Page 19 of The Longest Wait

First, Lucy met Jack, which she was obviously a fan of. Watching the two of those crazy kids fall in love was better than watchingThe Kardashians. Don’t judge, everyone had a guilty pleasure andreality television was hers. Anyway, it was an interesting time whenLucy left the singles table for her party of two.

Adding Jack to their group meant he brought along his friendsas well. No complaints, she loved Connor and Dominic, but it waslike girl time became a dinosaur. A real extinct species.

Sofia enjoyed going out and meeting new people, flirting withavailable men, and taking one home if the moment suited her.Problem was, with their band of six, it wasn’t as easy to flirt withmen. Most potential men thought she was with either Dominicor Connor. It wasn’t as if she didn’t think either one of her malefriends were attractive, but she unfortunately learned the hard wayto not sleep with someone tied to the inner circle.

Never in a million years would she admit, but part of her, likea minuscule piece she dreaded to even mention, didn’t mind the

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slow tempo. Or she wouldn’t, if there wasn’t another change toher dynamic.

Alex Copeland.

Him and his absurd relocation to Philly wreaked havoc in herlife. Okay, she wasn’t a complete monster. She empathized, slightly,for him needing a change. He hadn’t confided in anyone why heneeded the change with work, but if he took less assignments andwas no longer living in New York, something significant had tohave happened.

“Why so pensive?” Tess said when she met her for coffee.

“Thinking.”

“Care to share more,” Lucy pressed, joining them for theircoffee date.

Sofia made a sad face. “What was once mimosas, is now a caffeine fix. We barely get to have any girl time anymore.”

Lucy seemed to take offense. “This was the only time all threeof us had to catch up. I’m bogged down with work. Starting myown marketing firm is more relentless than I anticipated. Tess is ina grind with the new fad of winter weddings.”

“Right?” Tess exclaimed. “What happened to summer weddings? It is now a thing of the past. Do you know how many peopleare tripping over themselves to get married on Valentine’s Day?I had one bride cry for two days because the venue she wantedwas booked.”

Sofia frowned. “She was probably in need of a mimosa.”

“And you can still get a mimosa,” Lucy continued her rant.“We just can’t join you today.”

“It’s during the week,” Tess added.

There was another thing to add to the list.

Everyone was busy between work and other obligations, it washard for them to see each other like they used to. What was MartiniTuesday, Thirsty Thursday, and Saturday Shakedown, had turnedinto an hour coffee break on a random Monday morning. Eventheir weekly brunch dates have changed and when they happen,Jack and friends were there also. This shift in her life made her abit lonely. When she was lonely, the one person she wanted to seewas the one man she couldn’t.

“I need a night out.”

Anytime Alex was on her mind, a distraction was needed. Hehad that kind of effect on her.

Lucy’s laughter carried throughout the café. “Should we be concerned? The last time I heard you demand a night out was because you were on a mission to see how many free drinks you could get.”

Tess sipped her latte. “And it was an impressive seventeen. Ihad that ridiculous song she made up about seventeen free drinksstuck in my head for a month.”

A song? Sofia didn’t recall. “How could I forget about that?”

“My guess is because of the seventeen free drinks,” Lucy jokedback. “Why are we in need of a night out?”

“If you say,” Tess lowered her voice, “because you need to havesex. Call it a day and buy a vibrator like the rest of us.”

Sofia didn’t refrain from her boisterous reaction, she even stoodup and clapped. Tess turned bright red with embarrassment, asSofia expected. She sat back down and tried to high-five Tess, butshe refused to reciprocate. “I am happy to hear you have a vibrator!”

“Be quiet.” Her voice was barely audible.

Lucy also had a fit of the giggles. “Never in my life did I expectto hear Saint Tess advise me on a sex toys. This can only mean onething: We do need to go out.”

The vibrator comment lost its humor because it would takethem forever to plan a night out. “When can we fit each other in?Next year?” Sofia was filled with sarcasm.