Chapter Fourteen

Three Weeks Later
Friday Afternoon, Atlanta, Georgia

Justin laid sprawled out on his back, the fingers of his right hand tapping idly on his chest and a big Timberlake smile playing on his lips. Rehearsals for the fast approaching NSA tour combined with the interviews that seemed to never end were getting to Justin, mind and body. But right now in the 20 minute window he had while the reporter from Last Dance Magazine was talking one on one with Joey, he was very content laying on the floor of his hotel room, talking to Cristin.

With his cell phone held loosely to his left ear, Justin shook his head listening to Cristin talk about the time they offered to help Justin’s mom water the garden. Cristin was always of the opinion that if ‘a little’ was good, ‘a lot’ had to be better. Needless to say, the garden became known as Lake Cristin. They did a lot of reminiscing over the past few weeks when they talked. It made Justin eager to start making new memories with his best friend, but Cristin was stubborn as always. Every time they talked, he tried to slip another reason why she should come out to see him into the conversation and she shot him down every time.

“Yeah, Mom never let you near her sunflowers again,” Justin chuckled.

“So…” Cristin began tentatively.

“Ten minutes, Cris. I’m impressed,” Justin groaned, checking his watch.

“I just want to know what’s up with her,” Cristin replied innocently.

“Nothing’s up with her.”

Cristin let out an exacerbated sigh, that made Justin laugh lightly despite the fact that his good mood was just ruined. “I swear Justin, you’re just being a baby at this point.”

“Hey! I know we’re having fun reconnecting and all, but I didn’t think we were back at the point where we can insult each other casually. I would have taken advantage of it a lot sooner, chicken-legs.”

“Hey now, I’m sure you didn’t notice but my legs aren’t exactly as scrawny as they once were,” she replied defensively.

“Actually I did notice, sexy,” Justin cooed.

“See! That proves it. You obviously have no deficiency in your flirting stamina. You are just being a baby,” she accused through both their laughter. “Does Miss Regan have nice legs?”

“She has nice everything,” Justin said, before he could think to dodge his friend’s factious question.

“Tell me about her.”

“I’ve told you a hundred times about her.”

“Tell me again.”

“Jesus, Cristin. She’s a ballerina. She’s from Ireland…”

“Jesus, Justin,” she threw his growl back at him. “I know all that. Tell me about her.”

“Do you have a point at all, here, Cris? Cus I certainly can’t tell,” Justin grumbled, rolling onto his stomach.

“I always have a point. Now tell me what it is about her.”

Justin sighed, defeated. “God, Cris, I don’t know. She just, uh, I dunno. She’s amazing. She’s got this look in her eye like there’s nothing she can’t do but at the same time there’s something behind that look. Some sadness or insecurity or both. She’s so determined to the point of pig headed, but I always overlooked that flaw in your case, so…”

“Hey!”

“And she’s such a talented dancer but I can tell there are a million other things she could do just as well if not better if she would only let herself see what else is out there. She’s kind and gentle. You should see her with her niece; it’s incredible. And she has this smile that… wow. From the first time I really talked to her, I just had this feeling that I could open up completely no matter how much I wanted to fight it. As much as I’ve tried over the past two months, I’m still losing that battle.”

“Justin, do you even hear yourself? You want to be with her. What’s stopping you?” Cristin knew the answer. In an abstract way, it was the same thing that kept Cristin from him so long. It was part stubbornness, and part the fear of loss. She just wanted to hear it from him. She knew exactly what to say but he had to admit it to himself first.

“Cris, I know exactly what’s stopping me. I’m scared. I was talking to her this morning on the phone and right in the middle of obsessing about the sound of her voice, it hit me. We haven’t seen each other in five weeks. I haven’t seen her face since the night I saw her kissing that guy. Even if I thought I could handle being with her but not actually being with her, I can’t bring myself to do that to her. This guy she’s been seeing can be with her. He can see her every day. He can—”

“He can’t give her what you can, Justin.”

“And what’s that?”

“Justin, from purely personal experience, you are an incredible, completely unique person. No one can offer another person what you can. And five’ll get ya ten, the only reason this guy is in the picture is because he’s convenient. If you’d tell her how you feel, she’d drop that guy in a heartbeat.”

“Cristin, you’ve never even met her. What makes you think any of that?”

“I may not have met her. But I know you. I’ve never heard you talk about anyone the way you’ve talked to me about her. Every time I ask you to tell me about her, you get more and more detailed; more and more passionate. I can’t imagine you getting this head over heal over someone when it’s completely one-sided. You’ve seen something in her that tells you there’s hope. I wanna know what it is.”

“When did you get so perceptive, Sully?”

“I always was. You just never let me get a word in edgewise. Too busy analyzing me to let me analyze you back.”

“There was a moment, one night, in the ally behind her brother’s restaurant. The chef was playing a Frank Sinatra CD and I asked her to dance. I wanted to kiss her then, so badly and when she looked up at me, I could have sworn I saw in her eyes- she wanted to kiss me too.”

