Jane’s body felt heavy yet wonderfully relaxed, her reactions frozen in the moment; her gaze intense through eyelids drugged with desire. She imagined her body lying next to his, breathing in his scent, savoring his taste. She could almost feel his skin as she envisioned running her hand across his stomach and then leaning over to follow with her lips. Her tongue would tease him as she worked her way toward her goal.

“Jane Uxbridge, are you even listening to me?” Pam asked.

Reluctantly, Jane tore her gaze from Peter Carter and turned to answer her friend. “Yes, you said something about drinks, but look, over there beside the rose arch, it’s Peter.”

Pam followed her directions. “Oh.” A knowing smile pulled at her mouth, and she uttered a low whistle between her full, brightly painted lips. “He has grown up well.”

“Shush.” Jane grabbed her arm. “Someone will hear you.”

“For goodness sakes, Jane, it may be a school reunion, but we are no longer fifteen. Go and talk to him while I grab us some drinks.” With that, Pam flounced away, no hesitation, no apologizing for her existence. She watched her friend calling out to people, waving to others, and wished she had that kind of confidence. Pam was well made, sexy as hell, and full of fun. She was also married to a man who worshipped her and their two boys.

Jane, however, had lurched from one miserable relationship to another, perpetually attracted to men who were more concerned with their own welfare than hers. She sighed and snuck another look at Peter; he did indeed look gorgeous. Several inches taller than her five-foot-nine, his body was lean and strong. She wondered if he was still quick to smile, creasing his blue eyes when he did. She thought of dark hair that used to skim his shoulders, although a quick check confirmed a more conservative cut these days.

During primary school, they’d been best buds, spending all their spare time together roaming the woods beside their village. However, as they’d grown older, Peter discovered girls. Not the sort of girl who made her face purple eating bill berries they’d just picked, or who hung upside down with him from a tree, but girls who knew the value of makeup and feminine clothes.

Since Jane was always going to be the former, they’d drifted apart around about the time her hormones finally kicked in and she realized she was hopelessly in love with Peter Carter.

“Well?” Pam asked as she returned, shoving a fruit punch in Jane’s hand.

Jane’s face creased with anxiety. “I can’t just go over there and start talking. Besides, we’re here for the whole weekend. I promise I will talk to him eventually; when I’m ready.”

Pam’s gaze moved heavenward. “I just talked to Lisa Stratham, remember her? Anyway, she heard that Peter divorced last year and isn’t seeing anyone at the moment. Perfect opportunity, two single people at a school reunion. You’d better get in there before somebody else does, because it looks to me like the vultures are already circling.”

Jane peeked back over her shoulder and inhaled sharply. “Fiona Smith, I might have known. Is she even single?”

“Who cares?” Pam shrugged. “At these things, anything goes.”

Fiona had been the most popular girl to Peter’s most popular boy status. They had dated on and off throughout high school.

“I can’t compete with that,” Jane wailed. “I mean, look at her. She’s all flowery and floaty in that dress, and I’m in my cut-offs and T-shirt.”

“I did tell you that casual dress for the meet-and-greet afternoon session really meant dress up and pose.”

Jane looked around at the gravelled area. She was in deed one of a small minority who had taken the invite at its word. “Why is it I never get these things right?” she asked, more to herself than anyone else. She felt so out of place and dowdy. “I’m going to my room.”

“Don’t be like that, Jane,” Pam pleaded. “It’s not often I get a weekend away.”

“You know plenty of people. You don’t need me. I’ll just go and see if I have anything to change into then I’ll be back.”

“Don’t be too long,” Pam called after her.

Jane didn’t have far to walk. The hotel they were staying in for the weekend was a refurbished medieval castle, and the greeting area was a large, gravel courtyard surrounded by rooms converted from the old stable blocks. At the far end of the courtyard an archway led off to the gardens, resplendent with mature trees, exotic plants, and water features.

Jane fumbled in her small rucksack for her key card. Once inside the main entrance, four doors led off to different bedrooms. She and Pam had adjoining rooms; images of recreating teenage sleepovers had danced in their heads when they’d made their reservations. Jane headed to her space and flung herself down on the bed. The room was in style with the rest of the castle, sporting soft, heavily embroidered furnishings and a tiny window to the outside.

She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. Why couldn’t she just be one of those women for the weekend? The ones who could not only walk in heels but dance in them too. The sort of woman Peter deserved. The type he would be interested in. Jane had been so excited when she saw he had accepted the event invitation on Facebook, and she’d looked forward to the chance to catch up. What she hadn’t anticipated was the rush of old feelings that returned.

Pam was right. Twenty years melted away, and she felt as if she were fifteen all over again, sitting in her bedroom, listening to sappy love songs, waiting for Peter to realize they were destined to be together.

She turned over and buried a scream in the pillow, followed by a few hefty punches to vent her frustration.

“At these things, anything goes,” Pam had said.

Over the next hour she formulated a plan.