The small high school gymnasium looked good. Doug gave Scarlett St. James credit. She said the reunion’s theme was going to be prom revisited, and she’d nailed it. Streamers and balloons festooned the walls, in the same colours as on their grad night. A portable speaker in the corner was hooked to a phone providing a background of hits from their high school years, including some now-despised pop songs everybody would rather forget they ever knew the lyrics to. It was all a blast from the past.
Next to the table holding the phone and the speakers was a microphone on a stand. Leaning against it was a guitar case with “T.L.” on it. Although Doug had seen Tyler Lawson around town, they hadn’t spoken. It was interesting to know the amateur musician was still performing locally.
Doug recognized everyone in the room. He was probably the most different after his growth spurt at nineteen which finally meant he was no longer the second smallest person in his class. Cordelia Ito was still the tiniest graduate. Not that anyone said it to her face. Not after she’d laid out Jason after one too many short jokes in eleventh grade.
Doug had given her his notes for every class she’d missed during her two-day suspension for doing what he’d only fantasized about. They’d been good friends after that.
He hadn’t crossed paths with her since graduation. They’d missed each other on the few times they’d visited Hopewell. He heard she was teaching English in…He couldn’t remember where. She’d been to Korea and China. Japan this year, maybe. He’d have to ask.
Cordelia’s eyes got big as he approached her. “Doug? You got tall!”
She was obviously a city girl now. Nobody in town had clothes as stylish as hers, or such a striking fuchsia-on-black hairstyle. “I didn’t expect to see you here. You look great.”
She twirled. “I know.” She held her arms out for a hug, and he obliged. “I’m literally passing through. I was in Paris. Flew through Toronto to Winnipeg. I have to fly to Vancouver on a five o’clock flight tomorrow to catch a connection to Osaka at noon. I thought it would be fun to see everyone.”
“Europe to Asia the long way around? Do you know what time zone you’re in?”
“I don’t have a clue,” she said with a laugh. “But when Scarlett emailed me, I told her I’d make it work. It may only be for a few hours, but I’m here.”
A squeal erupted from the door. Cordelia gave his biceps another squeeze. “I’ll be back.”
“Okay.” He watched her race to the door to hug the stuffing out of Freddy Turnbull.
However small the circles had been in school, cliques had existed. His and Freddy’s hadn’t crossed over. Doug’s parents said Freddy had been visiting Hopewell on the odd weekend since he’d left the army after completing ten years of service. Apparently, he’d been working in Winnipeg with a roofing company for the last few months.
While he wasn’t in uniform, Freddy still had a military haircut and posture. Doug felt a little sorry for the guy. It had to be a big change, going from military organization to small town informality. Freddy offered him a wave, which Doug returned. He’d make the effort to speak to him later.
“The party has arrived!”
An acknowledging murmur rolled through the room, but the announcement drew neither boos nor cheers.
Doug blinked. Jason Nickel was in the house, and the crowd didn’t fall to worship. Did that mean everyone else had finally grown up?
“What is wrong with you? You look constipated,” Cameron whispered as he pressed a beer into Doug’s hand. Cameron had been in his circle of friends. Always. Probably because while Doug had heard how no poor country teacher’s kid could ever become a doctor, Cameron heard acting was something people did with the community theatre group, not as a career. Both of them had spent hours in the library looking for scholarships and plotting escape routes out of town.
“I’m beginning to think I still have issues about high school.”
“Nah.” The sarcasm was cutting. “What is going on in your head? Let’s deal with it fast, so you can have a good time.”
“Jason walked in, and I had a flashback. Of every dance we ever had. He’d be fending off the girls and I’d be fending off the boredom, praying he didn’t decide to sic them on me as a joke.”
“Ouch.” But Cameron didn’t deny it had happened on more than one occasion. “You know that’s not going to happen tonight, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Shake it off, have a beer, and drop your title every chance you get.”
“That’s not subtle at all.”
“Forget subtle. This is a reunion. You’re supposed to brag. Do you think the Emmy nomination I got for Best Supporting Actor for my role on Santa Barbara E.R. isn’t going to come up repeatedly? Because it is.”
“I can do that.” He clinked his bottle against Cameron’s and took a swig. He wasn’t a kid anymore. It was time to act accordingly.
