Redemption

By Adrienne D'nelle Ruvalcaba

How far will he go for love?

Lilah Johnson returns to her hometown with a chip on her shoulder and resentment in her heart. A decade after graduation, she is forced to interact with the very people she disliked most in high school--the popular crowd. During their ten year reunion, a scorching encounter with her former nemesis awakens feelings she did not know she was capable of. She is determined to leave town with her heart intact, but she may not be able to resist his charm.

Diego Gonzales is a small business owner who is used to getting what he wants, especially when it comes to women. When the girl of his dreams returns to town for their high school reunion, his long buried feelings for her roar back to life like a raging inferno. The only problem...she hates him. Can he redeem himself before it is too late?

• Language: English
• Publisher: The Indigo Plume Publishing Company
• Release date: Nov 4, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310084072

Adrienne D'nelle Ruvalcaba

My name is Adrienne D'nelle Ruvalcaba. I was born and raised in Southeast Texas. After high school, I joined the U.S. Army and served four years at Fort Campbell, KY. During my time there, I married a fellow soldier and had two children. Following my years in the service, I ended up as a single parent. After setting out on my own with my two children, I enrolled in the Engineering program at Southern Illinois University.While at SIU, I completed my bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering with a concentration in structural analysis. Also while at SIU, I was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. This diagnosis significantly changed my life. Since the onset of this disease, I have learned a lot about those around me and even more about myself. Due to some serious and sobering complications, my health has declined in recent years. I am no longer able to spend time outside with my children, or do many of the things that I used to take for granted. I'm in my early 30's, but most of the time I feel decades older. After a few years of struggling to accept this illness as a part of my life, I've finally come to a more peaceful place. The most important thing I've learned while dealing with this devastating and serious disease is that it does not define who I am.I've been writing since grade school, and I often take solace in the world I create in my imagination. Most of what I write is romantic fiction, meant purely for emotional fulfillment, enjoyment, and sweet escapism. Real life is difficult enough, and I believe we all need a little break from it sometimes.

Book preview

Redemption

Reunion Series: Book 1

ADRIENNE D’NELLE RUVALCABA

REDEMPTION

Copyright © 2015 by Adrienne D’nelle Ruvalcaba.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in and manner whatsoever without written permission except in case of quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information, contact The Indigo Plume Publishing Company at [e-mail].

Cover design by Heather Smith at Merchop.com

PART ONE

PROLOGUE

Lilah scowled at her computer screen and shook her head for the fifth time in about thirty seconds. Cheryl, there’s no way I’m going to that reunion. I didn’t even like anyone I went to school with, she said in her best don’t ask again tone.

What about me? Cheryl demanded. Don’t you like me?

Yes, but we’re family, Lilah countered. I don’t have to go to a stupid high school reunion to see you.

But we graduated together, and I want to go. It would mean a lot to me if you came along. You know how rough this past year was on me, please don’t make me beg, Cheryl said softly.

Lilah gritted her teeth and relented. Okay, I’ll reserve my ticket sometime today. I have to go now, so I can actually get some work done today, she said before disconnecting the call. Cheryl had dealt a low blow when she referenced how rough her year had been. Rough was an understatement; Cheryl had lost her job and been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease all in the same month. The rest of the year had been downhill from there. Cheryl had fought against the reality of the diagnosis and endured a seemingly endless string of medical tests and doctor visits. The end result was an official diagnosis of systemic lupus and a rigorous treatment regimen to bring the disease under control. Lilah had been a valuable source of support during everything.

Lilah minimized the grant application she was currently evaluating and opened the internet browser on her computer. She booked her plane ticket to Texas before she talked herself out of going. The last thing she wanted was to spend a weekend among people who had only noticed her long enough to remind her how far beneath them she was. The bullying, invisibility, and feelings of inadequacy she had endured throughout high school were things she had no interest in revisiting. But she would do anything for her cousin.

CHAPTER ONE

Lilah started walking forward when she saw Cheryl’s small, silver Honda pull up to the curb of the arrivals terminal of Houston’s Intercontinental airport. When Cheryl slowed down enough, she yanked the back door open and flung her bag on the backseat.

Don’t look so happy to see me, Cheryl laughed as Lilah climbed in the front seat.

I am happy to see you, silly.

You still nervous about the reunion tomorrow? Cheryl asked.

