Yvette Stephens wished she could be having this conversation from the comfort of her home, but life had other plans. A wave of pain hit as she tried to adjust herself. Her husband rushed over to help, and she gave him a grateful smile. Joseph had been her rock since high school, and she loved him with every beat of her heart.
“I’m good, babe,” she said with a small smile.
How she wished they had more time. Yvette stared at the three women surrounding her hospital bed with tears in their eyes. Best friends since age eight, they had laughed, cried and seen each other through every challenge life threw their way.
“No crying allowed—or at least save it until I’ve had my say.” They smiled at her. “I just wanted to tell you how much your friendship has meant to me all these years. You’ve been the best sisters of the heart a girl could have.” She reached for Joy’s hand. “Joy, your mama named you right because you’ve been that and more to me. You’ve sacrificed your dreams long enough, sis. It’s time for you to start that business because every woman needs a place of respite.”
Joy laughed through her tears and gave Yvette’s hand a gentle squeeze. “I know, and I promise.”
Yvette shifted her gaze to her second friend. “Diane, you’ve been the best godmother to Ebony and Ian—all three of you have—and I know you’ll be an even better mother. Jeff will come around, just keep working on him.”
Diane’s pained gaze met Yvette’s. “I’m working on him. One way or another,” she added with a wry smile.
“Rochelle,” Yvette started.
Before she could continue, Rochelle lifted a hand. “I already know what you’re going to say.”
Joy laughed. “Probably the same thing we’ve all been saying.”
Yvette chuckled, then moaned in pain. “Don’t make me laugh. Chelle, girl, I know your sorry ex is enough to make a woman stay single for the rest of this life and the next, but you’re a beautiful woman, and you can’t do that. Warren is a good man, and he really likes you.”
Rochelle raised an eyebrow. “How do you know?”
“I asked. What did you think? Let him in, sis. He can love you like you deserve to be loved.” She grasped Rochelle’s hand.
“I’ll see.”
Yvette gave her a look.
“Hey, it’s the best I can do.”
“Joy and Di, make sure she doesn’t mess it up.”
“We will,” they chorused.
“Watch out for Joe and my babies, okay? And if he finds somebody else, be nice to her.” She smiled at Joe. “Well, unless she’s a gold-digging heifer. Oh, one more thing. We never got around to taking that trip back to Jamaica. Don’t put it off any longer. Make those reservations, and take that trip.”
Joe returned her smile, bent to kiss her softly and stroked her brow. “That’s enough, baby. You’ve given a bellyful of advice tonight.”
Staring up into his eyes, she felt his pain as surely as the pain coursing through her own body. “I know. I just want my girls to enjoy their lives and live to the fullest like we talked about while growing up. And we promised we’d go back. I need y’all to take that trip, sisters,” she said once more.
“They’ll be fine. We all will.”
Yvette didn’t believe him for a moment. Her eyes drifted shut. Lord, she was so tired.
“To the sisters of my heart . . .”
Joy West checked her watch for the tenth time and wished the man talking would hurry up. She should have been gone fifteen minutes ago for her Saturday brunch meetup with her girls Diane Evans and Rochelle Winters. She sent her husband a look, which he pointedly ignored while continuing to show photos of home renovations they’d completed. When they’d started West Home Renovations ten years ago, shortly after their marriage, she had been all fired up. Now, she just wanted out. Of both. She mouthed, I’m leaving in five minutes. He must have gotten the message because he did a quick wrap-up.
She stood and extended her hand. “Thank you for coming, Mr. Kelly. We look forward to working with you.”
“The pleasure is all mine, Mrs. West.” Mr. Kelly shook her hand, then Robert’s. “Robert, I’ll call you on Monday to get on your schedule.”
Robert grinned. “Good enough. I’ll walk you out.”
As soon as they walked out, Joy gathered up all the folders and the contract and made her way to her office. She locked everything in a drawer and grabbed her purse.
“Could you have made it a little less obvious that you wanted to leave?”
Joy glanced over at the door where Robert stood glaring with his arms folded. “You knew I had somewhere to be at eleven, yet you still scheduled the appointment, and on a Saturday when the office is closed.” She hesitated before handing him a small envelope.
“What’s this?”
“Just open it.” She bit her lip anxiously as she waited.
He tore open the envelope and pulled the card out. “An invitation? To dinner?”
She had made a card inviting him to a romantic dinner that evening. “Yes. After I get back later, I was hoping we could go out to dinner tonight and talk. We haven’t done anything together outside of work in months.” Their marriage had been steadily unraveling over the past year. Despite her best efforts to get it back on track—from planning romantic dinners and overnight getaways to trying to surprise him with lunchtime picnics—nothing had gotten his attention. She seemed to be the only one trying to make it work, and she was tired.
