The Breakfast Club for 40-Somethings

Chapter 9Reunited

Reunion day had finally arrived — and those going had mixed feelings. Russ was looking forward to letting his hair down and having a few drinks. Jasper was looking forward to a lot of drinks and a possible interlude with Jayne. Karen was nervous about what people would think of her now — would they think she had gotten fat? Josie was obsessing about seeing Brad and whether they would feel any connection at all. And Jayne hoped that Jasper would single her out. Their dog walk had gone well — and she needed some romance. Brad, on the other hand, was dreading it all — except, of course, for seeing Josephine, if only to prove to himself that work really was his only love.

Ben Jamieson was already mentally calculating the odds on people actually achieving his year book predictions from 25 years ago.

Getting ready was also a mixed affair. Josie had decided that Karen should get dressed with her, which meant her make-up artist could also do her hair and face. This was, as usual with Josie, incredibly generous and Karen appreciated it. The two of them sat in Josie’s enormous three-bedroom suite, getting pampered in a way that was normal for Josie and a real treat for Karen.

Josie was also getting more hair extensions put in. Her hair had been falling out in a worrying fashion of late and she needed a bit more volume. ‘Damn! I’m going to be bald soon,’ she complained to Karen as her makeup artist of ten years artfully hid all the bare patches. Karen could not help but ...