I stand on my tiptoes, his strong arms around my waist, and breathe in the familiar scent of his body as our lips meet in a firm and slow kiss.
“Do you really have to go?” he asks with a hopeful gaze, and I nod before kissing him again, resigning myself to being late and figuring Posey will forgive me under the circumstances.
I only have Michael for a few more weeks, after all.
* * *
“Chica!” Giselle calls and waves from the fully occupied rectangular table at Bàcari, our favorite boardwalk Venetian-style bistro bar overlooking the ocean.
“Hey, sorry I’m late,” I apologize as I sit, receiving ear to ear grins from every single woman at the table, Posey included, and I roll my eyes with a smile. “Yeah, yeah. Pour me a mimosa while you’re at it.”
“La niñahere is my kindred spirit,” Giselle declares, pointing at Posey, who seems flustered but not necessarily in a bad way, and I raise an eyebrow and turn to Tia, who is loading a plate with Cicchetti from the selection on the table.
“How much have you let her drink?” I ask, and Tia just shakes her head with laughter.
“Posey here was telling us about the cute little banter between you and Michael at Sandra Jubilee’s soiree, including the part where she and her work friends exchange the best position of the weekend every Monday,” Tia explains, and I respond with an “oh,” while shifting my gaze to Posey.
“I was just telling them how beet-red Michael had gotten. I didn’t think…” Posey trails off, with a sideways glance at Giselle while taking a bite from her salami panino.
“Girl, it isn’t your fault. Giselle has a one track mind,” Hattie assures Posey with a meaningful glare at Giselle before handing me my flute of rosy liquid, at which point I frown.
“Where’s Rose?” I wonder, realizing I haven’t seen her outside of work for the better part of the week.
“She’s been acting weird ever since her food poisoning,” Tia says with a sigh, and the table falls into contemplative silence, though I suspect I know the reason Rose has been acting so out of character and make a mental note try and catch her alone next time I see her.
Posey sips her mimosa, looking around the table in interest, then turns to me. “How was the country club brunch?”
“We made it ten feet in before Jason popped up.” I fill them in on everything that happened, the devastating nothingness when I looked at Jason, calling Phoebe, and the talk with Michael this morning, and by the end, all the girls are a bit teary-eyed. “Once I get my money back, I can put you on a salary, Pose, if you want.”
“Are you kidding me?” She laughs and wipes the corner of her eye under her large black cat-eye shades. “Of course I do.”
“At the very least, it’ll beat the hell out of waiting tables,” Tia points out, and we cheer the notion, the natural bustle of conversation picking up, and I go sit next to Hattie, grabbing a grilled baby squid on the way.
“I don’t suppose I can convince you to come aboard, too?” I ask Hattie hopefully, and she takes a thoughtful bite from her polpette, her hand smoothing over her dark thick and thin braids hanging long down her back today, before answering.
“Part of me really wants to, Lore.” She sighs and looks at me with dark green eyes full of apology. “But I started my own business a few years back, and it flopped hard. I’m still paying off debt. I can’t risk losing a good job for another adventure.” She takes my hand and squeezes it. “And this has nothing to do with my faith in you and S.A.S.S. This is me being over rational and extra cautious, okay?”
“Yeah.” I nod, squeezing her hand back. “But I’ll need you to help me hire someone because I have no idea what I’m looking for.”
“I got your back, girl.” Hattie pulls me into a hug, and I laugh through watery eyes.
“I know you do.”
Chapter Sixteen
Michael
The flashesfrom around us are tiresome but a necessary evil for a good cause. I was hoping our little tumble in the back of the limo on the way here would help Lauren relax, but I feel how rigid she is next to me, and thank God I’m not as interesting as some of the other gala guests, Judith Perth included.
She’s flashing her dazzling smile and laughing as she twirls to show off the beautiful bright blue velvet gown embroidered with gold that Lauren made for her, and as I’m watching, Lauren shows me her phone, a message from Hattie declaring Judy is killing it with a ton of exclamation points and a video of Judy interviewing on Hattie’s laptop screen, name dropping S.A.S.S. and Lauren every chance she gets.
“That’s kind of surreal,” Lauren observes as her eyes dart from Judy on her phone to Judy in real life.
“Yeah,” I agree with a laugh, looking her over with admiration.
The sexy and elegant deep-V, two-toned maxi dress Lauren designed for herself is breathtaking the way it sits on her slim figure and stands against the golden tan of her skin. The shoes I gave her complement the monochrome with a vibrant green.
“Are you admiring my intelligence again?” Lauren asks with that one eyebrow raised look, and I shake my head.