Stalker On Mountain Ridge

Chapter 2 - Back To Life

Avery POV

October 16

After four months, I was ready to end my isolation. I was ready to jump back into my life as it was before it had been turned upside down, with one major heartbreaking exception. But would my friends still be as receptive as they promised? Would they forgive me for shutting them out? Four months was a long time, and I honestly couldn’t blame them if they’d all written me off. Everyone in my past had. It was something I’d come to expect, still, I had to try. I just wasn’t quite sure how to proceed. 

Did I just call them up like no time had passed? Should I plan a party and send out invitations?

Neither of those ideas sat well with me. Yes, I wanted to reconnect with my friends, but phone calls were too impersonal, and I was in no way ready for a party. 

Then, it came to me. 

Yoga class!

Emily and I had attended Olivia’s yoga class every Tuesday evening at 4:30 pm. 

It was Tuesday. 

I checked the time on my phone and jumped up. If I hurried, I just might make it on time. Rushing into the bedroom, I hastily chose a workout ensemble from the closet and began to strip down to my underwear. Even if my friends shunned me, this was the perfect way to ease back into life again. A solid first step toward normality. 

It was a good thing I’d had the presence of mind to keep up with my dues, I thought, wiggling into my leggings. That meant, I still had my spot in the class. 

With one eye on the time, I tugged on my sports bra while stepping into my slip-on sneakers, then bundled my shoulder-length brown hair into a haphazard ponytail. I groaned at the sloppiness of it and shrugged. If I’d thought about this sooner, I’d have had time to take care with my appearance. As I grabbed my rolled mat from behind the door, fear crept in and I hesitated. 

Was I really ready for this? 

I shook the question from my mind. 

I had to be ready. 

As I left the bedroom, I scooped up my purse and keys from the hall table and dashed through the living room, to the front door. I hit the remote start on my car as I locked and closed it behind me, shaving off as many valuable seconds as I could.

The drive into L.A. was nerve-wracking. I’d nearly turned the car around twice before reaching the city limits. 

It was fear. 

I knew it was fear, but I couldn’t stop it from poking those little fingers of doubt into my mind.  This was a pretty huge gamble. Just showing up after four months without a single word to anyone, wasn’t the smartest thing to do. Most people would not welcome me back. 

My friends weren’t most people. 

People like Jonah and Emily were understanding and committed. Once they brought you into their lives, you were there for life. 

“Well, unless you did something horrible,” I said aloud to the empty car. 

They did say that they would always be there for me and now, I was about to test that promise. 

I found a spot near the back of the strip mall that housed the yoga studio and parked. Sliding out from behind the wheel of my car, I scanned the rows until my eyes found Emily’s convertible. I couldn’t help but smile. 

She was forever a creature of habit. 

Again, I hesitated, staring at the door, worried that I was making a mistake. It would hurt if they rejected me. It would hurt more than all the other times combined because they were more than my friends, they were my family. But what if they didn’t reject me? The only way to find out was to go in there and face them. Stiffening my spine, I crossed the parking lot and pulled open the door. 

I inhaled deeply as I entered taking in all the familiar scents and sounds that created the ambiance of the studio. Soothing music and the slightest aroma of lavender from an essential oil diffuser Olivia kept on the table just inside the door. The lobby was empty which told me that I was late. The receptionist, Maggie, always left just after the last class of the day began. Olivia preferred to close the studio herself because she tended to paperwork after hours.

Everyone was facing away from the archway when I approached, so I managed to hurry over and join the last row of students without being seen. Laying out my mat, I quickly assumed the current position—warrior—and hoped that I had been fast enough to blend in with the rest of the class.

Since this was an advanced class, Olivia rarely left her position at the front of the room. She didn’t feel the need to supervise every pose unless it were new. So, unless Olivia broke from her norm and walked the room, or scanned the faces, I had until class ended to prepare myself for facing my friends. The odds were in my favor that my presence would go unnoticed.

