“I looked him up,” Seraphina said, tugging on a dangling earring. “He sold it for eighteen million dollars.”
“Oh my goodness,” Esme. “Now I’mreallyjealous.”
“Me too,” Delphine said. “Although, compared to Alex, he’s nearly broke.”
Gillian laughed, blushing. Alex was a billionaire, after selling his tech company. Not that anyone would ever know. He was as down to earth as any of us.
“Well, Vance is not without complications,” I said.
“Oh no. Here we go,” Delphine said. “Just when I think I’m wrong about things that seem to be too good to be true, they actually are.”
Seraphina shot her a look. “Your pessimism is epic.”
Delphine shrugged. “I know.”
We were all quiet for a beat. Delphine’s husband’s suicide was still hard for any of us to talk about. It had been such a shock and so devastating that to this day none of us ever knew the right thing to say or not say.
“Never mind that,” Delphine said, reaching for a chunk of cheese. “Tell us about Vance.”
“Spare no details,” Esme said.
I told them everything. About Margot. About Nicole and the custody battle and the Instagram posts that made my blood boil.
“That poor child,” Esme said, her gentle face creasing with concern. “What an awful woman.”
“I cannot believe she’s basically sold her own daughter,” Gillian said, fury in her voice. “Who does that?”
“A total psycho,” Esme said.
“And you’re sure about this?” Delphine asked carefully. “Getting involved with a man who’s about to be a full-time single parent to a traumatized child? That’s … a lot.”
“I know,” I said. “Believe me, I know. But Delphine, you should see him with Mia. The way he talks about Margot. He’s a good man. A good father. And he needs help.”
“And you’re falling in love with him,” Seraphina said. It wasn’t a question.
I opened my mouth to deny it. Too soon. Too fast. Too complicated.
But sitting there with my best friends, I couldn’t lie.
“I think so. Is that crazy? We’ve known each other a week.”
“Sometimes you just know,” Gillian said. “Or, in my case, remember the moments together when you see them again.”
What does Mia think?” Delphine asked.
“She adores him. And she’s been great. She offered to take Margot shopping for school clothes.”
Seraphina laughed. “Of course she did.”
“From what we could see in the photos, she takes ballet,” I said. “So I suggested getting her enrolled for the fall session.”
“Great. I have my new teachers starting in the next few weeks,” Gillian said. “We’ve expanded the class schedule so we can get her in.”
We chatted more about ideas for Margot and Vance, ways to make them feel part of our village.
“Lila, is there anything special you want for your celebration party?” Seraphina asked during a lull in the conversation.
“I can’t wait to celebrate you,” Esme said.
