Blood Kisses

Chapter 27: Old Friends and Sour Moms

"Vincent I'm heading out to the store. I'll be back soon!" She said as she grabbed the keys to his SUV. He was seated at the kitchen table, laptop in front of him. Without looking up he called back, "Sure! Keys are on the table."

Smiling as she watched him work she silently closed the door behind her. An important client called and he was stuck working on paperwork the entire morning. Also in the morning, Elle had called complaining that Sebastian was too busy with work to keep her company. Reassuring her that Vincent was occupied as well, they both sighed into the phone. After catching up with Elle, she decided to head to the store when she realized she forgot to pick up jam. She could have survived the four days without it, but she didn't want to be sitting around the house while Vincent typed away on his laptop. It would probably irritate him if she hovered anyway. So taking the opportunity, she drove to the grocery store in search of strawberry jam.

"Jewel? Is that you?"

She was standing in line, jam clutched in her hand when someone called from behind her. Ridgewood was a small town and even before turning around she remembered the owner of that voice.

"Kyle, hi, how are you?"

Kyle and her had attended high school together. He was a year older than her and one fateful homecoming, he asked her to be his date. They carried on their innocent love affair until she finally ended things and started dating Josh. Sometimes she wondered what would have happened if she never did that.

"I'm well. And you?"

"I'm good. I came to visit my parents. What are you doing here? Last I heard you got married and moved to England." She said and watched as he grimaced. Raising a brow in question, he chuckled and scratched the back of his neck.

"Yeah..." he said, "I'm in England now but I got divorced. Lucy heard I was back in the country and invited me to her party. A reunion, right? Its been years since we left high school."

"Yeah, it has been a while." She said as she paid for the jam. Smiling at the woman cashing her out Kyle walked her out. He opened and closed his mouth as if he wanted to say something. When she turned to ask him what was on his mind, he said, "Are you still with Josh?"

So that was what he was fidgeting on about.

"No Kyle, we broke up." She said wishing that the conversation would end and she could go back home.

"Oh, if you ever want to grab a coffee with me, here's my number." He pulled out a card from his pocket. And giving him a tightlipped smile she accepted the small rectangle. When she thought she was finally free of the awkward conversation, her phone rang and recognizing the number she groaned. Today was looking like a day full of awkward conversations.

"Hello?"

"Jewel! Oh thanks for picking up. I called earlier but it didn't go through," Mrs. Levingson said in a cheerful voice. She cringed. Although Josh's mother had always been a part of her life, she had always been 'her mother's friend'. And as her mother's closest friend and confidant, Mrs. Levingston knew everything about her. As such, there were no secrets between the Crest and Levingston households.

"I was speaking to someone in the morning, you probably called when the line was busy." She said as she climbed into the SUV.

"Oh, I see," she said and a long pause followed. When the line went quiet, she pulled the phone away from her ear. The call was still connected.

"Hello?"

"Yes, yes, I'm here," she said and quickly added, "I was meaning to meet you and catch up, can you swing by the diner for a quick coffee?"