Sweet Harmonies (19 page)

Ryan nodded, “So basically, what you’re
saying is I just need to prove that I have her best interests at
heart, which I do.”

Justin nodded, a small smirk on his lips,
“Besides, I probably have an ulterior motive for giving you this
advice. Karina's one of my best friends. If you're gonna be with
her, I want to know you're the kind of guy that is willing to step
up to the plate.”

Ryan smiled, “I respect that. In fact, as a
show of good faith that I'm willing to put in the work, I'm going
to ask her out on a real date. A proper date. And I'm gonna do it
right now.”

Ryan pulled out his phone. His fingers flew
over the keypad as he sent a text message to Karina.

As Ryan put his phone back into his pocket,
Justin said, “What did you ask her to go do?”

Ryan laughed and said, “It would probably
give my grandmother a heart attack if she knew, but I asked her to
go have ice cream at Two Scoops.”

Just then, the front doors burst open and
none other than Kyle Austen Reed entered in a flourish. He walked
over to their table.

“
Ryan, my good friend!” he cried
heartily, “How are you?”

“
Um, great, how are you?” Ryan replied,
a bit taken aback that Kyle Austen Reed had even remembered
him.

“
Excellent, excellent,” Kyle Austen
Reed replied, pulling up a chair, “Introduce me to your compadres,
my friend.”

Ryan, unsure how to respond to Kyle Austen
Reed's gregarious manner, said slowly, “OK...um...this is Justin,
and Eric, and Jake.”

Kyle shook each of the guys' hands in turn,
repeating, “Kyle Austen Reed. A pleasure,” to all three.

Justin, unable to hide a small smirk, said,
“So, let me get this straight. You're Kyle Austen Reed, then?”

Kyle nodded knowingly, “Yes, I realize it
must be a shock to see me suddenly appear in these familiar
surroundings. Let me give you a moment to process.”

With that, he leaned back in his chair and
was quiet, waiting for one of the others to speak.

Ryan finally said, “So, yeah. You just came
out to have a beer or something?”

Kyle looked pleased, “Good, good, I'm glad
you could so readily assimilate my presence in your neighborhood
haunt. The reason I'm here is because I am somewhat of a pool
aficionado, and I'm told that this is pretty much the only place to
play locally, is that correct?”

Justin nodded, “Yeah, unless you're gonna
play on someone's private table in their den or garage or
something, this is about it for pool tables in Hope Falls.”

Kyle Austen Reed rubbed his hands together,
almost gleefully.

“
Excellent!” he exclaimed, “Can I
interest any of you gentlemen in a round?”

“
A 'round' of pool?” asked Jake,
“Um...yeah, I think I can take you. Or rather...sure, I'd love to
play...”

The guys picked up their beers and moved to
the pool tables, more than a little interested in watching a famous
actor get beat handily by a local boy at pool.

However, much to their surprise, Kyle Austen
Reed made quick work of each of them in turn, and of each of the
other bar patrons that challenged him, running the table in a
couple of instances.

As the five of them lumbered out of the bar
several hours later, tipsy and laughing and still stunned over Kyle
Austen Reed's proficiency at the pool table, Justin asked, “Damn,
dude, where did you learn to play like that?”

Kyle shrugged in answer to the question, “I
appreciate the compliment, but I don't know that I have any
particular proficiency. I played a pool shark in Behind the 8 Ball.
I've had a fondness for the game since then.”

Justin laughed, “Well, hell, I'd love to see
you do something that you do consider yourself proficient in!”

--- ~ ---

“
Just tell me!” Sam pleaded as she and
Karina pulled up in front of Amanda's house, “I swear, I won't tell
anybody! We don't have to talk about it in there
tonight.”

Karina barked out a short, derisive laugh,
“Ha! I have a feeling that my love life is going to be ALL anyone
can talk about in there tonight.”

Sam shrugged, “Well, I wish I could deny it,
but you're probably right.”

As Karina climbed out of the car, she said,
“You know 'book club' is just a euphemism for 'wine and gossip
club' – as much as Lauren tries to pretend otherwise. And what on
earth could be more interesting to gossip about than Karina's love
life?”