Cristin’s heart was breaking for her friend. Listening to him talk, she could tell that under any guise he’d been able to put up for those around him for the past weeks, was only hiding the fact that he was miserable. She took a deep breath and exhaled before speaking again.

“Justin, when I saw you in that diner, I thought I was dreaming. It was unreal, seeing you just sitting there, looking up at me. But in that moment, even before we said a single word, I felt like a weight had been lifted off me. Since the day I left… no… since the moment I hung up on you that night, I’d had this planet of regret sitting on my shoulders. Finally seeing you and then talking to you, it’s still healing me. I feel different. I’ve had friends at school, people at the diner, saying how much better I look; how much happier I seem. My point is, and yes I have a point, I know what it is to regret and I know you do too. I’m going to tell you this for the last time. Go to her and tell her how you feel. Do it now, before it’s too late and you’re always left wondering ‘what if?’. I still have so many ’what if?’s rolling around in my head that have nothing to do with you. It’s not a pleasant way to spend your nights, Justin.”

“I know, Cris. I know I’m going to have to do it or I’ll drive myself crazy. I just don’t know how or when or—”

“No time like the present, Jay.”

“I know but I have all this stuff here. I just blow off rehearsals or interviews or anything else I’m committed to.”

“Didn’t you just bitch to me before that JC’s not even there. Why can’t you take off for a day? Where is JC, anyway?”

“He’s in New York…” Justin replied, cringing at the reaction he’d get to that news.

“Let me get this straight, Justin. JC’s in New York. Regan’s in New York. And you’re in Atlanta. Does this sound as retarded to you as it does to me?”

“Regan’s throwing a surprise anniversary party for her brother and Bridget. Grace convinced Johnny that she had plenty for him to do up there so that he could go to the party. It was like pulling teeth.”

“Please, Justin, if JC has plenty to do up there, it’s nothing you can’t do with him. If you really wanted to, you could get up there.”

“I’ll think about it,” Justin shrugged nonchalantly.

“You do that.”

“When did you become Justin Timberlake?”

Regan looked up quickly, eying JC for an explanation. She sat in the drivers seat of Mike’s civic with Grace in the passenger side and JC in the back.

“Justin always does that,” JC shrugged, nodding to her actions.

They sat in a parking space around the corner from the Virgin Records in Times Square where they’d just left, picking up Regan’s present for Mike and Bridget as well as a few things that caught her eye. Regan sat, engine on, opening every single CD she’d just bought before she’d pull out of the spot.

“What?” Regan said looking down and back up at JC.

“Opens all his CDs before he starts to drive. Only he can’t open those little seals they put on them to save his life so it usually takes about an hour to get out of the parking space. I was just saying…”

“Oh,” Regan said softly, sticking the CD she was in the process of opening back in the bag and sticking the Elton John Greatest Hits CD she’d just opened a moment before. “I can’t believe they had this in the discount rack. Fools,” she scoffed. “This has so many good songs on it,” she continued, skipping ahead to Honky Cat.

Grace smiled and leaned against the window, eyeing JC in the side view mirror. He had the same look on his face, induced by the way Regan had gotten uncomfortable at the mention of Justin. If Bridget alone couldn’t get the job done, they’d have to tag team. He knew there was hope when he saw her face fall when only he and Grace got off the plane.

“Ok, so here’s the plan,” Regan stated purposefully, as she pulled out of the space. “You guys will drop by the house at 5:30, to surprise the happy anniverserites—”

“That’s not a word…”

“And then they’ll think I just had you guys come up as their present- Bridget will buy it cus just having Grace here will be a present in itself- and they’ll be thrown off the real surprise.”

“What did you mean by that,” Grace asked, worried.

“Just that she’ll be tickled that you’ll be around so she can embarrass JC by telling you all their childhood misadventures,” Regan reassured her.

“Wait a sec,” JC shifted uncomfortably.

“Anyway,” Regan continued, ignoring JC, “You’ll take them out to dinner. I made reservations at Safina. Mike’ll love it. He’ll have a chance to make fun of the chef. Then you just start to talk about how Grace never got to see the Gondola and just bullshit until they suggest bringing you around to see the it. Mike loves to show that place off; it shouldn’t take a lot. If you need something extra, just mention that you’re a huge fan of Salvdore Dahli. Mike has an original hanging up over the bar. He’s closing down the restaurant for the night so I’ll be putting the finishing touches on the place while you guys are out. Remember, they can’t walk into the Gondola be—”

“Before eight o’clock,” Grace and JC said simultaneously

“Have I said this before?” Regan laughed.

“Once or twice,” JC nodded.

“I just want everything to be perfect. They’ve both been taking care of me for so long, especially through all this mess over the past couple months.”

“I’m sure everything will go smoothly. Just calm down and leave the bait and switch to us. What time does your father’s plane get in?”

