I pulled into Alicia’s driveway just after breakfast. Cameron and her sons played catch on the lawn outside their pretty blue-and-white cottage. She rose from the porch swing and moved gracefully in my direction, purse in hand.
Cameron broke away from the game to catch her around the middle and kiss her head before she reached my SUV. He opened my passenger door for her and waved. “Hey, Sophie. What’s on the agenda this time? Should I arrange another drunken pickup or—”
“Shush,” Alicia said. “We haven’t decided yet. You’re all on standby!” she hollered, projecting her voice in the direction of her watching teens.
They cracked up, and I smiled.
Cameron closed Alicia’s door while she fastened her seat belt. “At least tell me if she’s coming home altered again?” He worked his brows. “That was a surprise.” He reached across Alicia, and gave me a high five.
“Hey! Stop that!” She shoved his arm back through the open window. “Fire up the grill when you get hungry,” she said. “I don’t know what else we’re doing, but we’re absolutely eating somewhere nice.”
Cameron stepped away with a warm smile, then bent down for another peek inside. “Have fun,” he said. “Let me know about that ride.”
Alicia stuck out her tongue.
I leaned against my steering wheel to look at Cameron. “I’m going to be your favorite person after today.”
He clutched his chest. “Are you going lingerie shopping? Say it’s lingerie shopping.” He pulled a wallet from his pocket and pretended to search his credit cards. “You know what?” He closed the wallet and extended the entire wallet as an offering. “Just take it all.”
Their boys collapsed onto the grass one by one, grasping their throats and fake dying.
“Goodbye!” Alicia called. She waved the wallet away. “I love you. Don’t text me.”
I shifted into reverse, and sailed back down the drive.
Cameron, an engineer by trade and profession, volunteer coached T-ball teams when the boys were small, then peewee football and Little League. These days their three boys played five sports, and Cameron cheered from the stands at every game, during every season.
She really had married a good one.High-quality men still exist,I thought, and Lucas’s image popped into mind.
I’d always thought Alicia lucked out with Cameron, but I was beginning to see she’d simply taken her time. She wasn’t the kind to stick around to see if the chemistry picked up, or if a guy who bored her on the first date would be more fun on the second. If she didn’t feel a connection, she moved on. She was down to do or try anything, but she was utterly inflexible when it came to her standards.
All these years later, that stance had gotten her everything I wanted.
“You look pretty today,” she said, smiling as we motored away. “I especially love this hat.” She tugged on the floppy brim. “It suits you.”
I smiled. “I found it in one of the upstairs closets.” I kept peeking behind the closed doors, only to get overwhelmed and change my mind about starting a new project when my hands were already so full.
“How’s Camilla?” she asked.
“Excellent.” I beamed. “Home from the Maldives and unengaged.” I’d wanted to throw a party when she returned without a ring, but I kept my mouth shut and listened to the details of her trip with bone-deep relief.
Life just kept getting better.
“So where are we going today?” She steepled her fingers and touched them to her chin.
“How do you feel about a spa day?”
“Shut. Up.” Alicia dropped her head against the headrest. “I deserve a spa day. Are we getting mani-pedis?”
“Yes. And Swedish massages,” I said. “And a little of all their services, actually.”
Alicia turned to me, lips parted in awe. “If Cameron dies first, I’m asking you to be my bride.”
“Fine, but I expect a flash mob and a helicopter to take us into the sunset,” I said.
“Of course.”
I’d made six dozen assorted pastries in a single night for the spa, after another baker bailed before a big customer appreciation event. For that, I scored two full-service day passes in addition to a major payday. Who said baking wasn’t the best job ever? Certainly not me. “Ever had a Brazilian wax?” I asked.
