I tugged at the sleeve of a newly purchased cashmere sweater, wondering if the soft blue was the right color for my olive-toned skin. Since it was too late to second-guess the choice, I pushed the thought aside and pulled my thick damp curls into a bun. As usual, I kept my jewelry simple because I had no desire to be like my madre. Only my watch and diamond studs that caught the light when I moved.
Downstairs, I heard the door shut. Dominic must have finished and let himself out. At least one man in my life knew how to make himself useful.
Minutes later the doorbell rang, and I walked with my wine glass in hand. Using my free hand, I opened the door. "What's up, bitches?"
Mei walked in first. This Chinese beauty, with her sharp cheekbones and almond eyes, snatched my glass and lifted it to her mouth. "Thanks."
My mouth fell open. She had no idea what kind of day I'd had but went straight for the one thing holding me together. Mei patted my shoulder in a playful way and stepped past me. As always, my full-time medical student and part-time model friend walked with easy confidence while taking the wine glass farther from me.
"Really? You're doing door service but didn't bring me one?"
Turning my head from one to the other, I complained, "That bitch stole my drink."
Olivia greeted me with a wide, warm smile that turned into a soft chuckle as she stepped past me, her long legs and blonde hair bouncing behind her. She slipped out of heels I had never spotted in a store and wore a dress I fully intended to get thedetails on before the night ended. As she made her way further into my home, Mei offered her glass. That figured. Olivia was an heiress too, but unlike me, not many told her no.
"I'll get my own," she said as I joined them.
Next to me, Olivia filled a wine glass so high I wondered why she even bothered moving it from the bottle.
Mei seemed to read my mind. "You might as well have just lifted the bottle to your head."
We laughed, like we were back in the college dorms, not professional women with corporate jobs and mortgages.
"Getting drunk is one thing. I'm still going to do it with class," Olivia said.
"Says the woman who vomited in the taxi last week," I said.
We shared another laugh, then the doorbell rang. I hurried to answer it. "Oh, good, Demetria is here. We can finally get this started. You guys wouldn't believe the day I had."
"Let me guess, fucked a man over breakfast, another for lunch, and one probably lined up for after we leave," Mei mocked.
Damn, they really knew me well.
Opening the door, I smiled. "You're late."
"The law firm had a meeting. Sorry."
We embraced, and in a matter of seconds, Demetria, who I was the closest to of all the girls, picked up on something. "Are you OK?"
After she'd removed her shoes and headed toward Mei, who held a glass of wine out to her, I shared, "Bruno is back."
All three of them just stared at me, frozen. Olivia had her mouth slightly open like she forgot to close it, Mei blinked hard as if trying to process what she'd just heard, and Demetria tilted her head, eyebrows raised high, clearly questioning if I'd spoken correctly.
"Let's eat," I said, walking past them all toward the table.
"Fuck food. Where did you see that piece of shit?" Olivia asked.
Only when I reached the table and lowered my glass did I answer. "At Amoré Nights."
"What? Why was he there?" Mei asked.
It made no sense to stand talking while the food got cold, so I pulled my seat out, sat, and everyone followed. Demetria sat beside me, her long curly black hair falling over one shoulder, and she swallowed her wine like a marathon runner on the finish line.
"Spill it."
As ordered, I told my friends about the day I'd had.
"Here, take your wine back," Mei said, even though I'd already poured another glass.
