I gave her a look.
Beth shrugged, wincing, probably from the bandage pulling on her chest. With a small movement, she pushed her curly blonde hair back from her shoulders, then seemed to relax. "Animals usually have a good sense of whether people are good or bad."
I almost said something snarky, even though I agreed, but Deva started talking, preventing me from angering the grumpy cat further.
“She did seem happy.” Deva munched on a pickle. “What do you think, Emma?”
I sighed and looked down at my chicken salad sandwich. What did I think? I thought that I wanted Carol to be happy, but not end up dead. “We need to keep a really close eye on him. He could be dangerous, and then, he could beindanger. We just don’t know.”
"Agreed," my friends said, although they don't sound happy about it.
"So, that's agreed, for now," Beth said, her blue eyes sparkling. "Any other news?" Her gaze locked on Deva.
Deva caught her gaze, and her cheeks burned. Looking down as if she wasn't blushing like a school girl, Deva dusted off her black blouse as if she had flour on her clothes. Which we all knew she didn't, but I knew whatever she was avoiding, she wanted an extra minute to figure out her response to Beth. When she was done brushing off her clothes, she ran her fingers through her short, black hair, glancing at her reflection in the glass.
"Come on!" Beth groaned, miserably.
I laughed. "Okay, what is going on? What have I missed?" Whatever it washadto be good if Deva seemed this flustered.
Deva pulled out little baggies of homemade potato chips and tossed Beth and me each one, trying to seem nonchalant, and failing miserably. “Well, you know, Carol isn’t the only happy one in our little friends group.”
Beth and I tittered. “Please do tell,” Beth said, rapidly blinking her dark lashes, which told me darn well she already knew. “Is it aboutMarquis?”
“Maybe.” Deva sighed and clutched her hand to her breast dramatically. “We have a date tonight.”
Our giggles only got worse. “Oh, are you going to relieve the itch thatonlyMarquis can scratch?” I asked, the words coming out broken and stupid through my laughter. “You’ll really feel better if you do.”
Both women stopped and turned their heads slowly my way. Uh oh! My laughter immediately stopped, and I knew I'd made a terrible mistake.
“Oh?” Beth asked, turning this mess onto me. “Andhowwould you know that?”
It didn’t matter how old we got. The first time we slept with a man was a cause for a big gossip session. My skin heated as I sucked in a deep breath. “Daniel spent the night last night. Like, uh,actuallyspent the night.”
The laughter turned into squeals, and I joined in myself after I swallowed down my embarrassment. Yes, maybe some people would think we were too old for this, but I honestly thought any chance for laughter and fun we should take advantage of. Life had taught me it was full of a lot of twists and turns. Lots of dark moments too. Any time there was a good moment, well, I was happy to share in it, even if the glee was at my expense.
“Well?” Deva asked, leaning so far over the table that she looked like a cartoon character. “How was it?”
“You know I’m not going to kiss and tell.” I bit into my sandwich and made them both wait until I’d fully chewed the bite and swallowed before I dissolved into more laughter and told them the gist of the night, minus the details. “It was wonderful,” I ended it all with, followed by a sigh. “Nothing like my ex-husband, and you know he was my only, until Daniel. With the right man, it’s like the storybooks. More than that though. It's like... my soul had always needed Daniel and until last night and I’d never even realized it.”
Deva nodded and held up one hand. “I imagine it is all about being with the right person.”
I smiled. "Well, maybe Marquis will be your right person."
She took a sip of her drink, swallowed awkwardly, and then said. "Maybe. I mean, my heart is kind of saying he might be, but I don't have a lot of experience. About like you, Emma. Sometimes I worry I'll just never have that... magic with a person. That with enough time Marquis will be the same as my ex."
"That's a completely valid fear," I told her. "But I don't think that's how your story ends. If Marquis isn't the right person, then someone will be."
Beth smiled. "I know I'm the only one of our little crew without a romantic prospect, but I agree with Emma. I think we're all good people. When Roger left me for my sister, I was so heartbroken, but a part of me always knew that it just meant he wasn't right for me. That someone else would be though, I just had to be patient. I had to be okay kissing a few frogs before I found my prince."
"And you have," Deva said, giving her a teasing look.
But Beth didn't mind. "I have. I've gone on about a dozen dates since we split, but none of them have been right. The thing is, I was okay with that. I’ve been in therapy, working on myself, my business, and my friendships. Perhaps I wasn't ready to meet the right person. But maybe I will be ready soon."
"Do you think you're ready?" I asked Deva.
After a second, she smiled. "I think I am."
"Then, there you go," I told her, smiling.
