Read Online Reunion in October (The Calendar Girls Book 2) by Gina Ardito - Free Book Online

him since I started first grade and he was assigned as my second-grade class buddy to show me around and get me acclimated. That assignment had led to a lifetime of support and friendship between us.
    I clasped my hands on the table to keep him from noticing the tremors jumping through my fingers. “Freckles died last night.”
    “Oh, gee, Em.” Sam cupped my hands in his palm. “I’m sorry. You must be crushed. I’d be.” He meant it. An animal lover himself, Sam had a rescued greyhound, Daisy. If Paige was the number one lady in his life, Daisy wasn’t too far below her on the list. “How are the kids taking it?”
    “They’re devastated. And Roy…” I let the statement trail off. As much as I respected Sam, some things were none of his business.
    To my relief, Sam didn’t pursue that line of questioning. “You wanna go home? I can call Rowena in to cover your shift.”
    I shook my head. “It’s easier to be here.” Dang. I shouldn’t have said that. Despite my mini-nap, my brain hadn’t caught up to my mouth yet.
    “I get it.” Sam rose and flipped the chair around again, pushing it neatly under the table. “Work keeps your mind off your troubles, right?”
    Sure. If that’s what he wanted to think, that option was way better than the truth. To be honest, I preferred to stay at work because, lately, my home life sucked dust bunnies. “Yeah.” I got to my feet again, still unsteady but a little stronger. I raked my shaky fingers through my hair. “I can’t believe I fell asleep here.”
    “Forget it. As long as you’re okay. I’m headed home.” He turned to leave, then paused to look at me again. “If you change your mind and want to leave, call Rowena, okay?”
    I nodded. “Thanks, Sam.”
    “No sweat.” He cocked his head, eyes narrowed. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
    “Uh-huh.” When he didn’t move, I flicked my fingers at him. “Go. I’m sure you’d rather be with Paige right now.”
    A wide grin split his cheeks, and his face lit up, neon-bright. “Now that you mention it…”
    “Wow. You really are crazy about her, aren’t you?”
    “Since I was seventeen,” he admitted. “I guess you know how that is, huh?”
    I knew what he meant, since Roy and I had been together since my first day of ninth grade. There was a time Roy’s face wore that same blissful expression whenever he saw me. When had he stopped? When did I stop noticing? “Yeah,” I said, forcing a dreamy smile. “Aren’t we the lucky ones?”
    He opened the door leading out to the main floor and shot his index finger at me. “I knew you’d understand.”
    I shuffled past him. Once, years ago, I understood perfectly. These days, I didn’t know how I managed to keep breathing when each inhale and exhale stabbed my heart.
     
    ****
     
    Francesca
     
    The phone call to my mother would have to wait. Between my conversations with Claudia and Josh, I’d used up my patience quota for the day. The last thing I wanted was to go on the offensive the minute Mom answered the phone. She and I had a pretty good mother/daughter relationship, except for one blight: my refusal to marry Michael, even if it meant leaving my job and moving across the country. I understood Mom grew up in a different era, when the man was “king of the castle.”
    She refused to understand why my career meant just as much as my marriage. “After all, your focus will change once the babies come.”
    Yes and no. Sure, Michael and I had talked about a family. I had five brothers and sisters; he was an only child who’d always wanted a sibling. We both loved kids and hoped to eventually have a few of our own. The key word in that statement: eventually . What we had never discussed was moving away from Long Island. And I definitely didn’t appreciate the decision made without my input. All the time I fussed with gown fittings and choosing wedding favors, he interviewed for engineering positions on the other side of the country. In