Not at all, Lilah fibbed. Of course she was, but she’d never admit it. She didn’t want to fall back into the role of insecure, quiet, socially awkward, nerd. She reminded herself that she was not a nervous little fourteen year old freshman anymore. She was a confident, professional twenty-eight year old writer. She was a far cry from the Lilah she had been when she left town right after graduation ten years ago.

Lilah had left the small town of Bay City, Texas with barely a glance in her rearview mirror. Currently, she lived in Illinois and worked as a consultant and grant writer for local, community based non-profit organizations.

Are we driving down tomorrow for the thing? Lilah asked as she settled in for the ride through Houston’s rush hour traffic. Cheryl’s driving skills could make a Navy Seal’s hair stand on end, so Lilah grappled with the constant urge to pray for her life. Cheryl didn’t seem to notice Lilah’s discomfort; she chattered like a little magpie as she changed lanes and sped down the interstate.

We’re driving down right now. There’s going to be a mixer tonight at a local bar, and the actual reunion will take place tomorrow. I booked us a hotel room, Cheryl confessed with a little cringe as she stomped down a little harder on the gas pedal.

Lilah involuntarily gripped the side of her seat as her heart did and uncomfortable flip-flop. She honestly couldn’t tell if it was due to the news that she’d be attending a mixer tonight, or if it was due to her cousin’s driving. Cheryl, slow down, she gulped. You’re speeding.

I know, but they want you to speed on the interstate, Cheryl returned.

Um, no they don’t!

Oh, really? Cheryl replied as she glanced at Lilah. If they don’t want people to speed, then why are there so many lanes?

Slow down, or I’m not going to the mixer or the stupid reunion, Lilah said firmly. The results of her strong stance were swift and satisfactory.

Fine, Cheryl grumbled as she moved out of the fast lane and piloted the car at a more reasonable speed. If you want to take four hours getting there, that’s fine by me.

Lilah sagged with relief and changed the radio station. They made small talk for the remainder of the two hour drive into Matagorda County. When they weren’t talking, Lilah gazed out the window and soaked in the vast expanse of Texas sky. In Illinois, the landscape dominated the horizon, but along the coastal plains of Texas, one could see the horizon in any direction, and the fluffy clouds always seemed as if they were just out of reach. When visiting her cousin, Lilah often imagined she could use a trampoline to jump high enough to touch the sky. In Illinois, touching the sky seemed like some unattainable, foolish dream.

When they pulled into town, Lilah couldn’t stop herself from looking around at some of the changes a decade had brought.

CHAPTER TWO

Don’t worry; the mixer is supposed to be informal, Cheryl said as she took in Lilah’s crumpled appearance.

I wasn’t planning on two events, so I only brought one nice outfit. I’d really rather just sit the mixer out. I don’t want to show up in my travel clothes, Lilah argued.

After going a few rounds with her outspoken cousin, Lilah finally agreed to borrow a skirt from Cheryl and attend the mixer after all.

The mixer’s going to be at some bar that just opened up. My friend Shawn told me that one of our classmates opened it about six months ago, Cheryl said as they settled in her car.

Lilah stared out the window, and tried not to think about all her reasons for leaving this town and never looking back. She glanced at Cheryl and gave her a smile filled with enthusiasm she did not feel. Someone we graduated with opened a bar? she asked.

Yep, Cheryl confirmed. One of the guys who was on the football team opened it. Shawn said he calls it La Cantina.

How original, Lilah muttered under her breath.

When they pulled into the parking lot, the glow from the pink and blue neon sign made bright splashes of light across Cheryl’s car. Lilah tugged at the tight skirt, but it wouldn’t go below mid-thigh. She silently cursed her cousin’s personal style. Cheryl loved tight, skimpy clothes; yet another reason why she had been popular in high school and Lilah had not. Nobody liked a prude. Lilah liked to think she had grown out of her prudish ways, but she still wasn’t completely comfortable in a skirt that would show her entire ass if she bent down for something.

Stop yanking on the skirt; it doesn’t get any longer, Cheryl said with a smile.

Lilah looked at her beautiful cousin, and a sense of peace suddenly settled over her. As long as she was beside Cheryl, nobody would pay the least attention to her. That’s how it had been in high school, and that’s how it was now. Cheryl was one of those drop dead gorgeous women whom everybody noticed. Lilah was more like the afterthought, and that’s exactly how she liked it.