Then Jackie entered, pushing a trolley stacked high with plates and glasses. The rattles and clinks garnered everyone’s attention for a minute before conversations returned to normal.
Except his. Doug heard Cameron mutter something before heading over to say hello to Freddy. Which left him alone with his beer, staring at the one girl from high school who had always left him tongue-tied.
He hadn’t forgotten Jackie had asked him to his prom. Events like that never faded from memory. But now he wondered if he’d been wrong in turning her down. He’d never been asked out before, but he had suffered through his share of rejections. He hadn’t wanted a pity date. Patricia assured him Jackie had been sincere, but he couldn’t risk it.
Speaking of his old crush, Patricia was talking to her. Jackie nodded once, took control of the trolley, and wheeled it over to the U-shaped table. Patricia gently edged him out of the way where he’d frozen against the wall and proceeded to drop dinner and butter plates off with surgical precision. She couldn’t have spaced them more evenly if she’d used a ruler.
“What is Jackie doing here?” he asked Patricia.
She didn’t miss a beat between setting out wine and water glasses. “She’s the boss. I told you I worked catering jobs occasionally.”
Hopewell had a catering company now? He knew Jackie was working two jobs, since the hospital couldn’t afford her full-time, but he hadn’t realized where. “You didn’t say it was her company.”
“Dunn Home Cooking. I thought you would have put the dots together.” Patricia nudged him again. “Are you going to ask her out or what? All this staring is bordering on creepy.”
“I’m not staring.” He looked straight at Patricia as he said it to prove his point.
“You’re always staring. Ask the girl on a date already, Doug. She’ll say yes.”
“You can’t know that.”
“I live with her. I know what names come up. Ask her, Douglas.”
“Maybe I will.” He wouldn’t.
“Pathetic. You’re pathetic, Douglas.” She glanced over her shoulder, saw that Jackie wasn’t paying them any attention, and then socked him in the shoulder. “You like her. She likes you. This is a small town. Don’t play dumb.”
“I’m not playing.” He poked her back and raised a finger to his lips before she could burst out laughing. “Not what I meant.”
“It will be true if you don’t ask her.”
Doug growled. He hated it when Patricia was right. Jackie had always been professional with him at work, but she’d been fun too. She knew how hard it was to fit into an established unit at the hospital and had gone out of her way to make him feel welcome. If he didn’t take a chance now, he could spend the next two years—twenty-two months and two days—regretting his cowardice. He already had enough regrets about Hopewell.
Jackie was quick. Doug followed her around the table, trying to catch her eye. It took some work. She was tracking Patricia, the cart, and Scarlett all at the same time. “Jackie, do you have a second?”
She finished her place setting and turned to him. “A quick one. Longer if you want to walk with me to the home economics lab.”
“I’ll walk with you.” He didn’t want witnesses.
She grinned at him. Her braces sparkled in the fluorescent lighting. Doug knew she was four months from getting them off; she had a countdown to caramel corn on the calendar in the staff room. “What’s up?”
He swallowed. “I didn’t realize you had a catering company. When did that start?”
“A couple years ago. Scarlett wanted to throw a fiftieth birthday party for her mom, and she asked me to help. We couldn’t afford catering or a designer cake, so I did the cooking. Word spread, and Dunn Home Cooking was born.” They arrived at the classroom door, and she peeked inside before turning to face him.
“I’m not surprised. I haven’t tasted anything yet, but this smells amazing.” He managed to say it without drooling because the aromas wafting out the door made his mouth water. He was used to living on his own, but Doug hadn’t realized how much he depended on takeout while he lived in the city. He’d been struggling with cooking since he’d returned. Nobody could live off the meals at Ruth’s Diner for long.
“Thanks.” She looked at him, and back to the stove. “I’m sorry, I don’t have much time right now to chat.”
Right, she was working. It was time to put up or shut up. “I’ll only keep you a second. Would you like to go out with me sometime?” Doug winced. He hadn’t had time to plan what he was going to say, but he’d hoped he would be smoother than that.
“Sure.”
He froze. He must have heard wrong. “What?”
“Yes, I’d like to go out with you. When did you have in mind?”
