What We Once Were

Chapter 2.

"Are we going now Momma?" Juliet hopped up and down, her black hair was tied back in a high ponytail in a red and blue ribbon. She wore her cute blue cloth shorts and her red and white striped top with a shiny blue star in the center. Giving her the perfect Fourth of July look.

Bridget shook her head at her daughter who was bouncing off the walls with excitement for the parade. "Not yet kiddo, we've gotta wait for Grandma okay?"

Bridget fixed her curled blonde locks and checked herself out in the mirror before Alex came downstairs. Bridget wore a shade of matte red lipstick and she left her blonde hair down and curled for once instead of in its usual single braid. She wore some mascara and a little blush to color her cheeks. Wishing she could stay holed up in her house, she had no idea how her mother had convinced her to go to this town wide celebration.

Bridget wanted nothing more than to curl up in her old bed and review the case files she'd been sent so she could get started on her case. Also, it gave her the excuse to hide away from the prying eyes and whispers of the townspeople. But as soon Alex had told Juliet about the games, prizes, food, desserts and fireworks, Bridget knew she couldn't tell her daughter 'no' to a holiday celebration.

"Ready to go Jules?" Alex asked as she appeared from upstairs, wearing blue jeans, white platforms and a blue blouse under a cardigan.

Juliet's deep blue eyes glittered like the stars in the night sky, "Yay! We can go! C'mon Mommy, c'mon Grandma!" She clapped her hands enthusiastically, causing Bridget to smile lovingly at her little girl.

"Well then, we'd better get going." Alex smiled and led everyone out the front door and into the car.

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"Look over there, what's that? What's that?" Juliet tugged on Bridget's hand, trying her best to steer her towards the ladder ball game.

"Slow down Jules, there's plenty of time to see everything." Bridget said calmly, trying to avoid any unwanted attention but she knew that people were already whispering and their eyes were on her. Bridget clenched and unclenched her fists, trying to focus on her breathing to bring her back to Earth and compose herself in front of her daughter.

Alex had gone off to talk to some old acquaintances while Bridget and Juliet wandered around playing different games. They'd already played croquet and Jullet had won a hula-hoop contest. Doing the activities distilled Bridget's discomfort, but as soon as the games ended, she couldn't shake the stress building up under her skin and raise the hairs on the back of her neck.

Bridget helped Juliet pick up the ladder balls and showed her how to correctly toss them onto the contraption. Juliet clapped, cheered and giggled with delight as she ran back and forth to collect the ladder balls.

For a while, Bridget forgot about her worries. Playing with her daughter always offered her an escape from reality because with Juliet, everything was sweet, innocent and fun. Life was so much simpler when Juliet was around Bridget, she reminded her mother that the world was a fun and simple place and it was important to cherish those moments.

Juliet accidentally tossed the ladder ball a little too far and it bounced off a woman wearing a navy blue dress with ink black hair with a pearl necklace around her neck.
"I'm sorry," Juliet apologized, her body language tensing as she scrambled to pick up the toy by the woman's feet.

The woman turned around and Bridget's fear of confronting people from her past was now a reality as she found herself face to face with Viviana Lane...a very pregnant Viviana Lane.

"Bridget? Is that you?!" A big grin stretched across her face. Bridget was a little jealous that her best friend from high school was just as pretty and youthful as she'd looked the last time Bridget had seen her almost five years ago.