She pipes up and makes a circle in the air with her finger. “What’s all that for, and who’s texting you?”
Phew. I’m saved by Faith and Addison, who barge through the side door with bags of groceries in their arms.
“What is all this?” Lane says as she helps them with the bags. Setting the bags on the counter, one of them falls, and the groceries spill out.
“We’re going all out with our ice cream sundaes tonight,” Faith says as she removes bottles of toppings from the bag. Then I see four containers of ice cream that are pulled out as well.
Lane nudges me. “You’re not getting out of this.”
Faith and Addison look over at us, waiting for any more comments. Then, Addison moves closer to us and squints her eyes. “What’s going on?”
My mind races through images of this morning with Dane, and the electricity that was between us. It was hard to ignore. There’s no way I’m getting out of sharing with them. And we share everything, so…
“Okay, you’re never going to believe who showed up at the salon this morning with my client Jane.” I shrug and shake my head.
“I love Jane. She’s such an amazing older woman—full of wisdom,” says Lane.
“Remember that guy from Buena Vista—Dane. Also, the one who took care of the permits…”
Everyone is nodding as they stare back at me on the edge of their seats.
“What?!” they all yell in unison.
“Yup! I couldn’t believe my eyes when he came strolling in the door this morning. I think he was just as shocked as I was. He’sJane’s grandson, you know, the one she’s been trying to set me up with forever?”
With Faith’s hands still to her mouth, just as she’s dragging them away, she says, “More details…how did he end up at your salon? This sounds juicy.”
I fill them in from the minute he walked into the salon to the moment he walked out.
“Holy shit.” Addison blows out her words. “That’s unreal.”
“You have no idea.” Thoughts of his hands and mouth roaming all over my body—touching and kissing me this morning.
Faith nudges my shoulder. “What are you thinking?”
“I just…” I take a quick breath. “He’s been really nice and has been pursuing me with text messages all week…I said yes to a date tomorrow,” I say, letting that hang in the air as they process.
Addison stumbles over her words. “I… wait…you are going on a date?” As she says date, the other two chime in with ‘tomorrow’.
My friends are the best. It’s been over ten years, and we know how to entice each other for information.
“You can’t just drop a bomb like that and let it linger,” Addison fires out.
“You’re in deep, aren’t you?” my wonderful therapist friend, Faith, asks.
The words hit me like a brick, and my arms cross over the table as my head bangs down on my forearms. “I think so, but I don’t want to get my hopes up.”
I lift my head slightly and take a peek at their faces—full of warmth and a bit of concern.
Faith rubs my forearm. “Tell us more.”
“He’s been so attentive. His actions have shown a side of him I didn’t expect after that one-night stand. It feels different. I feel different. The sparks that fly when we are close—it’s jolting.”I lean back in my chair and shrug. “I’m excited for this date. The text messages keep me tethered to him, and my belly does somersaults every time I read them.”
Lane slides in closer. “You went through a lot with Jake, and I’m sure it’s hard to even contemplate a relationship with a guy, especially someone who makes you feel gooey inside. I haven’t heard of sparks flying with any other guys. There haven’t been that many, anyway.”
“I don’t want to fall into a trap either. Jake sucked me in with manipulation that was dressed in charm and attention. It took so long for me to twist out of his grip. I’m trying to look at the positive and see where it goes. I’ll admit it’s hard.”
“Then you see where it goes, have your eyes wide open,” Lane says as she lifts herself from the chair.