He scrambled for a response. “We could drive up to Oak Lake Beach? Are you free on Sunday?” It was a small beach about an hour away, but it was pretty. He could pack a picnic for them. That was fun but low-key, and Jackie had mentioned she hadn’t gone swimming yet that summer.
Her smile said his last-second idea hit the mark. “Sounds like fun.” A buzzer on one of the stoves sounded, quickly joined by another. “Sorry, but I have to get back to work. Call me tomorrow and we’ll pick a time.”
He had her number. Technically, he’d added her contact information in case he needed it for work, but he’d never had an opportunity to use it. Till now. “First thing.” A burst of laughter sounded from down the hall. “First thing, once I’m up. I don’t know how late tonight is going to run.”
She nodded in understanding. “It’s been a long week, it’ll be a long night, and it’s the weekend. I’m sleeping in too. I’ll look forward to it, Doug.”
It was a good thing he knew his way around the high school by heart, because he had no memory of returning to the small gymnasium. Doug stood in the doorway and blinked twice, fighting to keep the stupid grin off his face. He did a lousy job.
“Where’d you go?” Cameron asked.
“Nowhere.”
“You went to talk to Jackie. What happened?”
“I asked her out.”
“And?”
“We’re going on a picnic this weekend.”
“Good man. Don’t screw it up.” Best friends could be incredibly annoying.
“Why are we friends again?” Doug asked. But he knew. It was for comments like that.
More people had arrived in the few minutes he’d been gone. Jon Gilbert and his wife, who Doug didn’t know, were talking to Kirby Campbell and her husband Clifford, who he vaguely remembered being a couple years ahead of them in school. Before he had a chance to go over and say hello, Scarlett St. James clinked a knife against a wine glass. “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages and assorted others, welcome to the ten-year reunion for Hopewell Secondary School’s class of twenty—”
“Something!” Evelyn Richer shouted from the corner.
Scarlett’s eyes went wide at the interruption before she laughed and gamely carried on. “I’m not that old either, Evie. Let’s leave it at ten-year reunion. Supper will start in about thirty minutes, so we have plenty of time to make the rounds before we sit down to eat.”
There were less people in attendance than Doug thought there would be. He counted a dozen students, plus spouses and dates. They may have been a country school, but Hopewell Secondary School had served the entire area, bussing in farm kids and students from half a dozen smaller surrounding towns. There should have been a lot more. It was less of a reunion and more of a large dinner party.
A clatter echoed from down the hall, followed by a “Shoot!” and a “Sorry!” and much laughter. A rhythmic squeak got louder.
“Klutz coming through! Everybody look out!”
The voice apologizing had been female. The warnings had come from a man. The double doors to the gym swung outward, and a familiar jean-clad woman with a knee brace hobbled around the corner. “Didn’t I just see you this afternoon, Andie?”
“I was ambushed by Pops’ cat when I dropped him off. It’s trying to kill me.” Andie paused inside the door, giving Tyler Lawson room to enter behind her.
“Are we late?” Tyler asked. He looked a little older than the rest of them, a little more weather-beaten. But he’d always been a farm-boy—just a farmer now, Doug realized—and his hard, outdoor work showed.
“Not at all,” Scarlett assured them. “Dinner will be served in half an hour, so you still have time to get a drink.”
“Right on schedule,” Doug heard Freddy comment.
The self-serve bar got a workout as people filled their glasses and made their way to the table. Scarlett hadn’t assigned name cards, so there was a little shuffling as everyone chose their seats.
The U-shaped table was a good idea; it made it harder for people to isolate themselves. It also meant they could talk without shouting across the room. But groups formed anyway.
The two married couples sat together. There was a definite split between those with kids, and those without.
Married versus single weren’t the only divisions. Noah Long glared at Evelyn Richer, but the two wisely sat at opposite ends of tables and ignored each other gamely. It seemed their feud from high school had never blown over. Doug never heard why things between the sweethearts had turned ugly ten years ago. If they hadn’t cleared it up by now, he didn’t want to imagine the tension when they were forced to speak to each other.