Cheryl entered the bar like the returning champion of the entire town. Everyone inside recognized her instantly, and she had a bar-full of smiles tossed her way without half trying. Lilah trailed behind her cousin and wondered how their classmates would react when they found out the two of them were related.

Cheryl had never admitted to any of her popular friends that the dowdy Lilah was actually a family member. Lilah had understood her cousin’s need to be circumspect about their relationship, but at times it had hurt her very deeply. Lilah hadn’t just been dowdy and prudish, she had also been very cognizant of the fact that her poverty would have reflected badly on her cousin. Cheryl’s mother and father were still married, and they had been able to provide a secure life for their only daughter.

Cheryl’s parents were the antithesis of Lilah’s mother. These days, Lilah’s mother led a relatively stable life with a man in Las Vegas, but, as a child, Lilah’s home life had been stressful even at the best of times. Lilah’s mother had been the poor relation whom Cheryl’s mother barely acknowledged.

If it isn’t the fabulous Cheryl Brown, a deep male voice said almost as soon as they walked through the door. A chorus of greetings rose up as they approached the bar. The homecoming queen, prom queen, and Rice Festival queen had just strutted into the building, dragging her nobody cousin Lilah behind her.

Hey everybody! Cheryl exclaimed with one of her trademark smiles. It was the kind of smile that made everyone feel at least a little bit special. When she directed that smile at a man, the poor guy didn’t stand a chance of avoiding infatuation with her.

Lilah hung back and watched Cheryl work the room. Suddenly, everyone seemed more alive, more enthusiastic about being in this small town bar. It was as if a celebrity had walked into the room, and, as usual, no one noticed Lilah. She quietly slinked over to the very end of the bar and perched halfway on the barstool closest to the wall. She was afraid that, if she attempted to climb all the way onto the stool, Cheryl’s skirt would ride up and embarrass her.

As she kept to the bar, she watched everyone chat with her cousin. Even the bartender ignored her presence, and she would have loved to order a drink. She wanted to fly home to Illinois, but getting sloshed and forgetting where she was would also be an improvement on the current situation. Once Cheryl finally sashayed over to sit next to her, the bartender approached them and asked, What’ll it be ladies? with a sexy smile.

Lilah was about to request a shot of Tequila when Cheryl giggled and said, We’ll have Sangria.

The bartender was about to turn away from them when Cheryl reached out and touched his arm. He looked at her and smiled again.

You look so familiar, Cheryl said with a smile.

I’m not a member of your class, but I did graduate from Bay City High School. I was a senior when you guys were freshmen. You probably know my little brother Diego; this is his bar.

Hugo Gonzales! Cheryl exclaimed with a big grin. I remember you. I had a huge crush on you freshman year.

You did? Hugo asked with another smile. Suddenly, his manner turned downright flirtatious as his eyes roamed over Cheryl’s perfect, movie star quality features.

Lilah glanced away. She hated being the third wheel, but there was no way she could leave. She silently begged her cousin to tone it down, but Cheryl ratcheted it up instead.

Cheryl arched her back and tossed her long, straightened hair to the side, exposing her neck as she said, I sure did.

If we had been in the same class, I’m sure I would have had a crush on you too, Hugo answered as he leaned in a little closer. You’re very beautiful, but I’m sure you’ve been hearing that your whole life, he added as he focused on her lips.

Lilah wanted to remind Hugo that, as the bartender, he needed to actually tend the bar. However, as he and Cheryl stared at each other, she kept her comment and her underlying resentment to herself. The air crackled with the instant attraction between the two of them, and Lilah looked away again. She had never had that effect on a man, not once.

She remembered Hugo very well. He had been a running back on the varsity football team that had won the 5A division state championship in his senior year. Almost every girl in town had developed a crush on him. Though she would never admit it, even Lilah had secretly admired Hugo.

Cheryl reached out to run one of her delicate hands over Hugo’s firm bicep. Most guys who played high school football don’t keep themselves in such great shape after the glory days are over, but you did. You look like you play for the NFL, she purred.

And you look like you could run for prom queen and win right now with that smile, Hugo said.

The two of them seemed like they were an inch away from making out right there at the bar. Lilah was on the verge of sneaking away, when another man walked up beside them and said, Hey, Hugo, are you working the bar tonight, or are you trying to get dates?

