Barefoot with Professional Assistance

The yearbook said, for all posterity to remember: Least likely to succeed at being worth knowing. She never forgot. She never forgave.

Ten years later, she's the only person in the room who knows exactly how incongruous that is.

The invitation came with a handwritten note: We understand if this isn't the right time for you.

Do they? Do they really?

Maybe it's time they found out appearances can be deceptive.

For ten days, nobody at her reunion will know who she really is. They'll have her name. That's all. Not what she's built. Not what's actually happening forty feet away.

She just needs someone convincing enough to make sure nobody looks too closely.

He says yes. It's going to cost her more than she thinks.

...

This is a slow burn, written for readers who enjoy lingering, in scene, in tension, in the space between two people who aren't ready to admit what's happening. If you're after a fast read, this may not be it. If you enjoy patience rewarded, I hope you'll stay.