Leana spent the next day trying to decide if she was going to take that walk down the beach or not. She was in her room rummaging in her closet and came across a box on the upper shelf. Opening the box a wave of nostalgia came over her. There were pictures, scrap books, odds and ends from what seemed to be a lifetime ago. Flipping through one of the scrapbooks she couldn’t help laugh at some of the pictures. Her and Richie on the boardwalk, him carrying a huge pink floppy-eared rabbit he won for her. Him making silly faces, playing on stage, just Richie being Richie. There were other things, flyers, posters, clippings of reviews of their shows, pictures of her, Richie, Jon and Dorothea, ticket stubs, more pictures, programs, other tour souvenirs, things people on EBay would pay a pretty penny for. At the bottom of the box was a stack of letters and postcards Richie had sent her when they toured their first two albums. As she thumbed through them an old REO song came on the radio, causing Leana to sigh.
I can hear your voice promising your love will never die
I can feel your golden skin on mine beneath the desert sky
So how can it be true, how can you just turn and let me go
Let the story of your life with mine forever go untold
I can't take these words to bed with me and hold onto them at night
They can't erase the emptiness and make everything alright
Cause your laughter and your tenderness will never disappear
No matter where you are tonight a part of you is here with me
Here with me, I don't know where you are, all I know is I need you to be
Here with me, I know it's not too late, to turn around and get it straight
Noting the time, she made her decision. She quickly showered, slid into her favorite well worn jeans, layered a black tank top over a white one and stepped into a pair of beaded flip flops. She left her hair down, letting the dark brown waves spill down her back and, sliding her glasses on her face she grabbed her jacket and went out the back door.
Richie stepped out onto the deck and wondered if she would show up. He sipped his beer and looked up and down the beach, not seeing anyone. Sighing he turned and went back into the house. She probably won’t come he figured. Hell he was lucky she didn’t throw him off her deck last night. The doorbell interrupted his thoughts. “Hey man” it was Jon. Richie smiled and let Jon in. They headed toward the kitchen and, as Richie continued to the sliding door to go outside, he threw over his shoulder “beer’s in the fridge bro.” Jon detoured to the fridge and Richie went outside.
Leana was coming up the beach toward his house and saw him come outside. She stopped and just looked at him. She had always had a thing for the tall, dark and handsome type and he certainly fit the bill. He wore his hair much shorter now, but it suited him and she itched to run her fingers through it. He looked good and still made her pulse race she thought and he was only wearing jeans and a t-shirt. She started up the steps, he was still alone. “I heard there was a party here tonight.” He smiled and walked over to her. The urge to touch her was great but he restrained from doing so. “You came. I wasn’t sure you would.” Leana smiled back at him. “Well, I got hungry and a burger sounded good, so here I am.”
Jon watched the scene from the kitchen. He couldn’t make out her face, but he could appreciate the tight ass and long denim clad legs, not to mention the spill of dark wavy hair down her back. Made a man want to get lost in it. Dave and Tico found Jon in the kitchen looking out the window. With a low whistle Dave asked, “Who’s the babe?” Jon shrugged and smiled, “I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.” He opened the door and stepped out, “Hey Rich, I thought it was guys ni…?” Leana turned and Jon stopped and stared, even with the glasses he knew that face. She had been friends with Dorothea and, in turn with him, before she had met Richie. “Leana?” She waggled her fingers at him, “Hi Jon.” Jon set his beer down and swung her into a hug. “How the hell have you been babe?” She laughed, “just fine, now put me down!” Richie watched, a wave of jealousy rushing through him. David and Tico followed Jon with hugs of their own, all pleasantly surprised to see Leana.
They sat down at the table that had bowls of snacks waiting. “What has it been” Jon started to ask around a mouth full of chips, “20 years since we saw you last?” Leana laughed, “I see you still have no manners and yes, it has been 20 years give or take.” The guys laughed and Jon proceeded to talk with his mouth full, “I’m a guy, what do you expect?” The laughter flowed around the table, like it always had Leana thought. She looked over at Richie. He had been unusually quiet. She wondered what he was thinking. He looked up then and caught her gaze, it lasted only seconds, but the intensity of his eyes on her took her breath and she could feel the heat rush through her, like it had every time he had ever looked at her that way. “Shit” she muttered. They all looked at her, Jon spoke up first, “what’s wrong?” She flushed, “did I say that out loud? It’s just that my beer is gone, I think I need another.” Richie jumped up, “I’ll get it. Gotta get the burgers anyway.” Leana watched him walk into the house and, after looking around the table got up, “I’ll help him.”