Doug didn’t have anything to offer to the dating horror stories floating around the table. His life outside of work mainly consisted of sleep and laundry when he was in Winnipeg. He’d had a handful of dates, mostly with people he met through work because they were the only ones who had half a chance at understanding his schedule. The only consolation was, after years of feeling like an outcast, it was gratifying to know he was not alone in the dating arena.
Andie’s trainer-boyfriend in Alberta had dumped her after she was injured just before the team departed for the winter games. Freddy’s long-time girlfriend wasn’t interested in a non-military man and left him when he left the service. Cordelia switched countries too often to have a regular man in her life, but it sounded like she dated regularly. He was jealous. Even Jason was moaning about a temporary dry spell, but since he was measuring in terms of weeks, he didn’t get a lot of sympathy.
Cameron dodged questions like a pro. Doug didn’t blame him. Most of the details about his messy breakup the week before were online anyway. Doug wasn’t saying a word about the stuff that hadn’t come out yet. His friend needed every scrap of privacy he could get.
He noticed the second Jackie returned to the gymnasium. Honestly, it might have been the smell she brought with her. The spicy tomato topping on the bruschetta made his mouth water. A plate almost hit the table in front of him, but Jackie whisked it away immediately, and replaced it with another one that looked almost identical.
“No green olives, right?” she asked quietly.
“No. I mean, yes, that’s right. Thank you.” Doug thought for a moment. He hadn’t put any food allergies on his response to the reunion dinner. He despised green olives, but that was a preference, not an allergy. He could eat black olives all day long.
How had Jackie known? Unless Patricia had told her. Of course, she must have said something. Patricia had given him jars of black olives for Christmas every year since he could remember. Way to get excited over nothing, Little.
“Tyler, is the service station still open late on Fridays?” Andie asked. She rolled her olives onto Evelyn’s plate and took a slice of bruschetta in compensation.
“Yes. Why?” Tyler belatedly responded. He’d needed a moment to yank his hand out of the path of Scarlett’s fork after trying to steal her cheddar.
“The Maxx Money Lotto jackpot is fifty million dollars for tonight’s draw. I need to run out for a minute and make my contribution to the pot.”
“Don’t you already have that much in gold medals?” Jason asked.
“Doesn’t everybody?”
“I left my fifty million in my other pants,” Noah joked. “I can drive you after we eat if you want, Andie.” He looked at Scarlett and crossed his heart. “There and back, no other stops, I promise.”
Doug leaned closer to Noah, who was sitting on his other side. “Are you looking for an early escape?”
“I can’t. I promised Tyler I’d help break everything down, since Scarlett did the setup.” Noah had always been a bit of a mystery to him. He’d transferred in halfway through the eleventh grade, with three terms to go ’til graduation. Doug knew Noah had left the Otter Bay First Nation reserve and lived with an uncle while his parents dealt with his very sick younger brother, but none of the details. Noah had attended Hopewell Secondary and earned his credits, but he hadn’t participated in any extracurricular activities with his classmates.
“Are you still in town?” Doug didn’t have a clue. He knew he hadn’t seen him.
“I’m in Boissevain now, but I still get a lot of calls here.”
“Calls?”
“I have my own business. Plumbing.”
“Congratulations. That’s impressive. You must be on the highway constantly.”
“All the time. But I’m my own boss, so I have nobody but me to blame.”
“Also, nice.” Doug could be honest; he was jealous. Being his own boss was a distant dream. Yes, he was through his residency and technically his own man, but only on paper. Doug’s requirements to the clinic where he interned had been monitored and recorded, and he had the entire board to report to if they felt he wasn’t putting in enough hours. He’d traded that in for a new set of overlords at Hopewell Hospital. Having a medical practice had not been what he thought it would be.
His attention returned to the other conversation when Tyler said, “I’ll throw in two bucks to split the jackpot with you fifty-fifty, Andie.”
“Three ways. I’ll even let you take the odd dollar,” Kirby Campbell offered, putting a toonie on the table. She shook off the hand her husband placed on her arm. “Don’t worry, Cliff. It’s from my cute little pin money wallet.” Her voice was bitter, and Doug didn’t want the details behind it.
“That’s an idea,” Andie said, drawing attention from Kirby and Clifford. “Who wants to do a lottery pot? Everyone interested chips in two dollars, and we’ll share what we win.” She dug out a five-dollar bill and put it on the table. “I’ll start.”
