Page 8 of Fall for You (Second Chances #7)

Ronnie

I was waiting in the corner booth that had always been our favorite when Alana walked into the diner. As usual, she was dressed way too sophisticated for Hayword in a long black skirt with slits on the side, high heeled boots, and a shimmery white blouse.

“What?” Alana asked as she took off her coat and set it on the inside of the bench seat.

“Nothing.”

“You gave me a look,” she said. “Tell me what it was about.”

It’s funny how we could still read each other so well, even after all this time.

“It’s just so obvious that you’re not from here anymore, with your expensive clothes and fancy outfits.”

“Would you feel better if I wore faded flannel shirts and ripped jeans?” she asked, nodding at my own outfit.

There was no judgement in her voice, only teasing.

“Yep, I would.”

“Yeah, that’s too bad,” she said archly. “Now let’s order food, I’m starving.”

A high school girl came to take our order, looking at Alana curiously.

“Are you Chloe’s sister from New York?” she finally asked.

“Yes.” Alana’s expression was more cautious than I would have expected. “Who are you?”

“I’m Skyler,” she answered with a small smile. “Chloe’s my best friend.”

Alana’s expression cleared. “Oh yes, Chloe told me about you Skyler, nice to meet you.”

“You too. I’ll put your order in.”

As Skyler walked away I raised my eyebrows at Alana. She read the question there, leaning forward so we wouldn’t be overheard.

“There’s a group of mean girls at the high school,” she said.

“Well some things never change,” I said dryly.

The mean girls in our high school were particularly fond of telling people that Alana and I were lesbians. Of course they were right, but we were both well aware of the hostility behind those accusations.

“I was just making sure Skyler wasn’t one of the girls picking on my sister.”

“Good thing she’s not, I’d hate to have some little queen bee spitting in our breakfast after you told her off.”

Alana laughed.

We chatted about town gossip until our breakfasts arrived… large platters with scrambled eggs, bacon, pancakes, and hash browns. Alana’s eyes widened comically as she looked down at her food.

“I forgot what gut busters these breakfasts are,” she laughed.

“Take half home for dinner, that’s what I usually do.”

We ate in silence for a few minutes before Alana spoke again. “Yesterday you asked about what happened in New York.”

I was a little surprised she brought it up.

“Yeah, I know it’s none of my business, but I have to confess that I’m curious.”

“You and everyone else in town,” she joked.

Ever since she got back everyone was buzzing about it, quizzing her mother and anyone who might have an idea about what happened. My own mother had asked me twice if I knew what happened.

“I, uh, well I actually told my sister the story last night, and it feels less scary to talk about now that I broke the seal.”

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” I said hurriedly, a little surprised that she’d confided in a fifteen year old.

“I want to, if you can keep it to yourself,” she said. “I’d prefer not to have it all over town.”

“My lips are sealed,” I promised.

She set down her fork, ate a piece of bacon, then leaned back in her booth.

“We had this client, one of our biggest clients. I won’t tell you the name of the company, but let’s just say that they make a point of talking about how progressive they are, saving the environment, promoting diversity, that kind of thing.”

I nodded. “Okay.”

“The truth was, it was all an act. There were a lot of rumors going around about things like dumping waste and labor violations in India, that kind of thing. Then one day I happened to overhear a conversation when I was at their corporate offices waiting for a meeting. Two women were talking about how the CEO was a serial sexual harasser. It sounded bad, he’d been paying people off to get them to leave the company. ”

She paused and nibbled an edge of her toast. “They came around the corner and saw me there and freaked out that someone had heard their conversation, but I pretended like I’d been on my phone and hadn’t heard a thing.”

“What did you do?”

“I asked around, discreetly of course, and a lot of people had heard the same rumors. So I went to my boss, thinking he wouldn’t want our company to be associated with a client who was so dishonest and toxic.

If that news went public, I knew we would be tainted by association,” I explained.

“But my boss seemed… well let’s just say he didn’t act at all surprised about any of it.

He told me to shut up, mind my own business, and focus on my work. ”

“So you quit your job?” I guessed.

“No, I decided to be smart and bide my time. I started looking for a job but wasn’t having a lot of luck.

Then one day I was at this important advertising awards dinner – my company always got a couple of tables.

I went to the restroom and in the hallway on the way back, I ran into this woman who owns a huge advertising firm in Manhattan.

I’d been trying to get on her calendar so I figured, I should seize the chance. ”

I nodded, then she continued, “I rushed up to her and started talking about how much I wanted to work for her company and how I couldn’t work for my current employer anymore and then I detailed all the reasons why.”

“In a public place?” I might not be in business, but even I knew that was bad form.

Alana’s face turned pink. “The thing is, I’d had one drink too many and my inhibitions were down.

I normally wouldn’t drink that much, especially at a work event, but I was so discouraged about what happened with my boss that I was like, if I have to sit next this asshole all night I need to take the edge off, you know?

So I drank too much, and the alcohol made me impetuous, and I just word vomited all over this poor woman. ”

I nodded, captivated by this story. “I take it she wasn’t impressed with you.”

“No,” she sighed. “And what I didn’t know was that while I’d been in the restroom, that same lady I was trying to get a job with had been on stage presenting an award. It turned out that she was still wearing a hot mic, although I’m sure she didn’t realize it either, not at first.”

I clapped my hand over my mouth. “No!”

I nodded. “Yes. I’d blabbed everything – all my agency’s secrets and our most important client’s too – over the speakers at an industry-wide event. I was fired immediately, and now no one in New York will touch me. I’m toxic.”

I leaned back, my mind reeling. “Wow, that’s quite a fail there, Alana.”

“It sure was,” Alana said glumly. “And that’s why I came back to my childhood bedroom with my tail tucked between my legs. I didn’t have much choice after I blew up my career like that. I don’t have enough savings to live in an expensive city like New York without a job.”

“Well I guess one thing hasn’t changed about you,” I said.

“What?”

“When you fuck up, you go all in.”

She sighed deeply as she cut into a pancake. “Yeah, I’m a perfectionist like that.”

***

Twelve years ago…

“What are you reading?”

Alana looked up from the book she had open in her lap.

“Our Bodies Ourselves.”

I plopped down on the hay bale next to her, then pulled two cans of beer out of my backpack, handing her one.

“Why are you reading that?”

“I want to learn about the female orgasm.”

I choked, spitting beer all over my shirt. “What? Why?”

“They didn’t cover that in health class,” she reminded me. “I want to know how everything works, you know, up there.”

“Uh, haven’t you…,” I paused, suddenly feeling embarrassed. “Explored things on your own?”

Alana looked around and hissed, “Are you asking me if I masturbate?”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

“Well yeah of course I’ve done some of that, but I want to know how to please a woman when I finally have sex.”

“Won’t it please her if you do the stuff that feels good on you?” I asked. “I mean, all of our bodies work the same way, don’t they?”

Alana shrugged. “I want to be good at sex. When I finally do it, that is.”

“I think no one is good at first,” I said. “But you figure it out as you go along.”

“Maybe we should practice on each other,” she suggested.

I stared at my best friend for a long time. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying I think you should be my girlfriend. And when we’re ready, we should have sex.”

“Are you asking me that because I’m the only other lesbian you know?” I asked, afraid to get my hopes up.

The truth was, I’d been increasingly attracted to my friend, but I didn’t want to ruin our friendship by making a move.

Alana met my eyes. “I’m asking you because I like you as more than just a friend. I have for a while.”

My heart swelled in my chest. “In that case, let’s read this book together.”