“Reese!” She hooked her crossbody handbag over her shoulder and ran toward me.

Reese … I hadn’t been called that in years. I was Therese to my dad and my grandparents. I was Therese at the Christian academy and to my new Christian friends.

My body stiffened, panicked by the stranger ready to get up close and personal with me. Would she smell the same? Would her embrace feel the same?

“Hi,” I croaked as she knocked the wind out of me and nearly tackled me to the ground.

“Oh my baby …” She cried. Literally cried.

I had thought I would cry too, but there were no tears in sight. Nerves and sheer awkwardness gobbled them up before my eyes had a prayer of shedding even a single one.

Everything felt different.

Her embrace was not as comforting, probably too many bones and not enough fat.

She smelled woodsy, not the floral scent of her perfume I remembered.

I thanked God for reuniting us. My mind should have stopped there. That was all that mattered, but I couldn’t stop thinking about all the ways she was a little less than I remembered. Did my thirteen-year-old self have her on a pedestal? Or was the eighteen-year-old version of me being unfairly judgmental?

Thou shalt not judge …

That was always a hard one to obey.

“You’ve grown into the most beautiful young lady.” She grabbed my shoulders and held me at arm’s length, getting a good look at me.

“Thanks.” I smiled.

“Well, let’s get your luggage and head home. We have so much catching up to do before I leave town.” She looped her arm around mine and led me toward the baggage claim.

“What? You’re leaving?”

“It’s just for a month. Six weeks tops. My new employer is sending me to L.A. to work at his salon there and get refreshed on my skills. I’ll be working with people who do hair and makeup for celebrities. How awesome is that?”

“Um … really awesome, I guess. So, I’ll be living alone, in your house?”

“Yes and no.” We stopped and waited for my luggage at the carousel. “And it’s my landlord’s house. Not mine. I just rent the basement. It has its own entrance at the back. He’s the nicest guy. And adorable. We’ve become good friends. I’ve told him all about you. And he’s also willing to give you a temporary job this summer while you figure out what you want to do.”

“What kind of job?” I watched for my suitcase, sparing a quick side-glance for my mom.

“He owns a construction company. I’m not sure what you’d be doing, but I’m sure you couldn’t ask for a better boss.”