Emily caught sight of me within seconds of the class coming to a close and wasted no time running over to wrap me in a hug tight enough to rival a boa constrictor. 

“Oh my God, Avery! I am so happy to see you! How have you been?” Emily exclaimed, hugging me tighter, threatening to cut off all oxygen to my brain. 

She was a tall, slim blonde with eyes the color of sapphires and a riot of curls. Those looks and her raw natural talent had made her a prime casting choice for the runway, print, and screen. Emily had made a substantial career out of all three and had become the most sought-after actress in the industry. But unlike many of her counterparts, her success hadn’t gone to her head. Underneath all that fame and glamour, she had an enormous and generous heart, a wicked sense of humor, and a genuine love for all living things. 

I adored her.

“I’m better. Now. How have you been?” I answered with what I hoped was a reassuring smile.

“We’ve missed you and we’ve been worried about you,” Emily said, reaching out to touch my arm. “You know, I had to stop Jonah half a dozen times from going over there and barging in on you.”

“Forever the brother bear,” Olivia muttered with feigned annoyance when she was finally able to join us. She gave me a quick hug. “It’s good to see you.”

Olivia Gardner, a petite redhead of mixed descent with moss green eyes and a pixie cut, had known Jonah since they were in second grade in Pomona. They’d become fast friends and had been inseparable ever since. He’d always looked out for her whether she’d wanted him to or not.

When he moved to L.A., he invited her along because they’d both dreamed of stardom. His career had taken off quickly, hers hadn’t, but it didn’t bother her because she learned that she really didn’t enjoy acting at all. She’d found her own passion in yoga and went to school to get her certification. When she was ready, Jonah helped her secure the money to open her own studio. Now, she was successful in her own right and well known in Hollywood. 

“Why don’t we pop over to the juice bar and catch up over some strawberry banana smoothies?” Emily suggested, then turned to me as we entered the lobby. “You have some time, don’t you?”

“I’ve got plenty of time.”

“Sounds good, let me get my keys and lock up. I’ll meet you guys over there,” Olivia said as she hurried toward the office.

I sat perched on a tall stool at a four-seater table, stirring my smoothie and listening to my friends chattering excitedly about all the things that had happened in their lives while I was gone. It gave me a twinge of sadness to know I’d missed out on so much. But no matter how much I wished I could have been there with them sharing those moments, I knew that I’d made the right decision to stay away. They would have been dragged down by my grief and I couldn’t have allowed that. Accepting that I couldn’t and wouldn’t change the last four months, I pushed away that hint of regret and focused on the present.

“Leah had a baby girl,” I announced during a lull in the conversation. “I’m officially an auntie.”

This news was greeted by a chorus of excited squeals and more hugs.

“Oh, I get to go shopping and buy baby stuff!” Emily’s face lit up with the idea. 

She was a firm believer in retail therapy for all that did and didn’t ail and absolutely adored buying baby things. Every child in her family or among her friends always had the best of everything. I couldn’t help but wonder why she and Jonah didn’t have any kids of their own. Emily would be an incredible mother and Jonah a wonderful and doting father.

I pulled my phone from my purse to show off pictures of my new niece. “Her name is Jasmine. They named her after our Grandma Lang.” My smile widened, taking over my face as I swiped through a few more. “This is my favorite,” I said as I displayed a picture of my newborn niece cradled in the arms of a giant teddy bear. 

Emily’s phone rang startling all of us. “I’m so sorry. It’s Murray, I have to take this,” she told us and hurried to step outside.

Olivia twirled her straw in her cup, then scanned my face.  “How are you, really?” 

“I’m ok... I have good days and bad days, but the good is starting to outweigh the bad, now.” I reached over and patted Olivia’s hand. “Thank you for not being angry with me for disappearing.”

“Nothing to be angry about. Everyone has their own way of dealing with grief. Solitude is yours.” She brushed her bangs sideways. “Jonah’s not the only one who wanted to go over to check on you,” Olivia said and resumed twirling her straw. “I had to talk Emily down a time or two, but she’ll never admit it.”

