She was all worry now. All caution. All fear.
“Where is she?”
Viv was pulled from her memory back to the sitting room of the hotel lobby. A wave of energy was rolling toward her in the form of her girlhood friends.
The memory of that long-ago day blurred into the present. Three women walked into the room, and it was easy to see who they were.
Hope. Her hair was still so enviably thick, but now a shock of white dominated it around her face. She was lean, and her arms looked strong. Her face was nearly free of makeup. The word natural described her. Beautifully natural. And she was so damn confident looking. Wow.
“Hope!” Viv stood up. Hope opened her arms and hugged her. Hope smelled like fresh lemon. She was a restauranteur now; they’d seen her place as they’d driven in. It looked warm, earthy, and beautiful. Viv just knew it would be like Hope herself.
And then J.J. practically leaped into the room.
“Get out of town! I can’t even!!!” J.J. moved Hope aside and came in for her own hug.
“J.J.! You’re kidding me. You look the same.”
“Please.” J.J. had a smile that changed her whole face. It lit it up. Her eyes danced, and her energy was the same as it had been when J.J., at eleven, had pronounced they were to be friends. She was compact and bouncy, like she’d been as a girl. Her hair now, though, was all layers and motion. Gone were the ponytails that used to bounce and flick. Viv just stared.
“It’s true, though,” Viv said. She wondered how she looked to them. She didn’t have makeup on, not because she was into being natural, but mainly because she just didn’t bother lately. Her hair was a disaster since the treatments. She felt a bit self-conscious all of a sudden.
Libby made up the caboose for the train of women. Goldie had star quality, but Libby had Queen Energy.
Truth be told, Libby was the woman in Viv’s mind’s eye when she designed some of her most popular Vivian Blackwood pieces. Younger Libby could have been a model inYoung Miss Magazine, and she’d grown into the consummate woman in charge. She was the chic boss lady, even in this casual setting. Her air of authority scared billionaires and emboldened her friends when they were girls. If Libby was on your side, you were on the correct side.
“Stop, the gorgeousness of you,” Viv said. Libby smiled at the compliment. She didn’t deflect it away.
“You make it complete; we needed you,” Libby said.
“What?”
“The Sandbar Sisters, we’re all five here now, after all this time.” Libby reached out a hand, and Viv took it. Libby squeezed it, but it was gentle. Viv appreciated this gesture. She was afraid another hug might send her into a crying jag. She was happy to see these faces. She didn’t want to cry.
“Why has it been so long, really? That’s a sin that it took thirty years,” J.J. said.
“We had stuff to do, you know, finding husbands, getting rid of husbands, raising humans, starting businesses. But we got it now. We’re all here,” Libby said.
Viv wondered about the lives of these women. A lifetime ago, they shared their dreams. What do you want to be when you grow up?
Viv had always answered “mother” to that question, and then “artist.”
She’d become both of those things, but not in the way she thought she would. The universe had different plans for her. But they were dreams fulfilled, nonetheless.
Her designs were her art. Her designs were her creative outlet.
“We know what you’ve been doing. Your designs are beautiful,” Libby said.
“Darn right they are. She invented a category.” Goldie knew Viv’s story. She’d been a part of it. Goldie had even lobbied to wear all Vivian Blackwood Designs when she starred in Perfume Empire as a groundbreaking cosmetics CEO.
“Well, thank you. I had help. Speaking of that.”
Siena walked into the scrum of women, and they went nuts over her. It was a bit of a relief for Viv. She moved away from the center of attention and tried to marshal her energy.
“We finally meet in person!”
Viv slowly realized Siena seemed to already know all her Sandbar Sisters.
Goldie came over and put her arm through Viv’s.
