Seven years passed in the blink of an eye. Valerie thrived in her new role. She rarely did the actual modeling anymore; she was too busy negotiating contracts, coordinating departments, and overseeing multi-million dollar projects. She had finished her degree online and was now a respected executive in the industry.
She still kept her hair long, but she carried herself with a quiet authority. She was no longer the naive girl from Silver Creek. She was a woman who knew her worth.
Nancy lived just a few blocks away now. She’d used her savings and a loan from Valerie to buy a beautiful five-bedroom home in a quiet suburb. Her husband, Nick, had finally taken a local dispatch job to be closer to the family. They had even added a daughter to their brood, whom Valerie doted on as her godmother.
Valerie hadn’t dated much. She hadn’t found a man who could match her strength, and she was perfectly content with her life as it was. Nancy often teased her about it.
“Val, you’re a beautiful, successful woman. You need to get out more. Let a man buy you dinner for once.”
Valerie would just laugh. “I have the most important man in the world waiting for me at home, Nancy. Will is all I need. Why complicate things?”
“You’re impossible,” Nancy would sigh, though she admired her friend’s resolve.
One afternoon, Valerie was called to the corporate headquarters for a high-level summit. The company was expanding again, and she was being tapped for a Vice President position. She had to travel back to the city where it all began.
Will, now a bright and independent nine-year-old, was staying with Nancy. He was a good kid, protective of his “aunt” and his younger “siblings.”
“Don’t worry about me, Mom,” Will said, acting more grown-up than his years. “I’ll help Aunt Nancy with the baby. And Uncle Nick is taking us to the ballgame tomorrow. Just go do your CEO thing.”
Valerie hugged him tight, marveling at how much he looked like her grandmother Rose—the same steady eyes, the same kind heart. She decided to fly in for the meeting and take a car service to the office.
As she sat in the back of the car, lost in her notes for the presentation, she didn’t pay much attention to the driver. That is, until he spoke.
“Valerie? Is that you?”
She looked up, catching the driver’s eyes in the rearview mirror. It took her a moment to recognize the weathered, tired face of the man who had once been Paul.
“Paul? You’re driving for this service?” she asked, her voice calm and steady.
“Yeah, well… life happens, I guess. Some people get lucky, some don’t. I’m just trying to make rent. You, though… you look like a million bucks. I heard you moved away, but I didn’t realize you’d done this well for yourself.”
“I worked for it, Paul. It wasn’t luck.”
“Listen, are you in town for long? Maybe we could grab a drink? Catch up on old times? Maybe see if there’s still a spark there?” Paul gave her a weak version of the charming smile he’d used years ago.
“Why?” Valerie asked simply.
“Well, you know,” Paul chuckled nervously. “People reconnect. We had something special once. Don’t you ever miss it?”
