I still found it difficult to believe I didn’t need to be invisible anymore.
Lucas led us to our table, then pulled out our chairs and waited while we sat.
I squirmed under his careful appraisal.
“You changed your hair,” he said finally. “It’s lovely.”
“Highlights,” I said, pushing a swath of soft waves behind one ear. The stylist had added blond and platinum strands through my naturally mousy locks, successfully covering and blending my grays. She cut layers and sideswept bangs, then used her blow-dryer to add volume. “We had a spa day.”
The effects of the experience left me feeling young and dramatic. I couldn’t wait to do it again.
Lucas’s attention moved to my hands, probably clocking the professional French manicure, before returning to my eyes. “Special occasion?”
“Celebrating our badassery,” Alicia chimed in.
He smiled. “In that case, I’ll get the wine.” Lucas patted the table, then strode away.
“He likes you,” she said. “I told Cam already. He agrees.”
“Cam has never even met him,” I told her. “Neither had you, until now.”
Alicia arched a brow. “But I listen, and I hear it in how you talk about him. You know what else? You don’t just think he’s hot. You like him too.”
My face heated. “So?”
Her jaw dropped. “I knew it!”
I shook my head at her and busied myself with the menu. “Doesn’t matter. He’s my boss, and I’m technically still married. Plus, he’s in love with his wife.”
“His wife would want him to be happy,” she said.
“Oh sure.” I guffawed. “Would you want Cam to move on if you died first?”
Her expression turned feral. “If I die first, he’s to climb into the coffin after me and close the lid. No exceptions. No excuses.”
“Very healthy.”
She looked back at her menu. “Death will not us part, that’s all I’m saying.”
I laughed.
“This isn’t about me, anyway,” she said. “Robert shouldn’t be a stumbling block either. I’m not convinced the two of you were ever truly married,” she said. “Legal precedence aside. You were strangers who shared a house.”
She wasn’t wrong. I’d been so busy trying to be what he wanted, in the early years, that I was never really myself. Then I was so focused on achieving the white-picket-fence dream that I overlooked and forgave all the awful things about him that should’ve sent me packing.
“And have you seen Lucas?” Alicia continued. She fanned her face with the menu. “Soph, that man is fine.”
“He’s my boss.”
Lucas returned with two wine flights. Each board carried five glasses, arranged from white to dark red. “These all come from the same region and vineyard in the South of France,” he said. “A white, two rosés, a sweet red blend, and a full-bodied cabernet sauvignon. Take your time with the menu, and I’ll be right back with some water and a basket of bread.”
I watched him walk away.
Alicia folded her hands on the table and leveled me with a knowing stare.
Two hours later, I was stuffed with French bread, beef bourguignon, and wine. The restaurant was quiet, and Alicia had excused herself to the ladies’ room so long ago I wondered if she’d secretly walked home.
“How was everything?” Lucas asked, rubbing his palms together as he returned to check on us.