“Sure.” Jason spilled a handful of coins on the table and slid two loonies to Andie. “I’m in. I could use a new Lamborghini. My last one has been in the shop forever.”
“Mine too. Man, why is it so hard to get spare parts for six-figure Italian sports cars in southern Manitoba?” Tyler joked, making good on his original offer and passing a five to Andie.
“I’m not missing out on fifty million,” Noah said. “I think Evie already has her first mill stuffed in her mattress.”
Evelyn put her own money on the table. “You worry about your mattress, Noah. I’ll worry about mine.”
In the end, they all chipped in, including Cordelia. “I still pay Canadian taxes. For fifty million, I’ll buy a house here to claim residency.”
Andie slipped the twenty-four dollars off the table as Patricia collected the appetizer plates. “Noah, I’ll take you up on that ride later.”
The conversation got louder as they all spent their imaginary winnings.
Dinner was served with finesse. The plates were steaming hot, and the group dug in with gusto. Even better than the food was the conversation. The reunion wasn’t the horror show Doug had expected. It seemed ten years was enough time for people to grow out of their ugly teenaged personalities. He wouldn’t become best buds with anyone overnight, but there were people present worth getting to know.
He hoped he was one of them. He had his own high school reputation to overcome. He hadn’t been a jerky, popular kid who had gone out of his way to ensure those below him on the social ladder know their place, he was more of the stuck-up academic variety.
One thing was blatantly obvious. He needed more hobbies. He needed to see a movie in the theatre. He needed to go to a concert. As it was, he had no idea what half the conversations around him were about, and the thought of discussing the latest patient record-keeping software bored even him.
“The new version isn’t so bad. They fixed the bug that made you re-login after entering each individual image. What a pain,” Jackie said as she cleared Noah’s plate.
“What?”
“You said something about CPMS—the Client Patient Monitoring System? We use that.”
“I said that out loud?” He was such a geek.
“Yep. You can always ask Noah about the Bombers. The Jets conversation seems to be over,” she whispered as she took the remains of his own dinner.
When she returned to pick up the dessert plates, Scarlett began the applause and the rest of them followed suit.
“Thank you, I’ll be here…always. Seriously, though, I’m glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for letting me and Patricia be part of your reunion. Once we clear the tables, you can get on with the party. Have a good night, ladies and gentlemen.” Jackie disappeared a final time.
Kirby got a phone call right as dinner ended. She and Clifford left to deal with their younger kid’s emergency. Jonathan and his wife departed soon after that. Cordelia waved goodbye and headed back to Winnipeg and to the airport.
Andie limped over to him and dropped into the chair Jason had abandoned. “Hey there, Dr. Doug. Do you want to go on an adventure with me and Freddy? Noah is busy with Tyler.”
“All the way to the gas station? For real?”
“Small town excitement at its finest,” she said, her humour at the fore.
“I. Can’t. Wait. Let’s do this!” he replied, earning a chuckle.
“Excellent.”
They took Freddy’s truck. It was massive, even compared to Doug’s SUV parked beside it. A decal announcing it belonged to Turnbull Construction filled the back window, and whatever was in the covered box rattled, but the cab was relatively clean, despite smelling like sawdust.
“Is that Evie waving us down?” Andie asked as she heaved herself into the front passenger seat.
It was. Evelyn Richer was still the Nordic blonde Doug remembered from high school, although she had traded her Barbie pink trademark colour for a slightly less Pepto-Bismol shade. “Give a girl a lift, Freddy?” she asked through the driver’s open window.
“Sure, but don’t you have a date?”
“Are you skipping out on him?” Andie asked.
“No. He skipped out on me.” Evelyn’s blonde curls swayed as she climbed into the backseat beside him. “He left to go to the bathroom and texted me from the parking lot. Something about not being able to handle another minute of this small-town hellhole. I think he was afraid the cows would get him.”
“What cows? This is grain country.”
“He’s from the city. We passed a couple on the drive in. Silly me expected him to give Hopewell a chance. He’s no big loss, just three months of my time. But he left me stranded. I could walk, but you’re already driving.”
“If you want to stay, I can take you home later,” Doug offered.
