Restart

Chapter 4

"You two should come back to our house for lunch," Lauren offered as she and Camila helped their daughters into the backseat of her car.

"What?" Camila asked, her attention set on the straps of the car seat she was putting Avery into.

"I mean you're going to eat anyways, aren't you?" Lauren teased. "Avery and Laney are already attached at the hip so I'm sure we won't have any complaints from them. And you didn't really think I was done with you yet, did you? It's been what, almost seven years? We have so much more to talk about," she added with a smile.

"Okay, sure," Camila agreed, returning the older girl's smile. "I'd like that. We both would," she finished, her eyes moving to the rearview mirror where she looked back at her daughter.

Camila felt her heart swell as she noticed the complete transition her daughter's attitude and demeanor had made since that morning. Avery was all smiles and giggles as she sat in the backseat, exchanging looks with Laney. Camila really couldn't believe the turn their day had taken. She honestly hadn't expected to ever see or talk to Lauren again, and here she was, riding in her car with both of their daughters on the way to go eat lunch. It was all so casual. Like Lauren had said, it had been nearly seven years since the girls had even spoken and so much had changed. But at the same time things were so comfortable and so easy with Lauren, just the way they had always been.

"Camila? We're here," Lauren spoke just a few short minutes later, breaking Camila away from her thoughts.

Camila stepped out of the car and into the driveway. She thought her eyes might have widened a bit as she took in the rather large, and seemingly new, home before her.

"Do you live here alone?" Camila asked as she followed Lauren to the front door.

"No, actually, Normani lives with us," Lauren replied as she closed the door behind Camila once she'd stepped inside the home.

"Really?" Camila questioned in a somewhat surprised tone.

"Well, when she's actually here in Miami," Lauren said as she made her way toward the kitchen, motioning for Camila to follow.

Camila was surprised to hear that Normani was still in Miami at all anymore. After they had graduated high school Normani moved out to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. While she had always maintained some small degree of success, her career had really blown up in the past two years and she had just released her debut album. While Camila and Normani hadn't kept in touch over the years she had always followed the girl's career and she had her music on her iPod. She was extremely proud of all of the success she'd had; she even considered herself a fan.

"She probably won't be around much at all the rest of the year," Lauren went on. "She'll be leaving for tour soon. That's actually how I met Caitlin," she smiled, "she's one of Normani's dancers, they've worked together before."

Camila winced a little at the mention of Lauren's mysterious girlfriend. She winced even more when she remembered that girlfriend was a soon-to-be fiancé.

Lauren set Laney down in a chair at the large kitchen table and Camila followed and sat Avery in the one next to it.

"Do you two want to color while we make lunch?" Lauren asked, making her way over to a cabinet that sat on the other side of the kitchen. Both little girls nodded excitedly, looking at each other with a big smile. Lauren retrieved a stack of large paper and two bins before walking back to the table. "Do you want crayons, or markers?" Lauren questioned, holding up both of the bins of writing utensils in her hands.

"Both," Avery said softly, her eyes lighting up.

"Good choice," Lauren laughed, opening the bins and setting them in front of the girls. They both instantly dug their tiny hands into them, pulling out crayons and markers and dumping them onto the table.