Unforgettable

Good. Talk to me. Keep on talking. Communication is everything.
Before he could say a word, she turned to her friends again. A girl handed her
the purse. “Sorry for the drama,” Jen said. “It’s the way he makes his living.
He’s good at it.”
“Him? What about you?” a guy said. “A new side of the mysterious Jennifer
Delaney.”
So, he’d gotten to her, past her defenses. He wanted to cheer. The men were
merely co-workers. If they thought of her as mysterious, she’d kept her private
life private. Which meant no boyfriends. Regardless of what she’d said earlier,

---

she hadn’t moved on.
Which gave him hope.
Now all he needed was a little chutzpah  to make his next move and be accepted
by Jen’s friends. “I remember a great club near here,” he said, deliberately
placing himself in the middle of the group. “Lots of eats, lots of music, and a
karaoke bar.”
Jen had turned away, but he saw her stiffen. Tapping her on the shoulder, he said,
“You know we’ll have fun. At least a song or two. Come on, Jen…I dare you.”
##
Dare her? Like in the old days, except those were happy times with music and a
microphone. Right now, she wanted the privacy of her own apartment. She
needed to regain her equilibrium, to brace herself for whatever came next. But if
she left, Doug would accuse her of running away. Again.
Pasting a smile on her face, Jen said, “All that goofing around in college? Nah. I
don’t do that anymore.”
She threw a speaking glance at her girlfriends. They loved to kick back at the
sing-along karaoke bars. Jen had the real voice, but they all had fun. Now,
however, she knew her pals would cover for her.
“Then prove it,” said Doug.
“What?”
He was shaking his head. “You always enjoyed being on a cozy stage. I can’t
believe you’ve changed that much. And you’re good! Let’s go to a club, Jen. For
old times’ sake. After all, I am new in town….”
“Oh, pu-leeze,” she shot back. “You know this city like a native.”
“It’s been a few years.”
She turned to the others. “I’m sorry about all this. Do you mind if we skip the
pubs and go right to Maguire’s? Real food for the starving plus live music, and

---

then I’ll go home. I’ve got an early choir rehearsal tomorrow anyway.”
“I don’t like this situation,” said Evan, a quiet type who missed nothing. “Just
say the word, Jen, and we’ll get rid of…”
Oh, no! She patted the man’s arm. “I’m fine, Evan. Really. He’s not dangerous,
except with a pen!” She smiled at him. “But thanks.”
Five years building a life, and in five minutes, Doug Collins could tear it down.
She couldn’t chance another disappointment. Why had he come back after all
this time? Glancing at her watch, she sighed. One hour or so was all she’d have
to endure.
##
The Irish bar was filling up, but they managed to get a booth for six immediately.
Jen sighed again, happy with their good luck, happy to keep to her one-hour
plan.
Almost as immediately, Doug seemed comfortable with the group and made her
friends feel comfortable with him. Not surprising. He had always been the
proverbial “people person.” She’d credit his many psychology courses.
Evan’s quiet voice, however, managed to interrupt the general conversation
about the menu and music. “So, Collins, what brings you back to Boston?”
A curious silence descended, and for the first time, Doug seemed to search for
words. Jen’s ears perked up.
“Let’s say,” he began slowly, “a couple of new projects and one item of
unfinished business. Very important unfinished business.” From diagonally
across the table, he shifted toward Jen, his eyes capturing hers.
She sat straighter. “If you mean me, you’re mistaken,” she said, leaning forward,
arms on the table. “Our ‘business,’ as you call it, is over. Nothing personal—
though I guess you’d think it was—but I’m not looking for a relationship with
you or anyone else. Just not my thing.” Not anymore.
The quality of the following silence morphed from curious to deafening. She
realized that in all her years with the company, she’d revealed more about herself

