RSVP with Love. Sandra Kitt

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      Dear Reader,

      I had hoped to attend a college with the traditional, away-from-home residential setting of somewhere like Spelman College. But as with some of you, I’m sure, I did not go away to attend college. Living in a huge urban center like New York City, I had more than a dozen top-tier, nationally known colleges within fifty miles of where I grew up: Columbia, Fordham, NYU, Sarah Lawrence and my alma mater, City College. The best I could do for a real campus experience was move into my own apartment in Manhattan at nineteen, and become very involved in clubs, activities and school government. There was still plenty of young-adult angst (like what my characters in RSVP with Love experienced), first (and second-chance) romances, wonderful opportunities leading to great adventures and the forming of lifelong friendships.

      The HOLLINGTON HOMECOMING series reflects what I wanted my college and postgraduate years to be like…and they were! It was great fun revisiting the possibilities, and remembering everything about that transition period which was one of the most important periods of my life. I hope you enjoy RSVP with Love, the first book in the series. And I hope all the stories bring back good memories for you.

      Sandra Kitt

      Contents

      Prologue

      Chapter 1

      Chapter 2

      Chapter 3

      Chapter 4

      Chapter 5

      Chapter 6

      Chapter 7

      Chapter 8

      Chapter 9

      Chapter 10

      Prologue

      “Go on. Admit it. The last four years at Hollington have been exciting, enriching and challenging. None of us will ever forget those night-before-exam cram sessions fueled by potato chips, beer and desperation…”

      There was a smattering of laughter from the young men and women seated in front of the band shell stage, uniformly dressed in caps and gowns. Chloe Jackson was sure, as she knew the faculty must be, that their four years had been stoked at times with far more than what she’d politely mentioned. But this was neither the time nor the forum for reminding her fellow classmates that they’d arrived at Hollington College, for the most part, as teenagers with a penchant for arrogance, and were leaving as adults who’d learned they still didn’t know everything. There had been a lot of foolish mistakes, unforgivable behavior, triumphs, broken hearts and vendettas but also a unilateral determination to succeed.

      Chloe glanced over the gathering of her classmates, detecting the rising hum of restlessness as they waited for the pomp and circumstance to be done, for her valedictorian address to end. The late afternoon sun was already shifting to the west. The next order of business for the graduates and the coming evening…some serious celebration.

      “Even those crazy days and nights were part of our education, part of the process by which we learn to manage life, our uncompromising professors and bad diets. So, here we are at the tipping point. The scoreboard shows winning numbers all around. Hollington will soon be behind us and our futures straight ahead. We have been given all the necessary tools to make it bright and rewarding. Congratulations, class of 1999. We did it. Game on!”

      Chloe gathered her notes and turned to leave the stage as enthusiastic and sustained applause broke out from the seated students. While she made her way back to her seat, the dean was already making final remarks, bringing the ceremony to a close. Chloe took her seat, and the young man in black-framed glasses sitting next to her leaned close.

      “In training to be speaker of the house or a sports announcer?” Micah Ross whispered. “Impressive send-off.”

      Chloe acknowledged the comment with a smile but said nothing. Micah, a very smart but quiet young man, was probably her best friend at Hollington. They’d somehow managed to become each other’s confidant in an environment that mostly cultivated couples and brief flings. Micah had been telling her in their last year that she would make a great СКАЧАТЬ