now."
Dani laughed tightly. "As if he would care! He didn't care then and it makes no difference now." The bitterness in her voice told Cathy more than words could. She hesitated a moment, wondering if she should continue this conversation. After all, she might be wrong about Michael. But, she didn't really believe she was. She decided to take the plunge.
"He might care more than you realize."
Dani stared at Cathy a moment. Maybe Miguel had confided in her. "Did he tell you that?"
"No," Cathy answered. "But I know he feels something for you. It really bothered him that you were so angry toward him."
Cathy saw Dani roll her eyes and knew she was talking to a brick wall. Sometimes Dani could be so stubborn. But she continued on anyway. "Even if I'm wrong, it wouldn't hurt to tell him. Maybe you could shed that hatred you've been carrying around all these years. The past could finally be put to rest."
Dani shook her head. "Miguel's never felt anything for anyone, except Vanessa," she corrected herself. "I'm sorry, Cathy. I just don't see him in the same light as you do. And it won't matter one way or another if he ever knows. My feelings for him will never change." She touched her friend's arm as they reached the station. "Promise me you won't say anything to him either."
"I think you're making a mistake," Cathy told her honestly.
"Promise," Dani insisted softly.
"I won't say anything."
The two slipped out of the car and hugged goodbye. "Keep in touch, okay?" Cathy said.
Dani nodded and forced a smile, then turned and boarded the train that would take her back to the city.
Throughout the two-and-a-half hour ride back to Penn Station, Dani's thoughts wandered between past and present. The short time she'd spent with Miguel had completely unnerved her. Not what he'd said or done as much as how her feelings had been altered from one minute to the next. For a brief period, she had actually enjoyed spending time with him. The man she had once believed him to be, warm, caring, compassionate, had resurfaced and she found herself drawn to him as she had nineteen years ago. But then the sight of him with Michelle had been a slap in the face, reminding her why she no longer trusted him, and hated him.
Her memory flooded with all her reasons for not trusting him. The anguish she'd felt when she'd found him gone. The hurt and humiliation of finding out that other girls from the coffee shop had been involved with him at one time or another and had also been dumped at the drop of a hat. The pain in her parent's eyes when the deception of her relationship with Miguel had been found out. How could she possibly forget, for even a moment, all the pain he had caused her, the pain still real in her heart? It would not happen again, she told herself. She may have to be civil to him at times, but she certainly wouldn't let him make a fool of her again. Once in a lifetime was enough.
Twilight had completely shrouded the city by the time Dani arrived at her hotel. She stood for a long time on the balcony overlooking Central Park. Fireworks shot up into the darkness and exploded into brilliant suns of color over the park as the crowd below marveled over their magnificence.
Dani's resolve to thrust the day's events from her mind faded like the fireworks and tears threatened to sting her eyes. She couldn't push the image from her mind of Miguel with Michelle cuddled against him. Would their little girl have looked like Michelle, the combination of his dark hair and her blond creating a fiery redhead? The guilt and pain of what she'd done never went away. It only deepened with the years.
Her hatred for Miguel now equaled, if not exceeded the love she'd once felt for him. Could she ever let that hate go, as Cathy had suggested? How could she when she had to live with the pain of her actions for the rest of her life? The actions caused only because of her association with him.
Finally, the fireworks ended and
Dani laughed tightly. "As if he would care! He didn't care then and it makes no difference now." The bitterness in her voice told Cathy more than words could. She hesitated a moment, wondering if she should continue this conversation. After all, she might be wrong about Michael. But, she didn't really believe she was. She decided to take the plunge.
"He might care more than you realize."
Dani stared at Cathy a moment. Maybe Miguel had confided in her. "Did he tell you that?"
"No," Cathy answered. "But I know he feels something for you. It really bothered him that you were so angry toward him."
Cathy saw Dani roll her eyes and knew she was talking to a brick wall. Sometimes Dani could be so stubborn. But she continued on anyway. "Even if I'm wrong, it wouldn't hurt to tell him. Maybe you could shed that hatred you've been carrying around all these years. The past could finally be put to rest."
Dani shook her head. "Miguel's never felt anything for anyone, except Vanessa," she corrected herself. "I'm sorry, Cathy. I just don't see him in the same light as you do. And it won't matter one way or another if he ever knows. My feelings for him will never change." She touched her friend's arm as they reached the station. "Promise me you won't say anything to him either."
"I think you're making a mistake," Cathy told her honestly.
"Promise," Dani insisted softly.
"I won't say anything."
The two slipped out of the car and hugged goodbye. "Keep in touch, okay?" Cathy said.
Dani nodded and forced a smile, then turned and boarded the train that would take her back to the city.
Throughout the two-and-a-half hour ride back to Penn Station, Dani's thoughts wandered between past and present. The short time she'd spent with Miguel had completely unnerved her. Not what he'd said or done as much as how her feelings had been altered from one minute to the next. For a brief period, she had actually enjoyed spending time with him. The man she had once believed him to be, warm, caring, compassionate, had resurfaced and she found herself drawn to him as she had nineteen years ago. But then the sight of him with Michelle had been a slap in the face, reminding her why she no longer trusted him, and hated him.
Her memory flooded with all her reasons for not trusting him. The anguish she'd felt when she'd found him gone. The hurt and humiliation of finding out that other girls from the coffee shop had been involved with him at one time or another and had also been dumped at the drop of a hat. The pain in her parent's eyes when the deception of her relationship with Miguel had been found out. How could she possibly forget, for even a moment, all the pain he had caused her, the pain still real in her heart? It would not happen again, she told herself. She may have to be civil to him at times, but she certainly wouldn't let him make a fool of her again. Once in a lifetime was enough.
Twilight had completely shrouded the city by the time Dani arrived at her hotel. She stood for a long time on the balcony overlooking Central Park. Fireworks shot up into the darkness and exploded into brilliant suns of color over the park as the crowd below marveled over their magnificence.
Dani's resolve to thrust the day's events from her mind faded like the fireworks and tears threatened to sting her eyes. She couldn't push the image from her mind of Miguel with Michelle cuddled against him. Would their little girl have looked like Michelle, the combination of his dark hair and her blond creating a fiery redhead? The guilt and pain of what she'd done never went away. It only deepened with the years.
Her hatred for Miguel now equaled, if not exceeded the love she'd once felt for him. Could she ever let that hate go, as Cathy had suggested? How could she when she had to live with the pain of her actions for the rest of her life? The actions caused only because of her association with him.
Finally, the fireworks ended and
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