Before I could respond, Emily rejoined the table. “Sorry. Business. Where were we?”

***

We were laughing about Emily’s minor wardrobe malfunction at a major awards banquet when I was scooped off my stool and spun around in a reverse bear hug. Instinct caused me to swing at my mysterious assailant when he set me back on my feet, but I stopped with my fist hanging in the air between us. 

“Jonah,” I whispered at the sight of my best friend. I let my fist fall and stepped into his still open arms.

Jonah Elias was an actor like his wife. He was considered an action hero and looked the part with a somewhat muscular build over a 6’2” frame, shaggy black hair in desperate need of a trim, a strong jaw, chiseled features, and the most intense green eyes I’d ever seen. Easing me back, he scanned my face with those clear green eyes, sending a flicker of energy up my spine, and then pulled me in again. 

“Hey, hey, hey, don’t forget us,” another familiar voice complained. 

I stepped back and spun to face Wade Vance and Chase Tucker. “Not on your life,” I said and wrapped an arm around each man’s neck. 

Wade had been my husband’s oldest friend, lacrosse teammate, and frat brother. He was the tallest in the group at 6’4” and slightly muscular. Like me, he’d had to work hard to make his dreams come true and that was what endeared us to one another. We became each other’s biggest fans and loudest cheerleaders. When we met, barely two weeks into my relationship with Cal, he had been a sous chef at a five-star restaurant with dreams of owning one of his own. I had been a part-time retail clerk in Van Nuys who spent most of my downtime writing my first novel. Now, Wade was the proud owner of Maison de Lumiere, a French-style seafood restaurant in downtown L.A. and I was a newly established author with two New York Best Sellers to my credit. 

Releasing the men and taking a step back, I pulled Wade’s bald head down to my height and kissed him right on the top. When he straightened, I pulled his sunglasses off revealing light blue eyes that seemed almost white next to his dark complexion. He was very self-conscious of them and the stares they drew, but I thought they were beautiful and refused to let him hide them in my presence. “No sunshine in here, handsome.” 

Chase Tucker was the very picture of a stereotypical California boy with his deep tan, swimmers’ build, sun-streaked blonde hair, and hazel eyes. Like Olivia, he had been an original member of the group. He and Jonah met while filming a movie together fifteen years before. The two men clicked instantly. While Jonah went on to make more movies, Chase’s career took him into television, but both achieved superstardom in their own medium. 

The tabloids were constantly trying to create a rivalry between the two. There’d been reports of career jealousy and romantic triangles, none of which were true. The fact was Jonah and Chase were quite satisfied with their lives, their careers, and their relationship status. Neither had ever envied or resented the other for anything. A concept that was, and had always been, too hard to grasp in Hollywood.

“This deserves a celebration.” Jonah skirted the table to lay an arm around his wife’s shoulders. 

It had been a long time since the six of us had been together, I thought and tried to ignore the fact that the group was still not whole. 

It would never be whole again. 

“What did you have in mind, baby,” Emily said, looking up at him. I saw the instant the grief appeared and so did Emily. In response, she wrapped an arm around Jonah’s waist and squeezed. 

He was still grieving for Cal.  

Jonah pretended to mull it over in his head, and with his free hand, scratched his chin for effect. “Since you ladies aren’t really dressed for a night out,” he began with a wink. “I’m thinking... Steaks and wine around the fire pit at our place.”

Deep down, I wanted to object. I had planned to slowly ease back into my social life. However, being here now surrounded by these people that I loved, I couldn’t bring myself to tell them no. My heart didn’t want to say no. These were my friends and I loved them with everything I had. All of them were loving, forgiving, understanding, and fiercely loyal. They were a force to be reckoned with, a tidal wave of love and energy. I cursed myself for ever doubting them and let myself be swept away. 

“I’m in.”