The Best of Us (2 page)

“
Because he’s taking Veronica, his girlfriend of almost two years…remember her? Come on Daniel, you know she will regret not going and you are the only one that can get her to go. She’s always had a thing for you and you know it. It’s one night out of your life…That jerk Ron cheated on her and he’s bringing
her
to the prom…Can you believe that? She doesn’t even go to our school but he’s going to bring her, Carly will be humiliated if she’s there without a date.”

“
Jenna…why do you do this to me? I’m leaving for basic training next week. I need to get things together and tie up loose ends.” It was a futile attempt, but Daniel wasn’t ready to succumb to Jenna’s pleas just yet.

“
It’s one night Daniel, just one night and you can save her senior prom.”

Daniel bowed his head and silently berated himself. “You know that I want to keep a low profile until I leave…I don’t want to have to deal with Glynna.” Glynna had been his girlfriend on and off for the last year. She was hearing wedding bells and the pitter patter of little feet. Daniel had wanted to take some time between school and joining the army since he planned to make a career out of the military, marriage and babies were not in his immediate future. They had broken up in a nasty scene just a couple of weeks earlier and she had been calling the house multiple times a day until he had just quit answering the phone.

“
She’ll never know about it…or at least not until it’s over.” Jenna said in a pleading tone.

Daniel took a deep breath, “Fine…”

He couldn’t finish for Jenna’s whoops of joy, Daniel couldn’t help but smile. Everyone had a soft spot for Jenna and she usually got her way, not only was she the only girl and the youngest of the four kids, but she had almost died as a baby due to a respiratory infection she developed right after she was born. She had been a tiny and very sick baby and wasn’t able to come home until she was six weeks old. Even then she had to have breathing treatments, several rounds of antibiotics and weekly visits to the doctor’s office so they could keep a close eye on her. Everyone was protective of her; anyone that had ever met her brothers knew that instantly.

“
Daniel? Seriously?” Carly was shocked. She couldn’t imagine the six foot two, one hundred eighty pound man dancing with her at prom. She started to giggle and couldn’t seem to stop; the image was just too comical.

“
Listen, he made me promise not to tell anyone.” At the hurt look on Carly’s face Jenna rushed on, “He doesn’t want Glynna showing up and causing a scene.”

“
I don’t know,” Carly said sobering up. “Daniel isn’t too thrilled about this, is he?”

“
Come on, you know my brothers. They all act like they are being put out if they have to do anything. Anyway, you get to go to prom on the arm of the guy you’ve had the hots for since as long as I can remember. You will have an awesome memory of your senior prom and a really great picture to look at while he’s away in the army…”

Carly had been dreading the day Daniel would leave but she knew he was going and nothing would stop that. She decided at that moment that it didn’t matter why Daniel was going to prom with her, she would go and have a great time.

“
Do you think he’ll kiss me goodnight?” Carly felt the heat of her embarrassment burning her ears and cheeks.

“
Ewww…that’s gross. He is my brother remember.” Jenna reached over and gave her best friend a big hug.

“
Thanks Jenna, I really would have hated to miss our senior prom. I’m glad it’s this weekend otherwise I would get my stomach in knots knowing that I’m going to prom with Daniel.”

“
I know…” Jenna laughed and gave Carly another hug. “I can’t wait for prom!”

Daniel showed up for Carly right on time and he looked amazing in his tux. He brought Carly a beautiful corsage that matched her dress perfectly and was very delicate and feminine. He pinned it to her dress like a pro and smiled through the pictures that Carly’s parents insisted on taking.

Carly felt like a princess walking into prom on Daniel’s arm. He was the most attractive man in the room. As far as Carly was concerned, he was the only man in the room. None of the others compared, they were mere boys.

The night was a dream come true and Daniel was the perfect gentleman. He danced slower dances with Carly and sat out while Carly, Jenna and their friends danced to the faster songs. He didn’t mind dancing the slow dances with Carly; he had always liked her well enough. He couldn’t see anything ever happening between them other than friendship; after all, he had watched her grow up along side his baby sister.

There was only about an hour left in the evening when it happened. Daniel and Carly were on the dance floor, Carly happier then she’d ever been, when she was suddenly forced out of Daniels arms and spun around, bringing her face to face with Glynna.

Glynna’s face was drained of color except for the bright red spots of anger that colored her cheeks. If it were possible to shoot daggers out of your eyes, Glynna was shooting them at Carly.

“
You little tramp! I knew you always had a thing for Daniel and the first thing you do when we are having trouble is make a grab for him. Well let me tell you
little girl
, he’s mine. Do you hear me?” Glynna was accentuating every word by jabbing Carly in the chest with her finger.

Daniel tried to step in between Glynna and Carly, but Glynna grabbed Carly by both arms. Jenna had come up to stand beside Carly in a show of support but was at a loss as to what to do. Before anyone knew her intent, Glynna reached up, clutched the delicate corsage on Carly’s dress and yanked as hard as she could. “This doesn’t belong to you…” The ugly words were punctuated by the sound of Carly’s gown ripping from the two straight pins holding the corsage in place.

Daniel, finally able to get between the two women, grabbed hold of Glynna and pulled her away from Carly. Carly looked down to see her beautiful gown ripped and hanging down on one side just below her bra. She quickly pulled the shredded material up to cover herself, turned and fled her senior prom in tears.