“Or me,” Freddy said.
“Thanks, guys, but I really don’t want to stick around to hear the comments about being stood up at my own reunion.” She shrugged. “It was nice to see everybody. I already told Scarlett to let everyone know I’m hosting a brunch tomorrow for whoever is still in town. Show up after nine. My door will be open, and coffee will be on.”
“Sounds great,” Freddy said. “I’m not heading back to Winnipeg until tomorrow afternoon, anyway.”
Andie twisted so she could look in the back seat and winced again. “Is Noah still giving you grief, Evie?”
“If this goes on much longer, I’m going to start taking it personally.” The women shared a look.
Freddy caught his eye in the rear-view mirror and raised his eyebrow. Doug shook his head minutely. He didn’t understand the conversation either.
“Anyway,” Evelyn continued, “if you could drop me at home, I’d appreciate it.”
“You got it. Where’s home?”
“Bellamy Street. I bought Mrs. Werner’s house.”
“Mrs. Werner, our old English teacher?”
“The very same. The first year I was there, the kids hadn’t realized she’d moved, and they relocated my Christmas decorations. I had humping reindeer in my front yard,” she told them.
Doug and Freddy burst into laughter. “It’s good to know some traditions don’t fade.”
“It gets better. I made sure all the students in town knew where the new English teacher lived for the next year. Jonathan ended up with Santa and Frosty in compromising positions.”
Andie hooted. “I love this town.”
It wasn’t a long ride. Nothing in Hopewell was far away. Evelyn hopped out at the curb and gave a wave after she unlocked her front door.
“To the gas station for lottery tickets?” Freddy asked once she was safely inside.
“Sure. If I’m going to blow two bucks, I at least want some anticipation out of the deal.”
They pulled into the co-op gas bar with fifteen minutes to spare before its posted nine o’clock close time. They outnumbered the staff three to two. “Were we this young when you worked here?” Andie asked Freddy.
“I can’t remember. It was too long ago. I hope not.”
The two teens in matching shirts looked at them in suspicion. “Do you want gas?”
“No thanks. Just lotto tickets. And a chocolate milk,” Andie said.
“I’ll get it,” Freddy volunteered.
The gangly kid behind the register relaxed when Andie dumped a fistful of coins and fives on the counter. “Twenty-four dollars’ worth of Maxx Money Lotto tickets, please. I’ll pay for the chocolate milk separately.”
The machine spit out a long scroll of paper. Andie scooped a pen off the counter, flipped the ticket over, and quickly printed twelve names in careful rows. She drew a line under the last name and initialed it. She handed the pen to Doug. “Be my witness?”
He signed.
“Your scrawl is pretty legible for a doctor.”
“Blame Mrs. Werner.”
The sun was finally hitting the horizon when they returned to the truck. Andie sat on the running board, sipping her chocolate milk. “This is weird.”
“It’s peaceful,” Freddy said. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been anywhere this quiet. I like it.”
“Are you thinking of moving back to Hopewell for good? From what I heard, I assumed you lived in Winnipeg and just out here for work, occasionally,” Doug said.
“I’m nowhere permanently at the moment. I’d like to be here. I’ve been looking at starting my own construction crew, and there’s enough roofing work alone to keep us busy in the country.”
“Then buy a place.” Andie spoke so seriously it shocked them both. “There are a ton of good houses up for sale, more if you’re willing to work on some of the rough ones, and you have the skills to do that. My parents said young families are moving to the city, or at least bigger towns. The older generations like my Pops are aging out into retirement homes or condos, so they don’t have to deal with house maintenance. You can get a place for a steal.”
Doug felt like they expected him to say something. “Sorry. I like my twenty-four-hour fast-food drive-throughs, art galleries, and indoor tennis courts. This is a nice place to visit for the day, but it would take something huge to get me to move back to a place like Hopewell on a permanent basis. I’m here for my two-year contract and then I’m gone.”
“Back to your art galleries? When is the last time you went to one?” Andie teased.
“I like having the option.”
Freddy helped Andie to her feet. “I think we should leave Doctor Doug Big City here and make him walk back.”
“All eight blocks?”
“Fine, he can come with us,” she agreed. “But we should make him sit in the box.”