Could I do it again?
Would it bring me the peace and happiness it used to when I would shape clay with my mother?
A knock on the front door pulls me from my daze. Pushing my tea aside, I swing the door open to find Anna and Gemma grinning on the stoop.
“Oh my God!” I exclaim, throwing my arms around them. “I wasn’t expecting you!”
Gemma lifts a bottle of red wine with a smirk. “We thought girl time was in order.”
“Perfect! Let me grab some glasses.”
They follow me into the kitchen, gathering around the island while I reach into the cupboard for three long-stemmed glasses. Gemma uncorks the bottle with a sharp twist and pours us each a generous amount.
“Cheers,” Anna says as we clink our glasses together. We bring the wine to our lips, and the first sip is nothing short of heavenly. “Mmmm,” we all groan in unison.
As I lift the glass to my lips for a second helping, I notice Anna carrying a large paper bag. I raise an eyebrow and gesture towards it with my glass. “What’s in the bag?”
“Well,” she says, dragging out the word. “That’s sort of why we’re here.”
“What?”
Anna places the bag gently on the counter, sliding it towards me with a cheeky grin.
“Okay, now I’m worried,” I say, narrowing my eyes.
“Just open it!” Gemma urges, practically bouncing on her toes.
Lowering my glass to the counter, I grab the bag and pull it open with both hands. Inside, I spot a long rectangular box nestled amongst the tissue paper.
“You guys got me a gift?” I say, glancing between them. “You didn’t need to do that.”
“Oh, I think we did,” Anna replies, her grin widening.
Curiosity gets the better of me, and one-handed, I pull the box from the bag. Flipping off the lid, I freeze, staring at the contents with wide eyes. My fingers curl around the wine glass as embarrassment sweeps over me.
“You bought me a sex toy?” I blurt, my voice catching somewhere between shock and utter horror.
Gemma beams, practically glowing with pride as I lift the toy to inspect it. “Not just any old toy—adeluxeone. Look! It’s got a part for your G-spotanda suction bit for your clit. This baby is top of the line.”
“Okay, Dildo Baggins,” I say, holding it up between my thumb and forefinger, dangling it between us.
“It’s a vibrator, actually,” Anna chimes in, her grin widening. “One Toy to Rule Them All!”
We burst into laughter. “I honestly don’t know whether to be thankful or mortified that my best friends bought me a sex toy.”
“Thankful. Definitely thankful,” Gemma says, shooting me a wink.
We spend the rest of the evening indulging in wine and picking at the small cheese board I’ve thrown together, catching up on our workweeks and laughing over Gemma’s latest dating disaster.
“And then he sent me a photo of his finger shoved up his ass—in his work bathroom, no less,” she finishes explaining. Anna and I cringe so hard it feels like our faces might get stuck that way.
“So,” Gemma says, changing the subject as she swirls the last of her wine, “what are you both up to tomorrow?”
“It’s me we’re talking about,” I say with a shrug. “I’ll probably be drowning my sorrows in a bottle of red and binge-watching Netflix with Basil.”
“As delightful as that sounds,” Anna chimes in, “Mason has a work dinner tomorrow night, and I say we make the most of my free evening.”
“It’s like you read my mind,” Gemma says, pressing a hand to her heart.