“Four,” Regan grinned. “I’m going to pick him up as soon as drop you two off.”

“When’s the last time you saw him?” Grace asked conversationally.

“Christmas,” Regan said softly. “It’s good that their anniversary falls around this time. Dad’ll be here for Easter.”

“He’s staying for how long?” JC asked.

“He’s leaving Wednesday night. He has to get back to the shop. He’s a lot like Mike. He doesn’t really trust anyone to run things the way he does.”

“What kind of shop does he have?” Grace asked.

“He owns a Pub. The place is really an incredible building and he knows how to keep it busy- tends bar himself. He’s a pretty popular guy in Dublin. So, JC,” she said, changing the subject, “Why didn’t the other guys come up, too? It’s gonna be a great party.”

JC resisted the urge to smile smugly, knowing she could see him in the rear view mirror. She wanted to know why Justin wasn’t there.

“I’m pleased to meet you, Jack,” Sean Costelloe, said through his thick Dublin brogue, extending an intimidatingly large hand out to the boy his baby girl had just introduced to him.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Sir,” Jack said, taking the older man’s hand.

“Regan tells me you want to be a doctor.”

“That’s right, sir.”

“What field?”

“Pediatric orthopedics,” Jack responded confidently.

Regan’s ears picked up at that. He’d never mentioned orthopedics to her. Only that he wanted to be a pediatrician. It seemed funny that he’d let that piece of information slip his mind when she was grilling him about why he was constantly defending a very well reputed orthopedist. She’d originally intended on saving him from her father’s third degree grilling but decided maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea.

“Well, why don’t you two get acquainted and I’ll go call JC’s cell and see if they’re on there way,” she excused herself, ignoring Jack’s ‘don’t leave me alone’ eyes.

The restaurant looked incredible. A large portion of the tables had been cleared out to make room for a dance floor and DJ. Every table had a large glass water basin in the middle with several ivory candles floating in each, casting an elegant glow over the room. Besides the candlelight, Chinese lamps were hung along the rafters of the high ceilings. Regan had replaced the crisp white tablecloths with a softer cream color and laced orchids through the curtain ties.

She excused herself, cutting through the clusters of people around the room, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the couple of honor. She stopped momentarily to make small talk with one of Bridget’s colleagues from school and to tickle Mae, who was playing with some of the other children, before continuing on her quest to get to the front where the reservation phone was. When she reached the host desk, she picked up the phone and quickly dialed JC’s number.

“Hello?”

“It’s me. Don’t let them know you’re talking to me”

“Oh hi, Joe. How’d those interviews go today?”

“Are you almost here?”

“Oh, you know what, Joe? My battery is dying. We’re on our way to Mike’s restaurant now. I call you back from there, about five minutes?”

“Genius, Chasez. Remind me to avoid getting on the other side of a plan with you,” Regan laughed, missing the irony. “See you in five.”

After hanging up, she adjusted the straps of her sapphire blue silk slip dress and made her way up to the DJ. She asked for the mic and told everyone to quiet down and that Mike and Bridget would be there any minute.

7 minutes and 26 seconds later, Mike and Bridget ducked in the door leading from the small vestibule into the actual restaurant. Their faces lit up like Times Square as the entire party shouted “Surprise!” and the DJ began playing their wedding song. Etta James’ soulful voice saturated the air as Maeve came running to her parents, leaping into her father’s arms.

The threesome made their way through the crowd, stopping occasionally to shake a hand or give a hug. When they got to Regan and Sean, they hugged both, overjoyed beyond words to see Mike’s father had made it. Regan took Maeve from her father’s arms and shooed the pair onto the dance floor.

Regan swayed to the music, gently rocking Maeve. She smiled softly on the scene before her. Two of the people she loved most in the world were dancing to their wedding song, surrounded by friends and family, looking into each other’s eyes, completely in love. Regan wanted that. She wanted what they had so badly. She was still very young and her ambitions kept love low on her list of priorities, but still, she found herself wanting very much to fall in love.

She glanced over at Jack and knew he wasn’t going to be the one. She felt bad but her suspicions of him overrode any guilt she felt for misleading him. She hadn’t meant to at first. She couldn’t say even now if she ever thought her relationship with him would ever have gone anywhere. She was craving some kind of companionship. It was a craving that had entered her life with Justin Timberlake but wouldn’t leave with his exit. She wished Justin was there.

Just as the wish passed over her conscious mind, her eyes passed over the crowd and landed on the front door. There he stood, starting straight at her. She couldn’t tell if her eyes were playing tricks on her or if the dim lighting of the room had her mistaken. But as the figure began to move toward her, she knew it was no apparition. Justin was there. For the first time in over a month, he was standing in front of her. Soon he would be close enough that she could reach out and touch him, if she should choose to do so. It was happening again. The stomach flip. Their eyes were locked by now but she didn’t notice that someone else had noticed. Jack Salinger didn’t look happy. He wasn’t happy at all.

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