AMANDA

"You look great!"

Jade gave Nicole a self conscious smile as she stood in front of the mirror fidgeting with the dress.

Nicole had selected a navy blue sleeveless dress for her to wear for dinner at the Carter house.

Jade had bought the dress from a small boutique 2 years back during one of her rare trips to New York.

And she had never worn it.

The hemline of the skirt came barely till mid- thigh, and though the colour was very pretty and brought out the green of her eyes, it made her self conscious.

"Jade stop fidgeting. You look beautiful."

Nicole was sitting on the bed going through all the earrings Jade owned, trying to figure which would look good.

"You mean that? Don't you think it's too much?"

Jade stepped away from the full length mirror and looked at Nicole.

She had come from Jo's ice cream parlour, to find Nicole waiting in front of her apartment.

The twins had immediately been ushered in by their mother. After a quick wash up, they had been settled in front of the TV and Nicole had started getting Jade ready.

Even now almost an hour later the cute cartoon noises were coming from the living room.

"Yes I mean it! You wait and watch one look at you and Alec will forget all about his girlfriend with her British accent."

"I'm not trying to steal Alec away, Nicole."

Jade turned back towards the mirror to hide the blush that had crept onto her face.

"I know that Jade. But sweetie, he's the dumbass who didn't realise that you were in love with him."

"Nicole!"

That was the thing Jade had been trying to avoid since she heard that Alec was coming back to town.

The reason why she was so reluctant to meet Alec after so many years was not only that he was her best friend and they had lost contact.

But also because, she, Jade Tucker, had made the biggest mistake in the world and had fallen in love with her best friend.

And when, Alec had moved out of town, attracted to all the unknown things out in the world, he had taken one thing with him. A piece of her heart.

Nicole was the only person she had told about it.

"What?" Nicole came to stand near her, "It's the truth!"

"It was the truth. I'm no longer in love with Alec. It was 8 years back and I have grown out of that stupid infatuation."

"Grown out? Really? You were the one who was stress eating when you heard that he was coming back."

"That's a different matter."

Jade started combing her hair. She knew that Nicole was telling the truth, but admitting it would make it more difficult to face Alec in the evening.

8 years and about 15 relationships later, she had still not managed to find someone to replace Alec in that corner of her heart.

"Jade you can lie to me, but not to yourself."

Just as Nicole was going to say something else the doorbell rang.

Nicole gave a look to Jade that made it clear that they were not done with the conversation and went out to open the door.

Jade finished coming her hair, put on her black high heeled pumps and followed Nicole out.

"Jady you look pretty!"

Nadia dragged her eyes from the cartoons and looked at Jade.

"Thank you, sweetie."

Nicole gave her 'I- told- you- so' look and pulled open the door.

"Hello Nicole! How are you? Haven't you become too thin?"

Amanda Tucker bustled into the room, giving Nicole a tight hug on the way.

She was wearing a pale peach shirt over grey well fitted slacks and her blonde hair, which was liberally streaked with grey and cut till her chin was open and swinging around her face.

"Nadia! Noah! Am I going to get a hug?"

The twins ran into Amanda's arms with huge grins on their faces and when they came up each was clutching a lollipop in their hands.

"Mommy see! Amanda Nana gave us lollies!" Noah said showing of his lollipop proudly.

"I can see that. I think the Tucker women have taken it up on them to spoil your teeth."

Amanda laughed, "Now the least I can do is spoil them."

"Hey Mom!"

Jade got up from the sofa, from where she had been looking at the scene.

"Jady! Now don't you look pretty!"

Jade hugged her mother.

One thing Jade loved about her mom was that, Amanda Tucker was always cheerful. No matter what was happening she had a comforting smile on her face and a twinkle in her eyes.

And she had the magical power to make the people around her also happy.

It was just an Amanda thing.

"See I told you!" Nicole said as she opened the lollipops for the twins.

"You don't look bad either mom."

Amanda raised an eyebrow, "Really? When do I ever look bad?"

Jade laughed.

That much was true.

All the people in town always told Jade, that in her youth, Amanda had been one of the prettiest girls in town.

With wavy blonde hair, green eyes and a sunny personality, she had the power to attract everyone to her.

Everyone told Jade that she looked exactly like her mom.

Now in her 60's Amanda had aged beautifully.

She had a well maintained figure and her blonde hair suited her style.

The secret to her figure almost being better than Jade was the jogging she did every morning before going to the town library where she had been working as the head librarian since before Jade was born.

"And how was your day with the twins? And how was the kiss with Dr Matthew?"

"Kiss? Matthew?"

Nicole had a stunned look on her face.

Jade was not surprised that her mom knew about the kiss in front of the ice cream parlour.

The library was the centre of all the gossip around town and Amanda Tucker knew everything about everyone.

"Who was I caught by?"

Jade walked into the kitchen, followed by a smirking Amanda and a confused Nicole.

"Elizabeth Johnson, saw you while coming out of Jo's with her grand daughter."

Jade laughed, "Next time I meet Mrs Johnson we need to have a talk."

"Okay will someone tell me what's happening?"

Nicole plopped onto one of the breakfast chairs.

"Nothing is happening." Jade filled a glass with water and handed it to her mother, "Matt was coincidentally at Jo's at the same time as me and the twins. He sat with us and then offered to drop us till the car."

"And?"

Nicole urged.

"And then he kissed me."

"Just like that?"

"Yeah just like that. He said he missed me and wanted to give our relationship another try."

Amanda raised an eyebrow with a smile playing on her lips.

Jade was sure she was already thinking about cute babies who looked like Matt with the same green eyes as her.

"And what did you say?"

Nicole looked so eager to know the answer that it was almost funny.

What would be the best way to answer this?

Telling the truth would make Nicole think that she refused Matt because of their conversations tom earlier, about Alec.

And lying about it would make mom dream even more.

"I told him that I need some time to think. And I'll tell him later."

"And what is your answer going to be?"

Nicole was propped her elbows on the table.

"If I already knew what my answer is going to be I would have told him earlier."

Nicole scowled and sat down again.

"But still. What do you think? You two were very good together."

Amanda had always liked Matt.

And when the two of them had been dating, she had really thought that they would have ended up together.

But suddenly Jade had gone and broken their relationship. Shattering all the dreams that she had been seeing.

"I don't know, mom."

"Okay let's forget that. But how was the kiss?"

Jade had to laugh at that. Her mom could change her mood no matter what.

"Like kisses with him always are."

"Since neither me nor your mom has ever kissed him. That answer is completely invalid."

"The kiss was sweet and intense. He is a really sweet guy."

"Oooo!"

Jade laughed again. Her best friend and her mother were really the best remedy to her sucky mood.

"We should leave. We'll get late otherwise."

Her moms words got the churning back in her stomach.

"Yeah. I guess."

Nicole got up from her seat and started adjusting Jade's hair.

"Now just remember you look gorgeous. And you're going to tell me what happened as soon as you come home. I want a detailed description of Emmaline Burns."

Jade laughed, "Yes Nicky!"

They started leaving. Just as they were about to leave Jade remembered that she had left her purse in her room.

She went back in while Nicole for the twins ready to go home.

She picked up her small silver bag and stood in front of the mirror for a second.

She really was looking good in the dress.

She smiled at herself, "Maybe Nicky was right."

Please god let the dinner go good, she thought before following her mom out of her apartment.

................................

AUTHOR'S NOTE:-

Happy Reading!! XX