Read Online Sweet Reunion by Melanie Shawn - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Melanie Shawn
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you to cook dinner for all of us right
now. Seriously, go grab a water, sit down and relax. Your entire face is
flushed, you're getting overheated.”
Karina continued to grin her
evil little grin, and added an eyebrow waggle for emphasis. “Oh, yes, it is
quite hot in here, isn't it? Very, very hot. On a completely unrelated note, by
the way, how are you today, Justin?”
Lauren looked up and
followed Karina's gaze to the opposite end of the kitchen, where Justin was
leaning against the counter. “Oh, hello,” she intoned flatly, “I didn't see you
there,” and turned back to moving the food around the pan, but with an added
degree of aggression that was clearly visible.
“OK!” said Samantha
cheerfully, taking the spoon away from Lauren, “Maybe I should be the one to do
this. Although, I think it's done.” She announced, cutting open one of the
chicken pieces and examining the interior, “And it smells delicious!”
“Thanks,” Amanda responded,
“There's actually three parts, and I didn't know what everyone's dietary
restrictions were – vegetarian, low carb, etc – so feel free to mix and match
any or all. Whole wheat pasta in the pot, chicken and veggies in the skillet,
and vodka sauce in the saucepan,” she finished, pointing at each in turn.
“And vodka in the freezer!”
Karina added, pulling the bottle out with a flourish. “Justin, are you joining
us for dinner?”
“Oh, yes,” Sam put in,
looking at Amanda, “You really should! It will be fun, like old times!”
Karina and Samantha looked
at Lauren until she finally shrugged and said, “It's a free country.”
But Justin had eyes for only
one person in the room, and no one else's invitation or approval meant anything
to him.
“Amanda?” he asked, “Do you
want me to stay?”
Now, Amanda felt a certainty
and a clarity she hadn't been able to achieve while solitarily searching her
soul. There was no confusion, no hesitation anywhere in her as she answered
firmly in the affirmative.
--- ~ ---
As the Fabulous Four – plus
one – sat around the kitchen table eating the pasta dish that Amanda had
prepared, the conversation turned toward catching up. Since the girls had
already had the opportunity to visit with one another the night before, their
curiosity naturally focused itself on Justin and what he had been doing in the
years since they had seen him.
“So, where have you been
living?” Samantha asked.
“Well,” Justin began, “All
over the place at first, but I eventually ended up settling in Alaska. If you
can call it that.”
“Well, I've always heard it
called Alaska,” Karina quipped.
“If you can call it
settling, smart ass,” Justin shot back good-naturedly, “I originally went up
there because I had a lead on a job working on a pipeline crew, but I think
what attracted me to the area and why I ended up staying so long was because of
the transitory lifestyle. Once you get used to being a gypsy, it's almost
comforting, in a way. The constant change starts to be a rhythm that you can
depend on.”
“When you accept that
there's nothing you can count on, at least you can – ironically – count on
that,” supplied Sam helpfully.
“Exactly,” Justin agreed,
“But it's a lot easier when you're surrounded by other people who are also
travelers, as opposed to being the only lone wolf in a community of stable,
settled people.”
“So, you went up for a job
on the pipeline, but what did you end up doing?” Sam asked.
“Well,” Justin said, “It
turns out that I gained skills here at Mountain Ridge Outdoor Adventures that
served me well. My experience in the hospitality industry, as well as in the
outdoor adventure and sporting arena, really helped me. I was able to get lots
of different odd jobs working with tourists – taking them on tours, leading
them on short expeditions...and I actually did a fairly long stint, for me at
least, working at a place that was pretty similar to Outdoor
now. Seriously, go grab a water, sit down and relax. Your entire face is
flushed, you're getting overheated.”
Karina continued to grin her
evil little grin, and added an eyebrow waggle for emphasis. “Oh, yes, it is
quite hot in here, isn't it? Very, very hot. On a completely unrelated note, by
the way, how are you today, Justin?”
Lauren looked up and
followed Karina's gaze to the opposite end of the kitchen, where Justin was
leaning against the counter. “Oh, hello,” she intoned flatly, “I didn't see you
there,” and turned back to moving the food around the pan, but with an added
degree of aggression that was clearly visible.
“OK!” said Samantha
cheerfully, taking the spoon away from Lauren, “Maybe I should be the one to do
this. Although, I think it's done.” She announced, cutting open one of the
chicken pieces and examining the interior, “And it smells delicious!”
“Thanks,” Amanda responded,
“There's actually three parts, and I didn't know what everyone's dietary
restrictions were – vegetarian, low carb, etc – so feel free to mix and match
any or all. Whole wheat pasta in the pot, chicken and veggies in the skillet,
and vodka sauce in the saucepan,” she finished, pointing at each in turn.
“And vodka in the freezer!”
Karina added, pulling the bottle out with a flourish. “Justin, are you joining
us for dinner?”
“Oh, yes,” Sam put in,
looking at Amanda, “You really should! It will be fun, like old times!”
Karina and Samantha looked
at Lauren until she finally shrugged and said, “It's a free country.”
But Justin had eyes for only
one person in the room, and no one else's invitation or approval meant anything
to him.
“Amanda?” he asked, “Do you
want me to stay?”
Now, Amanda felt a certainty
and a clarity she hadn't been able to achieve while solitarily searching her
soul. There was no confusion, no hesitation anywhere in her as she answered
firmly in the affirmative.
--- ~ ---
As the Fabulous Four – plus
one – sat around the kitchen table eating the pasta dish that Amanda had
prepared, the conversation turned toward catching up. Since the girls had
already had the opportunity to visit with one another the night before, their
curiosity naturally focused itself on Justin and what he had been doing in the
years since they had seen him.
“So, where have you been
living?” Samantha asked.
“Well,” Justin began, “All
over the place at first, but I eventually ended up settling in Alaska. If you
can call it that.”
“Well, I've always heard it
called Alaska,” Karina quipped.
“If you can call it
settling, smart ass,” Justin shot back good-naturedly, “I originally went up
there because I had a lead on a job working on a pipeline crew, but I think
what attracted me to the area and why I ended up staying so long was because of
the transitory lifestyle. Once you get used to being a gypsy, it's almost
comforting, in a way. The constant change starts to be a rhythm that you can
depend on.”
“When you accept that
there's nothing you can count on, at least you can – ironically – count on
that,” supplied Sam helpfully.
“Exactly,” Justin agreed,
“But it's a lot easier when you're surrounded by other people who are also
travelers, as opposed to being the only lone wolf in a community of stable,
settled people.”
“So, you went up for a job
on the pipeline, but what did you end up doing?” Sam asked.
“Well,” Justin said, “It
turns out that I gained skills here at Mountain Ridge Outdoor Adventures that
served me well. My experience in the hospitality industry, as well as in the
outdoor adventure and sporting arena, really helped me. I was able to get lots
of different odd jobs working with tourists – taking them on tours, leading
them on short expeditions...and I actually did a fairly long stint, for me at
least, working at a place that was pretty similar to Outdoor
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