Although Karina had posed this question
sarcastically, Sam looked as if she was seriously considering the
options.

“
Yeah,” she said thoughtfully, “I've
just made a mental checklist of pretty much every topic under the
sun, and you're right – none of them hold a candle to your love
life. So, I agree. It's probably what we are going to be spending
the bulk of the evening talking about. Take one for the team,
Karina.”

When Karina and Sam reached the door of
Amanda's, it was already ajar, so they stepped inside, calling,
“Hello! We're here! Time to quickly stop talking about Karina and
affect as nonchalant a pose as possible!”

Amanda and Lauren came into the living room
from the kitchen, smiling and laughing. The four girls all
exchanged hugs. Belatedly, Karina noticed a small, shy, somewhat
mousy girl who was hanging back in the doorway to the kitchen.

“
Oh, hey Amy!” Karina greeted the girl,
“I don't think I've seen you since high school, how have you
been?”

The girl brought her hand up and waved shyly,
a polite smile playing around her lips, and said quietly, “Hey,
Karina I’ve been good.”

Sam looked over. She clearly had not noticed
Amy standing there, either. She smiled widely and exclaimed, “Hey,
Amy! It's good to see you!”

Amy smiled shyly again, and quietly said,
“Thanks. It's good to see you, too.”

Amanda explained, “I invited Amy to join us
for book club. Her brothers were headed out for a beer with Justin,
and I thought that since the boys were going out, Amy might like to
hang with the girls.”

“
Awesome!” Karina enthused. Although
Amy had been quiet and shy, and therefore somewhat difficult to get
to know in high school – qualities she still seemed to possess –
Karina had always liked her. She didn't say much, but what she did
say was thoughtful and insightful. Karina had also noticed, on
several occasions, that she went out of her way to be kind to
people.

Amy stepped forward hesitantly, so that she
was less separated from the group, “Yeah, when Amanda invited me, I
thought that it sounded really fun. It was short notice, so I was
just really glad that I'd already read the book that we're
discussing tonight!”

Sam and Karina started laughing, and then
Amanda joined in. Amy looked stricken, as if she had unknowingly
committed some social trespass but couldn't quite figure out what
it was. Lauren, however, looked singularly unmoved.

“
I don't know why you three think
that's so funny,” she said, nonplussed.

“
I don't understand...” Amy said
hesitantly.

“
Oh, Amy!” Karina said, horrified, “We
don't actually read the book!”

Amy looked puzzled, “Isn't it book club,
though?”

“
Thank you!” Lauren exclaimed, “This is
what I'm saying!”

Amy still looked puzzled, “What do you talk
about if you don't discuss the book?”

“
Tonight?” Sam speculated, “Most likely
Karina's love life.”

“
Here's the thing,” Amanda explained to
Amy with a smile, “I probably should have made this clearer before,
although I hope you would still have wanted to join us. We call
this 'book club' but really it's just a chance to get together,
drink some wine, munch on some hors d'oeuvres, hang out...and
gossip, usually.”

Amy shrugged happily, pushing a strand of
honey blonde hair that had fallen into her face, behind her ear
“That sounds fun, too.”

“
It is,” Amanda confirmed, and then
continued to the rest of the group, “And on the gossip front, Amy
and I actually have the first really juicy tidbit to throw into the
pot tonight.”

“
Oooo...” said Sam, “Tell us what it
is!”

“
Well,” Amanda said, “Justin and Eric
aren't just going out randomly to have a beer tonight. They, along
with Jake, are actually on a mission to take Ryan out and pick his
brain about his intentions with Karina.”

Karina opened her mouth wide, mortified.

“
Amanda, you didn't!” she
cried.

Amanda replied blithely, “Oh, yes, I
certainly did.”

“
Why would you do that?” Karina
groaned.

“
Because,” said Amanda defensively, “I
want to be sure he's good enough for my best friend. I'm not
ashamed of that. I'd do it again.”

Karina shook her head, “That's sweet, Mand,
but honestly...”

Lauren said, “Well, that may be Amanda's
juicy tidbit, but to tell you the truth, the subject of Karina and
Ryan didn't even top my list of things to discuss here
tonight.”