Daniel tried to catch up to her in the parking lot but he couldn’t extract himself from Glynna fast enough. Jenna had been right behind her though, so she and her date took Carly home. Daniel went by her house the next morning to see if she was alright and to apologize but she wouldn’t see him.

“
She’ll be alright, but she was humiliated last night and to make it worse, you were there to see it.” Carly’s mom explained. She knew about Carly’s feelings for Daniel and understood her daughter’s pain. “Why don’t you try to give her a call in a day or two?”

“
Yes ma’am.” Daniel said as Carly’s mom gave him a gentle hug.

He called the next day, and the next, and everyday thereafter but she refused to take his calls. He left for basic training without getting a chance to see or apologize to her.

Chapter One

8 Years Later

“
Hello?”

“
Carly?”

“
Jenna? Jenna, is that you?”

“
Carly, can you come home for a visit?”

“
I’m getting ready to leave on assignment…” Carly paused, “What’s wrong?”

“
Trevor came to see me today.” Jenna waited for Carly to start lecturing, but when Carly didn’t say anything, she continued. “I know things are over between us and I don’t want him back…really, I don’t.”

“
What did he want?”

“
My engagement ring.” Jenna hiccupped slightly. Carly could tell she’d been crying and wasn’t completely calm yet.

“
What?” Carly growled with barely suppressed rage.

“
He is getting ready to ask that tramp to marry him and he wants my ring! He said since he paid for most of it, it’s rightfully his.” Jenna couldn’t help but let a little sob out. She and Trevor had been engaged when he met up with his ex-girlfriend and they decided to give it another try. Jenna had been devastated. Trevor was still making payments on her engagement ring and told her he didn’t care what she did with it, but if she sold it, he wanted his money back…Jenna finished paying the ring off and kept it.

“
Unbelievable!” Carly was indignant on behalf of her best friend. “What a…” Carly growled, “I can’t even think of a name bad enough!”

“
Can you come home? You’ve been gone so long. I could really use a friend right now!”

“
I’m getting ready to leave on an assignment; it should take a couple of days. I can take a break and come for a visit when I’m done.”

There was a long silence, “Okay, yeah, that’ll be okay. It’ll be wonderful to see you again. I really miss you.” Jenna sounded so sad. Carly was about to ask if she was okay, but before she could, Jenna asked, “Do you remember how tough our problems seemed to be in high school? Now I would give anything to go back...”

“
Jenna, are you okay? Don’t let Trevor get to you like this. He’s not worth it! You have so much going for you, don’t talk like this.” Carly paused, feeling like she wasn’t getting through. “I’ll be there in a few days, four at most.”

Long after they had hung up Carly stared at the phone, she didn’t have a good feeling. Carly got on the phone and made a few calls, grabbed her already packed bags and headed home. She didn’t feel like she could wait a few days, she left within an hour of talking to Jenna and headed for the town that she tried to forget but haunted her thoughts.

Jenna was developing pictures in the darkroom she had created for Carly when she’d visit, which wasn’t often. Carly had been so thrilled with it she’d taught Jenna how to develop her own pictures. While Jenna didn’t have Carly’s gift of picture taking, she enjoyed playing around with it.

Now Jenna needed the routine that came along with developing pictures to help her work through her problem with Trevor. He’d called twice the night before. The first time Jenna tried to talk to him but he just got uglier and uglier. He kept insisting that the ring rightfully belonged to him since he’d paid the majority of the cost.

“
That was two years ago Trevor and I finished paying it off. They would have turned us over to a collection agency or something if I hadn’t…and it’s not like they’d let us return it and get your money back since it’d already been sized.”

“
It doesn’t matter Jenna. You kept it when you should have sold it and paid me back. You either need to give me the ring or pay me the amount I’d paid into it.”

“
Not going to happen, Trevor. You might have paid the majority of the cost, but
you
left
me,
remember? You decided that that tramp was better suited for you then I was, forget that the reason you broke up with her was because she was cheating on you. She didn’t want you back until you and I were engaged. Now you expect me to give you the ring
I
paid off so you can give it to
her?
I don’t think so!”

“
She isn’t a tramp so stop calling her that! The ring is mine and I’ll get it one way or another! She made a mistake before and once she realized it, she came back. I’m sorry you were hurt, but you’re being childish and selfish by not letting me have the ring that is rightfully mine!”

“
It doesn’t matter anyway Trevor. I don’t have the ring anymore.”

“
What do you mean you don’t have it anymore? Where is it?” he demanded.

“
I gave it away.”

“
Bull!! You would never do that! What kind of games are you trying to play?”

“
I’m not playing any games. I gave it away. I didn’t want anything that reminded me of you and I sure as heck wasn’t going to just give it to you!”

“
I never knew you were such a liar Jenna! I’ll get that ring, one way or another.”

“
Well then, good luck.” She slammed the phone down with a growl. “Jerk!”

Within minutes, the phone rang again; caller id showed Trevor as the caller, she refused to answer it. He had quite a temper and she knew she hadn’t heard the last of him. She wished she’d listened to Carly and her brothers when they tried to warn her about him, but she’d been in love…

So here she was, hiding out in the darkroom, developing pictures she had taken at the park over the weekend, instead of at the auction house bidding on items to fill the shelves of her store. Normally she’d be able to lose herself in the excitement of the bidding, but she didn’t want to be around people right now. She loved that part of her job the most…the thrill of outbidding, and even being outbid, it was all part of the thrill…but not today.