Zenobia leaned in. “Can I be real with you too?Lookat you. You are beautiful inside and out. Your husband had a whole queen in his house and went looking in the gutter anyway. That was his inadequacy,notyours. But sounds like you took that and decided the safe move was wanting nothing.” She held my eyes. “Don't you carry that man's mess like it's a verdict on you.”
“There’s a man out there whose eyes are gonna find you the second you walk in a room. Before they find anybody else,” Taryn added. “One who’ll cherish you and love youdown. Ask me how I know?”
“How do you know?”
“Because I swore this off harder than you ever did. Years. Told anybody who'd listen I was never falling in love, didn't want it, wasn't built for it.” She shrugged, and the smirk went soft. “Now I'm married to a man I make a complete fool of myself over. Daily. I was the one who said never. Said I didn’t want it. Now look at me, all inloveand shit.”
I took a long drink, which everybody correctly read as me dodging.
“Julian would cherish you,” Simone offered, as if it had just occurred to her.
“Mm-hmm,” went the whole couch.
“Not y'all back on Julian. How many times do I have to tell you?—”
“We’re. Just. Friends,” all five of them mimicked me at once while rolling their eyes.
I had to laugh. “Well, as long as you get it.”
Marlowe sat up and clapped once. “Okay. So. The gala.”
“The what?”
“The Isaiah and Niecy Wade Foundation Gala. It’s in two weeks. You’re going.”
“I’m not invited to a Foundation gala.”
“Sis.” Simone touched my arm. “You’ve been on the list since you moved here. Lennox Falls hasn’t officially been told you exist yet. The gala is where they about to find out when you walk into that room. There’ll be a bachelor auction that night also.”
“I’m not bidding on a man at an auction.” I shook my head.
“Oh, we know you won't be bidding.” Taryn grinned. “Julian wouldn't let you spend a dollar in that room if his life depended on it.He’d have the staff refuse to assign you a paddle before he let you raise one for him oranybodyelse.”
They all laughed, nodding in agreement.
“Here you go again.” I rolled my eyes.
“The auction’s fifteen percent of the night,” Simone said. “There’s dinner, dancing, and a roomful of donors and partners and professionals. Men are gonna flock to you. Straight lose their minds when you walk through the door.”
“I don’t have a dress.”
“My specialty.” Taryn slurred. “Saturday. I’m taking your ass shopping and you are trying on dresses until we findtheone. And it’s going to betight.Show off that ass and those perky titties, honey!”
“What is wrong with you?” I laughed.
“Nothing. I’m a woman with vision.”
“Get her something like that dress she wore to Simone’s rehearsal dinner,” Marlowe said, and the whole couch dissolved into a laugh I wasn’t in on.
“What was funny about my dress?”
“Nothing at all. Just that it made Julian trip on air.”
“No he did not,” I said.
“I saw it,” Simone cosigned. “We all did. The mantripped.”
I gulped down the rest of my wine. “Okay,” I said. “The gala.”
