Chantelle grabbed her cell phone. Taking a deep breath, she called Cameron.
“Hello.” Cameron yawned.
“I’m sorry to wake you, but this can’t wait,” she said, pacing the floor.
“Chantelle? What is it? What’s wrong?” Her friend mumbled.
“I’m still in love with Lance.” She scrunched her face as she said the words.
“What?” Cameron choked. She sounded alert now. “Are you kidding me?”
“You’re acting so surprised.”
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“I’m not, but to hear you say it’s... undeniable.”
Chantelle ran a hand down her face. “I know. And to top it all off, I saw his mother at dinner last night.”
“On your date? With Javier?”
“Yes. I always knew, but she still doesn’t like me. I don’t know the real reason.” She ran her fingers through her hair. “What does it take to impress her?”
“It’s her loss, not yours,” Cameron said.
She gave a faint smile. “Thank you. I wish I knew how to handle this.”
“How did Javier take the news? You said he was nice.”
“He is, but…”
“Lance.”
“Now his fiancé is in town.” Chantelle rested a hand on her hip.
“Life has gotten complicated for you,” Cameron said.
Chantelle plopped on her bed. “I guess if I had closure, I wouldn’t feel the need to know.”
“Know what?”
She sat up on her bed. “There’s more, Cam.” She rubbed her forehead. “Lance and I didn’t just date. We... we got married.”
Silence.
“Cam? Hello?”
“You what?”
Chantelle blew out her cheeks and told her friend about the events of her last year in high school.
“Wow.” Cam sounded like she could have been knocked over with a feather. “Why didn’t you—”
“Lance and I never talked about it. After I left the hospital, I moved away from Delta Heights to go to school. He didn’t come after me, so I assumed he didn’t want me. I was young and naïve. It shouldn’t have happened anyway, but I was in love.”
“I can’t imagine and I’m so sorry for your loss. You two need to talk. Really talk,” Cameron said.
“I agree.” She pulled at the hem of her sundress. Checking the clock on her bedside table, she needed to get back to work. “I’ll call you later this week.” Then her phone beeped with an incoming call. She clutched the phone before placing it back to her ear. “It’s Brenda.”