---

just then than ever before. And now to prevent speculation—and gossip—she’d
have to explain.
She glanced around the table, finding sympathy laced with curiosity in her
friends’ expressions. Okay. She could handle that. Her message, however, was
meant for Doug. She returned her gaze to him.
“In my world,” she began, “people leave. First my parents—and you have no
idea what that was like—and then you, and I wasn’t sure about Mike and Lisa
staying together either. I know you have to accept what’s out of your control,
like a car accident on an icy road. But I’m not going to volunteer for more
heartache and grief. My life is great as it is. Your being in Boston is totally
immaterial to me.”
“Then it seems,” he said softly, “that I have a lot of work to do.”
The waitress approached, and conversation turned to food and drink. “Just a cup
of chicken soup,” said Jen. “I’ve lost my appetite.”
“Maybe him tagging along wasn’t a good idea,” said Evan, nodding toward
Doug. “You’ve managed to upset Jen, who’s a very cool woman. So, let’s get the
whole picture. Why else are you here? What kind of projects?”
Jen looked at her co-worker. Who would have thought that this quiet guy would
speak up now? Still waters….?
Doug shifted in his seat. His gaze swept both sides of the booth. “I’m a writer. I
worked hard and got lucky, too. I have a new play, and its debut will be here
with the Commonwealth Regional Theater company. And that’s as far as I’m
thinking.”
Jen heard nothing after Commonwealth. Her choir, The All-City Chorus,
rehearsed at that theater twice a week, and she’d be there in the morning. “‘Of
all the gin joints…’” she murmured.
She’d never doubted his talent, and she’d been right. His very first play had been
staged in college. A rare honor. He’d been thrilled, of course, but shy about it.
He used to say that writers were too insecure to brag. And now, he’d been
modest in front of her friends. It seemed he’d been totally focused on his craft
while living in New York.

---

“Congratulations,” she offered. “Sounds like you’ll be busy with rehearsals and
whatever—for a little while, and after a successful run here, poof! Back to
Broadway. Works well for me.”
“Writing your own script, Jen?” Doug’s eyes gleamed. “Sorry to disappoint. I
didn’t renew the lease on my New York apartment because….I’m also this year’s
playwright-in-residence at our alma mater. If The Sanctuary  goes to Broadway,
I’ll commute.”
She needed air.
“I’m back, Jen. And tomorrow I’m hunting for new digs. I can’t stay with my
sister indefinitely. Any suggestions?” His glance traveled from Jen to the others,
and she sighed in relief at the change of topic. An objective, neutral topic.
Boston sported a dozen or more neighborhoods attractive to singles.
“It really depends on your budget,” said Liz. “In this town, a one-bedroom can
run anywhere from sixteen hundred to double that a month.”
“I’d like to be close to the theater, if possible.”
“Then that would be downtown,” said Evan slowly. “A great choice.”
Could the night get any worse? First the theater, now Jen’s neighborhood—a
walking neighborhood where she could run into him at any time. “I doubt he can
afford it.”
In unison, all eyes turned toward first toward her, then toward Doug.
“She’s got a point, man,” said Even. “But there are other great locations.”
“There sure are,” said Jen calmly now. “Many good areas. You don’t need to be
downtown.”
Doug’s eyes narrowed. “Any particular reason, Henny-Penny?”
Liz coughed and hid her mouth. Matt looked away. Not a shred of acting
material in them.
“No reason at all.” Jen waved her arm in dismissal. “Search the whole city.

---

Means nothing to me if you go into debt.” Deflection might work.
“For crying out loud, I might have known,” said Doug with a sigh. “The starving
playwright thing…. Well, I’m not quite there, and you don’t have to worry I’ll be
asking for a loan. I do know how to budget.” He chuckled and looked around the
table, making eye contact with each person for a moment. “Although I seem to
be in a minority among the financial whizzes here.”
Everyone laughed. “Financial whizzes believe in budgets, too,” said Liz.
“Who knows?” Doug said. “One day soon, I might be asking for advice.”
And that’s when Jen knew that Doug had turned her friends into his friends, too.

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