he hadn’t seen right through her and realized she’d hoped it might be him for a totally different reason. Jansen had given her a look though, and Lorylyn had quickly made a face at her. Jansen had laughed too and taken a drink of her vodka tonic.