“You should try the pomegranate martini,” he said.
She bit her lip. “How come?”
With a shrug, he grabbed a bottle of triple sec. “Pretty girls always love pomegranate.”
Chardonnay isn’t complex enough for you.
Ever since the ballet, the man from the theater’s warm presence had stuck to my skin like static cling. What had he seen in my eyes that had made him approach me?
“I’ll take a Merlot,” I told the bartender.
Gretchen whirled around. “You’re here,” she exclaimed, pulling me into a hug. “ThankGod. This crowd is beyond boring.”
It was easy to go unnoticed amongst the high-society, supposedly interesting social circle Andrew had brought Lucy into. Since arriving a few minutes earlier, I’d overheard tidbits here and there such as investment portfolio advice, private school laments, market projections, and vacation home upkeep.
I didn’t fit in here. So wheredidI belong? I stopped the thought in its tracks. It was that kind of thinking that got people into trouble. That had put me in the orbit of a mystery stranger who’d seemed to cut through my defenses with a single look.
“Lucy’s come a long way from a few years ago,” I said.
“We all have.” Gretchen accepted her pomegranate martini from the bartender. “Remember that first shitty apartment the three of us shared after college?”
“I wish I could forget it,” I said as I got my wine next. “I still don’t know how I survived stumbling up five flights of stairs drunk at three a.m. Or the rat poison we had to put out every few weeks. Or the moldy shower.”
“But there were more good times than bad,” Gretchen said.
I smiled to myself. “We’d meet at home after work, change outfits, and stay out until the early morning hours without even realizing it.”Responsibilityhad been just another word in the dictionary. Where had the time gone? Things were different now, there was no doubt. But something in particular felt amiss. With the onset of a new season, change seemed imminent, although I couldn’t identify why that might be.
“I love this,” Gretchen said, admiring my very fitted white dress that hugged my slight curves and dipped just off my shoulders. “Where’s Bill?”
“He’s in New York for work.”
“Damn. Why didn’t I think of that excuse?” She laughed as I sipped my Merlot. “Lucy shot down all my attempts to get out of this.”
“Whatisthis anyway?” I asked, glancing around the room.
“No idea.”
“I’ve never known Lucy to throw a party for no reason,” I said. “It’s always something—housewarming, job promotion, election night. She didn’t even send a formal invitation.”
“How long do you think we have to stay?” Gretchen tapped her black strappy heel on the floor. “I’ve been here twenty minutes and haven’t even seen Lucy yet.”
I craned my neck but only spotted Andrew talking to a group of his friends. “Should we go find her?”
As the words left my mouth, Lucy appeared from the hallway leading to the master bedroom. She looked over the crowd as best she could at her height until she spotted Gretchen and me. With her chin raised, she made a beeline for us, smiling politely at her guests but not stopping for anyone.
“Where have you been?” Gretchen asked when she neared.
Lucy inhaled deeply through her nose. “I was waiting for you both to get here. I wanted you to be the first to know.”
Gretchen and I both leaned in. “To knowwhat?” I asked.
Lucy took Gretchen’s martini from her and sipped.
“Hey!” Gretchen complained.
Lucy’s face turned several shades of red as she watched us over the rim, her eyes sparkling. She raised the glass to us—and nearly blinded me with the rock on her finger.
Gretchen and I gasped at the same moment. “Andrewproposed?” I asked.
