Sweet Reunion Read Online Free PDF Page A

that
had occurred the minute that one of the greatest souls ever to grace the earth
had left it?
    Amanda sighed to herself.
She knew she was being self-indulgent. She didn't care. After all, wasn't that
part of being self-indulgent? You couldn't enjoy a proper pity party if you
felt guilty about it at the same time. Waste of a perfectly good pity party!
    She smiled. That sounded
like something Karina would say.
    As if magically summoned by
Amanda's affectionate thoughts about her, Karina padded into the kitchen like a
sleek and supple alley cat. She stretched her arms over her head and yawned
with leonine grace before folding herself into the chair opposite Amanda and
pushing her soft dark hair out of her sleepy face.
    "You're up early,"
Amanda remarked, "I didn't expect to see any of the three of you for
several hours yet."
    "Believe me, this isn't
usual," Karina grumbled, picking up Amanda's mug and taking a generous
swallow, "Usually if I see the sunrise, it's because I haven't been to bed
yet."
    Amanda smiled, taking her
turn at drinking from the mug of coffee, and then setting it back down even
closer to the middle of the table to show her friend that she, as well, had
comfortably fallen back into their teenage habit of share and share alike.
"This is my favorite time of day. It's quiet, and bright, and the air
feels clean. I sit here every morning to take it in and prepare for the day. I
don't know how successfully I was managing to prepare for today, however. This
one will be quite a hurdle."
    Karina closed her long,
graceful fingers over Amanda's small, elfin hand and gave it a comforting
squeeze. "We're here for you, babe. Anything you need. We're the Fabulous
Four again. Nothing we can't accomplish. And that includes holding you up when
you can't do it yourself."
    The words comforted Amanda
in a way that the beauty of the morning hadn't been able to. "In your
world, I think they refer to this kind of thing as 'getting the old band back
together' right?"
    Karina laughed, "I
don't think anyone actually says that outside of cheesy eighties movies, but,
yes, I think that's exactly the sentiment I was aiming for."
    They were interrupted by the
sound of the front door opening, and they exchanged startled looks. Amanda was
about to voice her confusion when a sweaty and breathless Sam strode into the
kitchen, body encased in skintight spandex and cheeks suffused with a healthy
glow.
    "Morning, girls!"
she enthused as she opened the fridge and took out a water bottle.
    "I thought I was the
only one that got up this early!" Amanda exclaimed.
    "Please." Teased
Sam, waving her hand dismissively, "I've already done six miles. I'm in
training. You two are lightweights."
    "Well, then,"
Karina returned in the same teasing tone, "I guess Lauren's the only
sleepyhead!"
    "Who's the only
what?" said Lauren as she entered the kitchen from the office hallway,
typing furiously on her smartphone.
    She was fully dressed,
makeup impeccably applied, and hair swept back in an intricate updo.
    Amanda and Karina eyed each
other's garb, Amanda in her flannel pajama bottoms and oversized T-shirt and
Karina in her men's boxer shorts and tank top, and burst out laughing. Amanda
managed to breathlessly squeak out, "You are the sleepyhead!"
    Lauren glanced up
distractedly and then immediately began tapping her thumbs against the tiny
QWERTY keyboard as she spoke.
    "No, I've been up for
hours. Start of business on the east coast is 5 am here..." she trailed
off as her attention became completely consumed again by what she was typing.
    Amanda smiled contentedly as
she got up to start scrambling some eggs for her newly reunited best friends.
Sure, maybe now, after her father's death, she wouldn't ever be able to enjoy
her old solitary morning routine in the same way. Maybe that particular ritual
would forever be tinged with melancholy. But this crazy, impromptu sunrise
gathering of the Fabulous Four had shown her that, while some things may never
be the