Charmaine walked over to the pram and looked inside to see a tiny baby sleeping. Her dark lashes made half-moons on her pale cheeks, her lips were pink rosebuds.
“She’s perfect,” Charmaine whispered, in awe.
“I’m starving,” Penny said. “We should eat before she wakes up because then I’ll have to feed her instead of myself.”
They all sat around a large, round table. A waitress took their orders and then brought them pitchers of lemonade and mineral water. Charmaine took a sip of lemonade; it was sweet and exactly what she needed. It’d been a long morning at the flower shop, and she was glad to get off her feet for an hour and have something to eat and drink.
“How are you going managing everything now without Betsy?” Taya asked.
“It’s going well. There are a lot of things I didn’t know about. Betsy managed most of the administrative and ordering side of things. But I’m getting the hang of it, and I’ve hired some part-time help. Which lets me do things like have lunch with friends.”
“You’re going to be fine,” Bea replied. “You take everything in stride. You’re strong and resilient.”
Charmaine had never thought of herself that way before. In fact, if someone had asked her that question two years earlier, she would’ve stated without hesitation that she was too sensitive and didn’t follow things through — because that’s what she’d always been told, by her mother, by teachers, by everyone in her life. She was the tentative, shy, mousy girl who everyone overlooked and who ran rather than face any kind of hardship or conflict. But things had changed. She had changed. She wasn’t that young, frightened girl any longer. She’d grown up, become a woman, and faced her fears.
“Thank you,” she said. “I’ve finally grown some courage, I suppose.”
“Definitely,” Evie added. “After all you’ve been through, you can manage a flower shop without any trouble.”
“I’ve got some news,” Bea said as their meal arrived.
The waitresses placed everything on the table, and Bea waited until they’d left before continuing. “Aidan, Dani, Harry, Grace, and I are going to spend six weeks in Europe this summer. So, this will be our last girls’ lunch for a while.”
All the ladies exclaimed over that. Taya laughed. “Another trip? You only got back a few months ago.”
“You’re one to talk,” Evie replied. “But seriously, Bea, is this how your life will be now? If so, I’m completely jealous.”
“Ignore them.” Penny spooned ravioli onto her plate. “I think it’s a fantastic idea. You only live once.”
“That’s very true,” Bea replied. “Besides when we get back, we’ll be diving right into real life again. Aidan will be starting back up PE teaching at the primary school, and I’ve decided to go to university and study to become a nutritionist.”
They all congratulated her, and Charmaine listened to their conversation in silence for several long minutes while she ate. The Italian-themed food was cooked perfectly and was delicious — her favourite was the veal parmigiana which melted in her mouth.
“Have you seen Hairy Legs again?” Bea asked Taya around a mouthful of carbonara.
Taya rolled her eyes. “We already established that his name is Brent. He’s a forty-eight-year-old man, the least you can do is use his name. Besides, he’s a cyclist and he shaves his legs. I bet you didn’t know that.”
Bea’s eyebrows arched in surprise. “I can’t believe you checked his leg hair.”
Taya grunted. “I did no such thing… Oh fine, maybe I did.”
They all laughed together. Taya pretended to be put out but soon laughed along with the rest of them.
“We’re sorry, honey,” Penny said. “We like him. He seems like he’s grown into a wonderful man. Is he single?”
“He’s divorced,” Taya replied. “He married a woman from Peru, and it seems she never adjusted to life in Australia. She went back home and left him alone years ago. He’s been single since.”
“Poor guy,” Bea said. “I know how that feels. Different situation, same result.”
“So do you think you’ll date?” Evie asked.
Taya couldn’t keep the smile from her face. “He’s already asked me out. He’s flying in on the weekend, and we’re going to dinner.”
“Any date that involves airfare is pretty serious if you ask me,” Evie said with a meaningful nod.
“We’re going to take it slow,” Taya replied. “I want to get to know him again. He was a sweet, romantic guy in high school, and I didn’t appreciate that at the time. But I will appreciate it now.”
“Amen, sister,” Evie replied, raising her glass of water in a toast.
