“I slept wonderfully, thank you. What a fantastic surprise,” I said approaching the breakfast table. It was fantastic, a veritable feast. There were plates of fresh, sliced fruit, an array of pastries, sausage, and bacon. Missy and I were going to be the only two eating, but there was enough food on the table for a family of four or five. Greta asked me whether I wanted some tea or coffee. I told her that I would be all right with some juice. She served me as I sat and tucked into a still-warm croissant. This used to be the life that I had.
Before money got tight, Russell and I could afford to be extravagant. Missy still lived this way while it was rare for me now. Usually, experiencing Missy’s lifestyle while I was now removed from it jarred me but for once, I didn't feel guilty at the thought of indulging. Not having it had made me grateful for what I had once taken for granted. I hadn't really grown up with the type of luxuries that I was afforded after marrying Russell, but the years with Russell, unhappy as they were at times, had been abundant.
You know what? While I was here, I deserved this too. Who knew when the next time I would be able to eat so well would be? I dug in, trying a little bit of everything. Missy joined in as I was serving bacon on to my plate.
“Up already?” she asked breezing into the kitchen. Missy was every bit the London socialite. She had come from money and lived a life of leisure. While she technically had a job, she wasn't the type that needed to present a CV when she was looking for employment. She was a creative director at a fashion magazine, a job that she had gotten through one of her parents' many connections. Her hours, putting it lightly, were flexible. Mostly she spent her time vacationing, attending events, and looking beautiful.
I both did and did not envy her lifestyle. Who didn’t want that? To live life one hundred percent carefree and indulgent? On the other hand, I wondered whether she ever got bored. If she did, the world was quite literally her oyster and she could do anything. That was what I envied the most, the freedom. The ability to be carefree especially since the last couple months since my husband had died had been such a struggle.
“Don't you have a job?” I asked. She waved her hand at me impatiently as she sat.
“This is the first time I'm seeing you in the months and you want to talk about work? You walked out on me last night.”
“I had some business to attend to.”
“Hm, business,” she said. I had told her a little white lie about what it w
as I was doing the night before. I didn't feel good about it, but I felt worse about telling her the truth. My pride was all I had left. She knew that I was struggling and she had offered help at every turn. Help usually meant money, but I was not prepared to accept her charity. Staying over at her house already felt like I was overstepping sometimes. I didn't want her to know the worst of it because then she would feel sorry for me. I despised pity, even from Missy, my closest friend. I never wanted to experience that. So, I fudged the truth a little bit.
“That's right. Business.”
She pursed her lips then took a bite of buttered toast. Even doing that, she managed to look glamorous. She was in a black, sheer robe that brushed along the floor as she walked. Without makeup, her skin had a beautiful, healthy glow. She had just gotten back from Tulum, so she had a wonderful golden tan that with her dark hair and light eyes made her look exotic. She was curvy with an incredible hourglass figure. Because she had money, she could afford custom made designer wear.
“When did you get in last night?” she asked.
“Late. I was being careful not to wake you. I ended up running into an old friend and we lost track of time.”
“An old friend, was it?” she asked, scrutinizing me with her gray eyes. My body betrayed me, reacting to the memories of last night. I felt my cheeks heat up and an ache start between my legs. “Oh my gosh, it was a man.”
I shrugged and tried to brush it off. “Yes. It was a man. What of it?”
“I know he has to be more than a friend if he has you blushing like that. What happened last night? Did you get laid?”
“You don't have to say it like that,” I said.
“My God,” she said, “you did. You left me hanging last night to go and have sex.”
My blush burned hotter.
“I didn't leave you hanging. I came to London because I had things to do. I just happened to run into him. It was a total surprise. I didn't even call ahead to see whether he was going to be in the city.”
“But he was, and something happened between you two. Who is he? Tell me what happened, tell me everything.”
I giggled nervously. Living far away from Missy, we always talked, but it was different when we got to be in the same room together. And again, with all the money issues, I didn't really get to have fun like this anymore. Missy was my closest friend, I told her everything. Leaving out the bit about the betting and the watch, I told her about Niall. She squealed, clapping her hands.
“My God, it's about time you got back in the game.”
“Russell has only been dead a couple of months.”
“But he's dead,” she said. “That makes you single.”
“That makes me his grieving widow.”
“Oh please. You may be a widow, but you're hardly grieving.”
“Hey, I take offense to that.”
“Why? It wasn't like you actually loved him. It wasn't like he was being faithful to you anyway. Who cares if you’re getting some now that he's dead? In fact, you deserve it. I said it once before and I'll say it again, marrying Russell wasn't right for you. It was a mistake, and staying married to him for as long as you did was an even bigger mistake.”