"Good," I answered for us, discarding the menu and offering her a grin. "How's wedding planning going?"
"Horrible," she said cheerfully. "Gunnar wants a big wedding. I want to elope. We're compromising by having a big wedding."
We chuckled.
"Which he, of course, isn't interested in planning." She shook her head, her long dark hair falling around her shoulders. “Add in that we’re a few waiters short, and it’s all hands on deck around here. Now, what can I get you?"
Emily had a slight crease between her eyebrows as she stared at Ella. "What would you recommend?"
"Oh, so many things," Ella laughed. "But if you're really interested, I can bring out the chef's sampler."
"Sounds good, Cal?"
I nodded. "We'll do that."
"Perfect! And FYI, Emily's side of the booth can't be seen from the floor." Ella scooped up the menus giving us a saucy smile and wink before disappearing.
Emily burst out laughing, the slight frown completely wiped away. "She's cool."
"Yeah."
"Are we friends?"
I swallowed, shaking my head even though I knew it would cause her pain. "No. You only go out with women from the club or wives of some of my work colleagues."
'The club?"
I cleared my throat. "The country club."
"Ah." She nodded thoughtfully. "And these wives, are we close?"
I shrugged, unable to answer.
"Hm." She reached for her glass, taking a sip of the soda. "No one has messaged me or reached out since my accident." She pulled her phone out of her pocket, sliding it across the table to me. "I had a look through my messages and emails. The calendar says the last time I went out with anyone was just after Thanksgiving. But I don't have even one text after that."
She swallowed, looking off to the side. "If I had to guess, I think I told someone about our separation, and they all bailed on me."
"I'm sorry."
She shrugged, "I can't miss what I don't remember. But…." She trailed off.
"But?" I prompted when she didn't resume.
Em shook herself, breaking away from whatever thought had taken hold. "I guess this is just another sign of how much I've changed." She laughed, but it sounded bitter. "I'll add it to the list of things to improve."
I reached across the table, threading my fingers with hers.
"Hey," I said, waiting for her to look at me. Finally, her pretty eyes met mine. "I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. Shit happens, but we all change." I smiled. "You told me that."
"I did?"
"Yeah, on our wedding day." I stood, leaning over the table and pressing a kiss to her mouth. "We're not set and forget. We grow, we change, and we make mistakes. The important thing is that we choose to change. And we choose each other."
She nodded, tears glistening on her eyelashes. "When you left, did you regret it?"
"Every day. But I didn't know how to get through to you. Just like you didn't know how to get through to me."
There was quiet in our booth, the sounds of the restaurant swirling around us but outside of our cocoon.
