“I know that. And I imagine so did Isaac.”
* * *
“He said that?” Lauren asks, sounding as though she might fall for Liam.
“He did.”
“Honestly, the bit about still-young-but-slightly-wiser Abby? Oh, wow,” she says with a dreamy sigh. “That’s like something out of one of your books.”
I empty some salt and pepper chips into a salad bowl. “It’s better.”
“Okay, it is, but I didn’t want to hurt your feelings.”
We both laugh, then I groan loudly. “It is better, and that’s the problem. I’m getting all confused and I don’t like it.”
“You mean you’re falling for him and you’re terrified,” she says. “Oh, I forgot to tell you I’m your new emotions translator until you get used to being fully transparent.”
“Thanks.”
“No problem.”
I take my snack to the living room and settle myself onto the couch. “Okay, I might be kind of terrified. The chemistry is definitely there.”
“Really?” she asks, a smile in her voice.
“Yeah, and I’m pretty sure that’s mutual.”
“As chemistry should be,” she says. “That sounds promising, if you ask me.”
“It’s not promising, it’s terrible. I’m still married to Isaac, to whom I promised to remain faithful ‘for all the days of my life.’ Not some, not most, not as long as he was around.Allthe days of my life. So where does that leave me now?”
“Abby, come on. Of course you should find love again. Even Isaac, to whom you pledged your unending devotion, told you to find someone else.”
“And I said I wouldn’t,” I snap. “So if I do, that means I was lying to him on his deathbed. And I know we’ve established I’m a total liar, but Jesus.”
“He knew what you really meant, which was that you’d always love him. And you will. It’s not like you’ll forget about Isaac if you find a man who makes you happy again,” she says. “Besides, if you’d have gone first, do you think he’d have gone the rest of his life without seeing anyone? Most men last, like, six months, tops. Drew’s got someone picked out already if I go first.”
My mouth drops open, then I say, “Are you serious?”
“Yes, she’s a junior partner at his firm.”
“Who?” I ask, suddenly furious on Lauren’s behalf. “Have I met her?”
“Yes, at Drew’s fortieth. Audra, the blond one.”
Raising my voice, I say, “You mean Pollyanna with huge boobs?”
“That’s the one,” Lauren says, sounding like she couldn’t care less.
“How are you still married?”
“Because Drew’s got absolutely no game. There’s no way he could land her, even if I was dead,” she adds. “But my point is this—don’t take yourself permanently off the market just because you would’ve wanted Isaac to.”
I sit quietly for a minute, letting myself process all of this.
“Look, Isaac was a wonderful man and a loyal husband,” Lauren says. “And I’m not trying to upset you.”
“To be honest, what you’re saying is kind of shitty. You’re making all men sound … shallow. Haven’t you readA Man Called Ove?”
