Welcome! This week the word prompt is "track". This week the story "Reunited" continues. Thanks for stopping by. Scroll down for the link to return to Tuesday Tales or go to my website.
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Sipping
on a glass of Cabernet in her tony East Side apartment, Cassie rifled through
her mail. Boom! There it was. The answer to her problems.
She
ripped open the invitation. It was to her tenth high school reunion. That would
be the perfect place to reconnect with Mike. She picked up her cell.
“Angela?
Angela Faiola?”
“Yes?”
“It’s
Cassie. Cassie Newsome. Your high school classmate.”
“Oh! Of
course, of course. Cassie. How are you? Are you coming to the reunion?”
“Yes.
Are you making a list of people coming available?”
“We have
a Facebook group. If you’re looking to reconnect with someone, why don’t you
join?”
“I will.
Thanks.”
“If you
want to help out, we can always use another pair of hands.”
“I’d
love to help, but I’m launching a new program and my plate is full.”
“A new
program? On TV?”
“Yep.”
“How
exciting! I hope you’ll tell me all about it at the reunion.”
“Sure
will. Thanks.”
Cassie
hung up and sat back, She opened her laptop and went to Facebook. Looked like
it was going to be easier to connect with Mike than she thought. But convincing
him to go along with her plan was another story.
She
joined the group, then searched for Mike. His name was there. She added a post,
then called Ned.
“Hey,
baby. What’s up?”
“I’ve
got a way to get in touch with Mike.”
“Great!
The sooner the better. I’m working with Josh and Tina on locations for your
outings.”
“How
much time will I have to spend with him?”
“However
much it takes to make your reunion look real.”
“I’d
really rather be with you, working behind the scenes,” she said.
“We
talked about this. I thought we’d agreed that you and I would have to take a
little break. Just until the show is in the bag.”
Silence.
“Of
course, you won’t be with him twenty-four/seven. If you can sneak away and
spend the night with me, well –that’d be great.”
“Mike
won’t care. He wasn’t exactly in love with me,” she replied.
“Are you
sure? Nerds fall hard, babe. They just don’t know how to say it.”
She
chuckled. “Maybe. But that was forever ago.”
“When he
sees you again, well, just don’t fall for him, okay?”
She
laughed. “Like he could be any competition for you?”
“You
never know.”
“I’m
committed, Ned. You’re the one who’s only got one foot in. Not me.”
“That’s
not true. I’m giving everything I have to make this program work. It’s for us,
baby. Us. The success will belong to you and me. Do you understand?”
“I do.
Don’t like it much.”
“Don’t
be a whiner. We both have to make sacrifices. That’s the price of success. And
if this succeeds? We’ll be on track, rolling. I mean millions. And you can kiss
penny-pinching goodbye.”
She
sighed. What he said was true. They’d make out bigtime if the show caught on. Financial
security drove her, it’s what she had been working toward.
Leaving
her poor background behind had been Cassie’s motivation for working twelve hour
days to get ahead. She saved every cent she could, not taking taxis, buying her
fancy wardrobe on sale, and eating home every night.
Her goal
was so close. And to have a sexy, smart
man part of the package of success and freedom from fear of poverty was a huge
plus.
“Okay. I’ll
stop bitching,” she relented.
“That’s
my girl. Besides, a few days off won’t hurt us. We’re strong,” he said.
“Right.
“Goodnight,
babe.”
“’Night,
Ned.”
“Call me
after you connect with that guy.”
“I will.”
Cassie
hung up. She wondered why she didn’t feel happy. The plan was falling into
place.