“I can’t,” Robert said, tossing the card aside. “I want to get things going for this new project. You know the summer months are our busiest, and June is only two months away.”
Her spirit sank. She couldn’t even interest him in a simple dinner. “It’s Saturday, Robert. Even when we were just starting out and had to work long hours, we still managed to find time to do some fun stuff.” The man standing before her was so different from the one she had fallen in love with years ago. No doubt he was still ambitious, intelligent, and handsome. At over six feet tall with a slim, muscular build, his clean-shaven, mahogany good looks still turned heads. However, the funny and engaging man—the one whose smile made her weak—had somehow disappeared over the past few years. “Speaking of making some time, did you place the ad for another business manager?”
He sighed heavily. “No. The customers love you. Why are you so quick to mess up a good thing? Anyway, I thought you didn’t want to be late,” he said.
She opened her mouth, then closed it. Clearly, he didn’t want to spend time
with her. Memories of them cuddling together in bed watching movies while stuffing their faces with popcorn, taking long walks on the beach while holding hands, and having candlelit dinners at their favorite restaurants surfaced. She missed those times with him. She missed them. Not for the first time, she wondered if he might be having an affair. Each rejection cut a little deeper, and the love she used to have for him had waned considerably. For the past year, they had been nothing more than polite strangers in their home.
“I’m more concerned about our marriage than this company, but it feels like I’m the only one who’s been trying to make it work these past several months. I’ve asked you to talk to me, I’ve tried to get us to spend more time together, but I don’t know what else to do,” she said. “If you want out, just say so,” she added softly, hoping he’d say he didn’t want their marriage to end.
“That’s the third or fourth time you’ve mentioned that or threatened to leave, so maybe you’re the one who wants out,” Robert snapped. “And didn’t you say you had somewhere to be?”
“If I wanted out, I wouldn’t be trying so hard to save this marriage.” Joy rolled her eyes and strode past him out the door. “I’ll see you later.”
In the car, she took a deep breath and willed back her tears. She was so tired of being the only one making an effort to repair their relationship and wondered after his response—or lack thereof—if she was fighting a losing battle and should just call it quits. Clearly Robert didn’t seem to care one way or another. After sending a quick text to her friends, she started the car and drove off.
Thirty minutes later, she parked, rushed inside the Mimosa House and scanned the area. Diane threw up a wave, and Joy started in that direction. She hugged Diane and Rochelle.
“I’m so sorry I’m late.” She dropped down into a chair and picked up a menu. “Have you guys ordered yet? I need a mimosa or maybe something stronger.”
Rochelle eyed her. “That bad?”
“Worse.” Her entire life was falling apart, and she’d lost one of her best friends. She glanced over to the empty fourth chair at their table. That it would be vacant from here on out only made her sadder. It had been two weeks since they’d buried Yvette, and Joy still couldn’t get used to the fact that she was gone. She had been only thirty-eight, and cancer had stolen her life.
“I hear you. And it’s hard knowing Yvette isn’t coming.” They fell silent. Rochelle blew out a long breath. “Man, I miss her.”
“She was always the one who gave us good advice. Now who’s going to keep us in line?” They had often teased Yvette about having an old soul because she had been wise beyond her years.
They ordered their drinks and food, and as soon as the mimosas
hit the table, Joy took a big gulp.
“You want to let us in on what happened, Joy?” Diane asked after taking a sip of her own drink.
“Robert. He deliberately scheduled an appointment for a new client this morning after I told him I was meeting you guys. We haven’t worked on a Saturday in over three years, and now, all of a sudden, he’s acting like we need to be available every day of the week.” Joy took another healthy swig.
Rochelle reached over and snatched the flute. “Give me that. If you don’t slow down, you’re going to be passed out under the table.”
Joy rubbed her temples. “I know, I know. It’s just that since I told him I was ready to start working on opening the spa, he’s changed. We agreed that after West Home Renovations was on solid footing, that it would be my turn. We’ve been in the black for three years running.”
“You’ve been talking about expanding for over a year.”
Joy reached for her glass and saluted Rochelle. “Exactly.” The conversation paused as the server returned with their food. They thanked the young woman and dug in. “I asked him about placing an ad for a business manager to take my place so I can devote my time to getting my business off the ground, and do you know what he said? He told me all the customers like me, and he didn’t know why I wanted to mess up a good thing.” Just the thought of his audacity made her angry all over again.
They ate in silence for a few minutes, then Diane said, “I hate to say it, but Yvette might’ve been right.” She cut into her omelet and forked up a portion.
