Her Accidental Engagement (Harlequin Special Edition) by Major Michelle

Author:Major, Michelle [Major, Michelle]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2014-03-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

She took another breath and headed toward the school, determined to hold her head high. She had as much right to return to her high school as anyone.

Once inside, she stopped at the girls’ bathroom to sprinkle cold water on her face. When a stall opened and Lucy Peterson stepped out, Julia wondered if she’d actually conjured her.

“Hi, Lucy.” The other woman’s eyes widened in surprise.

Lucy hadn’t changed much since high school. She was still short and full figured, her chest heaving as she adjusted the wire-rimmed glasses on her face.

“Hello, Julia. I didn’t expect to see you here. I’m in town for the weekend for my parents’ anniversary. Normally I wouldn’t be caught dead back in this high school. I live in Chicago. I’m a doctor.” Lucy paused for a breath. “I’m babbling.”

“What kind of doctor?” Julia asked.

“Molecular biologist.”

Julia nodded. Figured. Julia knew better than to compare herself to a genius like Lucy. “That’s great.”

The two women stared at each other for several long moments. At the same time they blurted, “I’m sorry.”

Relief mixed with a healthy dose of confusion made Julia’s shoulders sag. “I’m the one who should apologize. I know I was horrible in high school. You were on the top of my list. Not that it matters, but you should know I was jealous of you.”

Lucy looked doubtful. “Of me? You were the homecoming queen, prom queen, head cheerleader, and you dated the football captain. I was nobody.”

“You were smart.”

“I shouldn’t have spread that rumor about you.” Lucy fiddled with the ring on her left finger. “You weren’t a slut.”

“There are worse things you could have said about me.”

“You weren’t stupid, either.”

Julia made her voice light. “The grade record would beg to differ.”

“I read your file,” Lucy said slowly. “It was wrong, but I know you had significant learning disabilities, which means...”

“It means there’s something wrong with my brain,” Julia finished. “Stupid is a much clearer description of my basic problem.”

“You must have been pretty clever to have hid it all those years. I’m guessing you still are.”

“I cut hair for a living. It’s not nuclear science. Or molecular biology.”

“That’s right. My mom told me you’d taken over the Hairhouse.”

“I’m working on it. The loan still needs to go through.”

“Are you going to keep the name?”

Julia relaxed a little as she smiled. “I don’t think so. ‘The Best Little Hairhouse in Brevia’ is quite a mouthful.”

Lucy returned the smile then pulled at the ends of her hair. “I’m in town until Tuesday. Could you fit me in?”

“You don’t hate me?”

Lucy shook her head. “In high school, I thought I was the only one who was miserable. Once I got away from Brevia, I realized lots of kids had problems. We were all just too narcissistic to see it in each other. Some people can’t let go of the past. I’ve moved on, Julia. I’m happy in Chicago. I have a great career and a fantastic husband. I don’t even mind visiting my mom a couple times a year, although I avoid the old crowd.

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