The voice sounded familiar, but Lilah couldn’t place it right away. She turned around and glanced up into the face of the man who had spoken to them. A jolt of pure hatred went through her as she recognized his face.

Hugo’s little brother was a classmate of hers, a classmate that she remembered very well. Diego Gonzales had been on the varsity football team, the varsity baseball team, he had been in the scholars and honors program, and he had been voted most handsome in their senior year. Lilah remembered him very well, because she had spent senior year seated in front of him in Calculus class. She had listened to him make fun of those who were less fortunate than himself and laugh at the very kids she most identified with. On a daily basis, Diego had made her ears burn with his arrogance and his jaded, privileged view of everyone else around him. She had always been just a hairsbreadth away from whirling in her desk and punching him right in his smug face.

She stifled the urge to dash outside and vomit on the curb as he smiled at her. He actually had the nerve to place a hand on her shoulder and give her that cheesy grin he had perfected in high school—the grin all the other girls in her class had said made them go weak in the knees. Are you a friend of Cheryl’s? he asked.

I graduated with both of you, Lilah said as she tried to keep the disgust she felt out of her voice.

Diego raised his eyebrows in surprise and said, I can’t believe I don’t recognize you. I was sure I knew everyone from our class. I own this bar, and I also own the local gym.

Lilah’s response was to shrug his hand off her shoulder and stand up, Excuse me, she said with a polite smile. She then went in search of the restroom. She hoped it would be a disgusting hole in the wall that she could vehemently criticize, but it was actually one of the cleanest, nicest ones she’d used in a bar setting.

She returned to find Cheryl and Hugo deep in conversation, like a pair of long lost friends. Hugo was no longer behind the bar; Diego had taken his place as bartender. Suddenly, Lilah was back in the awkward space she remembered well from her teen years. She hesitated at the bar, unsure of what to do next. Should she give her cousin space, or should she resume her original seat right beside her?

The decision was taken out of her hands when Diego caught her eye and said, It seems like your friend and my brother hit it off pretty good. It only took them about two minutes to discover that they both live in Pearland.

Lilah responded with one of those semi-nods and smiles she seen other people do hundreds of times. It was the universal symbol for shut up and leave me alone, but Diego kept talking.

I know just about everyone in town, but I can’t recall seeing you around. Do you live in Houston? he asked.

I do not live in Houston, Lilah answered as she attempted to sit down without letting everyone behind her catch a glimpse of her underwear.

Where do you live then? he asked.

I don’t live in Texas anymore. I left right after graduation.

Where did you go? he asked.

Why are you asking me so many questions? Lilah demanded.

I’m just trying to be friendly and figure out who you are. I know everybody else here tonight, but you are like a little mystery.

I’m sure I am, and mysteries are only fun until you’ve solved them, she returned. If you remembered who I am, you would instantly move on to the next little mystery.

Before Diego could reply again, a vaguely familiar woman walked up to the bar and asked for a pitcher of beer. Lilah watched him fill the pitcher and deliver it to a table of their classmates. She recognized everyone at the table; all of them had been part of the popular crowd. Lilah really wished her cousin had mentioned the fact that this mixer was more for the popular people in their class. At least then she would have expected to feel out of place all night.

When he returned to the bar, he approached her again. This time he smiled and said, Are you Desiree Jenkins? If you are, I must say that you’ve lost a lot of weight. Congratulations on taking charge of your health.

Lilah’s ire rose as she shot back, My name is not Desiree. Didn’t anyone ever teach you not to comment on people’s weight? What do you think gives you the right to do that?

I own a gym; that’s what gives me the right. Every day, I work with people who are trying to lose weight and get their health back. I always try to be encouraging.

Lilah almost laughed outright at that statement. He had been one of the world’s biggest jerks in high school. He had referred to more than a few normal sized girls as fat, ugly bitches. It had been a daily occurrence in the class they shared. I don’t need your encouragement. I like my body just fine the way it is, she said in an even tone.

He seemed taken aback by her tone, but he forged on with his questions anyway. Give me a clue to help me guess who you are. If I get it right before you leave, you should be my date for the reunion.

Your what? Lilah demanded in shock. Was he flirting with her? She thought he was just being nosey and possibly trying to finagle a way to get closer to Cheryl. Her heart slammed in her chest, and she grew angry all over again. Diego Gonzales was the last man on Earth she would even consider dating, even