CHAPTER 37
TAMMY
“Thanks,” Tammy said as Victoria handed her a glass of champagne.
“Okay, now that we all have a glass, I’d like to make a toast to Tammy,” Natasha started.
“Wait, let me find something to toast with,” Tracy interrupted.
“Here,” Rosa said, handing Tracy a glass of red wine.
Tracy looked at the glass, unsure if she should have a sip.
“It’s good for the baby,” Rosa assured.
“Hmph, Italians,” Rulenska scoffed. “They believe that red wine can fix anything.”
“Quiet, child,” Annabella interjected. “What? She should have Vodka?”
“Actually, Tracy, Rosa is right. You're no longer in your first trimester. Studies show that red wine is good for your blood flow during pregnancy,” Katherine added.
“That’s good to know, but I don't really like red wine. I’ll just toast with water.”
“Um-mm,” Victoria protested. “It’s bad luck to toast with water. Take this. One sip ain’t gonna hurt.”
Victoria handed Tracy a glass with exactly one sip of champagne in it. Tracy accepted the glass. If she were to be honest, she was excited to have a sip. She hadn't tasted champagne in months.
“Now that we’re all set, I would like to propose a toast to my dear friend. We met by chance, in the weirdest circumstances. I was thrown into the deep end when I couldn't even swim…” Natasha paused unable to suppress her laughter at the pun that was totally intended.
Tammy rolled her eyes when the rest of the ladies caught on to the joke and joined in on the teasing.
“Ha ha!” Tammy shouted over the boisterous laughter. “Finish your damn toast so I can get ready.”
“Yeah, stop teasing my daughter,” Mary chimed through her own laughter.
Tammy narrowed her eyes at her stepmother and mouthed, “Traitor.”
“Okay…okay. Well, it was you, Tammy, that pulled me from the deep end to the safety of shallow water. You wrapped a protective arm around me and took me under your wing. So now that you're going from being my friend to my cousin, I couldn't be happier. I love you, and I wish you and Luca all the best.” Natasha raised her glass and shouted, “Per cent’anni!”
“One hundred years!” the others shouted, raising their own glasses.
“I love you too. All of you,” Tammy said as she raised her own glass.
Since her own family had been broken for so many years, the feeling of love for her new family was overwhelming. Tammy could feel the moisture pooling in her eyes. Since it had taken a whole hour to get her face done, she did her best to contain her emotions, but it was no use. When she and Natasha embraced, the tears escaped and flowed freely. She held Natasha tight and said a silent prayer, thanking God for bringing them together. It was through her beautiful friend that Tammy found the most amazing man on earth, the most loyal family ever, and more happiness than one woman could stand. It was a total 180-degree turn from the life that she had before meeting Natasha.
The sound of someone clearing her throat, wasn't enough to pull the ladies apart. So it was repeated. Tammy stepped back and smiled at Natasha, who had also ruined her make-up, and whispered, “Thank you.”
“No. Thank you,” Natasha replied with a smile that warmed Tammy’s heart.
The sound of someone, yet again, clearing their throat forced Tammy and Natasha to turn. It was Gail, Tammy’s make-up artist. She was standing next to Omar, Tammy’s hair stylist.
“Yes?”
Omar shook his head and ran his fingers through long, silky hair that any woman would have been jealous of.
“No offense, boo boo, but the two of you look like a shit sandwich.”
The ladies in the room gasped, but Tammy was accustomed to Omar’s direct way of speaking. They had done a few runway shows together, and she loved his directness. If nothing else, Omar was honest. And the same went for Gail. She was a highly coveted artist that looked more like one of the models than the Director of Cosmetology. She was a tall, leggy, midnight colored beauty who could have easily stepped into the modeling game and shut it down, but she was a genius behind the beauty scene and the best in the game.