The rest of the group looked at her,
interested.

“
Do tell,” Karina said, “I'd love to
get off of the subject of me and Ryan.”

“
OK,” Lauren replied, “Let's talk about
you and Kyle Reed.”

The rest of the group burst out with
exclamations of agreement, and Sam interjected, “Kyle AUSTEN Reed.
Don't forget.”

“
Oh, of course not!” Lauren said, “Did
he used to make you use all three names when you were in bed with
him?”

Amanda laughed, and affected a breathy and
over-exaggerated sex-voice, “Oh, yes, Kyle Austen Reed! That's the
spot, Kyle Austen Reed! Harder, Kyle Austen Reed! Faster, Kyle
Austen Reed!”

Lauren laughed, “Yeah, and I can just hear
what you must have sounded like at the climactic moment. Instead of
'Yes....YES....YYYEESSS.' I would imagine it went something more
like 'Kyle....AUSTEN....REEEEEEEEED.”

Karina narrowed her eyes at her friends,
“Yeah, yeah, you think you're real funny. Whatever. Make fun all
you want.”

“
Oh, I'm not making fun,” Lauren said,
“He's quite a catch.”

“
Oh, please, don't put it like that,”
Karina said, “I haven't caught him, nor do I have any desire to
catch him, in any way, shape, or form. He can feel completely free
to just keep swimming, and I'll do the same thing.”

“
Like two fish passing in the night,”
Sam said. This earned a chuckle from Amanda.

“
You see?” Sam said, “I'm getting more
laughs.”

“
Which is to say...any,” Lauren quipped
dryly, and Sam stuck her tongue out at her.

“
I don't get it, then,” Amanda said,
“If you're so adamantly opposed to being in a relationship with
him, then why all the booty calls that went on for years and years?
What's the point?”

Karina sighed, and her shoulders sagged,
“Well, to be honest, I don't come out of the story looking so hot,
but here's the thing. He's just so...pretty,” she admitted, “I hate
to think I'm as shallow as all that, but there you have it.
Honestly, that really is what it comes down to. He's just
so…pretty.”

The rest of the women laughed.

“
Can't argue with you there,” Amanda
said, “He does almost look like he's not quite real. Like he's a
Disney prince or something. Like he's been carved out of
marble.”

“
Yes, that's it exactly!” Karina said,
“He's like one of those gorgeous, smooth Greek statues. that he is
real. He's flesh and blood. And every time I would sleep with him,
I would think...OK...that's the last time. I mean, it's not even
like he's phenomenal in bed or anything.

“
But then, a few months would go by,
he'd be filming in some far-off location, I'd be touring through at
the same time...and, bam. Inevitably it would happen
again.

“
Why? I could play the sympathy card. I
could attribute it to loneliness. I could say that he's one of the
few people that understands the pressures of a public life like I
do, that I knew I could trust him because of that. And, sure, I
suppose all of that played a part in it. But when you boil it down,
get to the heart of it?”

Karina paused, shaking her head, “It really
comes down to the fact that he's. Just. So. Freaking. Pretty.”

Amanda asked, “Well, back to the original
topic, then. Is it just physical with Ryan like it is with
Kyle?”

“
Austen Reed!” the rest of the group
chorused.

Karina laughed, “I don't know. I mean, yes, I
want to keep it casual with Ryan. I don't do relationships and
commitment and all that stuff.”

“
But?” Lauren asked.

“
But...I don't know. It feels like
there might be more there. But I'm not ready to settle down, I know
that for sure.”

“
How do you know that for sure?” Amanda
asked pragmatically.

“
I just do!”

“
Oooo...prickly,” Amanda replied with a
smile, “I think we might be hitting a nerve, girls!”

Lauren asked, “Sam, do you remember him from
the summer he visited? The summer we were 14?”

“
Yeah, I do,” Sam said, “Do you
guys?”

“
Yeah,” Lauren replied, “I basically
just remember that he seemed quiet.”

“
Me too,” Sam said, “He pretty much
kept to himself.”

“
Yeah, I agree,” Amanda said, “He
didn't mix with the townies much.”

“
I thought he seemed sad,” Amy
interjected.