Joy finished chewing a piece of toast. “I’ve been thinking a lot about what she said, and I don’t think Robert’s going to get on board.” The conversation she’d had with Yvette a few months ago played in her mind.
“I’ve been listening to Robert lately, and it seems as if he’s really happy about the company’s growth. He doesn’t strike me as wanting things to change.”
Joy stared at Yvette. “I know. Every time I bring up the spa, he shifts the conversation.”
“There’s going to come a time when you’re forced to decide if opening your place is what you really want or if you’ll be content with the way things are now. I just hope it doesn’t come down to you having to choose between it and your marriage.”
“If I have to choose, then the decision is obvious.”
A touch on her arm brought Joy out of her thoughts.
“Well then, he needs to get his ass out of the way.” Rochelle lifted her glass in a mock toast. “You know we’ve got your back, sis.”
Diane followed suit. “Chelle’s right. Whatever you need, we’ll help you.”
“Thanks.” She could always count on them. “What about you two? Have you thought
more about what Yvette said?”
Diane set her fork on the plate. “Honestly, I’ve done nothing but think about it. The wait for adopting a baby is so long and, lately, I’ve been wondering, at my age, whether an older child might be a better option.”
Joy smiled. “That’s wonderful. There are so many of them who need a good home. Is Jeffrey okay with that?”
“I thought he was, but every time I try to start the conversation, he claims he’s too busy or it’s not the right time.”
What is it with these men? “Whatever you decide, I’ll be ready to don my godmother hat.” Joy had never wanted children and was perfectly content with her current role as godmother to Yvette’s two children and Rochelle’s daughter, and aunt to her brother’s two sons. It had taken years for her family, particularly her mother, to come to grips with Joy’s belief that not all women had to be mothers. “What about you, Chelle? Have you talked to Warren lately?”
“Not since the funeral, and we didn’t really have a long conversation.”
“Maybe not, but I saw him bringing you water and holding your hand.”
“And that little kiss on the forehead,” Diane added with a wide grin. “You do know what they say about a forehead kiss, right?”
Rochelle divided a wary glance between Joy’s and Diane’s smiling faces. “No. What?”
“It means that he cares a lot about you, and it’s not all about the sex. He wants you to know that you’re special and he respects you and wants to protect you.”
“I think you’re reading way more into it.” Rochelle shook her head.
At five eight, Rochelle was the tallest of the group. With her full figure, clear mocha complexion, dark brown eyes and long hair, she was absolutely gorgeous, but she didn’t see herself that way. Joy’s friend’s self-esteem had taken a beating from her ex in ways Joy suspected Rochelle hadn’t even shared with them. If anyone deserved some happiness in her life, Chelle did.
They continued to converse while finishing the meal and for another hour afterward.
“Have you thought about the other thing Yvette said?” Joy asked the group.
“What other thing?” Diane asked.
“Going back to Jamaica.”
The four of them had made the first trip there right after graduating from college. While they’d been childhood friends, it had been there on the beach where they’d pledged to be sisters for life. They’d promised to go back every five years to recommit. Somehow, life always got in the way, and those reservations had never been made. Sure, they’d gone on day trips and weekenders, but with everyone starting jobs, getting married and having children, and navigating through life’s ups
and downs, the trip hadn’t happened.
Rochelle clasped her hands together on the table. “Not really. With everything going on at work and Haley finishing up her first year of high school . . . But you’re right, we need to make this happen.”
Diane nodded. “I agree. It’s been pretty stressful at work and home, but we should think about doing it this summer. I know we haven’t wavered in our commitment as sisters, but there was something special and magical about the little ceremony we had in Jamaica.”
“Yeah,” Joy said.
Silence stretched between them, and she wondered if they all had the same regrets. They shouldn’t have kept putting off the trip, and now it would never be the four of them. Once again, Joy’s eyes strayed to the empty chair. The women chatted for a while longer, and when it was time to leave, they shared strong hugs, made a promise to meet again in a couple of weeks to start planning the trip and went their separate ways.
The house was quiet when Joy arrived, and a part of her was glad Robert hadn’t made it home. After changing out of her black slacks and silk printed blouse and into a pair of comfortable sweats and a T-shirt and putting her shoulder-length hair up into a ponytail, she powered up her laptop. She’d been working on her business plan for over three years and felt it was solid enough to take to the bank. She only hoped she’d be able to secure the loan on her own now that she knew for sure she wouldn’t be able to count on the promised assets from their company. The next step was to find the perfect spot for her dream spa. She had initially thought about buying the old community center that had been vacated after the city built a new one ten miles away. It already had ample parking and an industrial-sized kitchen. The grounds connected to a park, which would be ideal for a small walking trail or a couple of gazebos, but the noise from children playing would defeat the whole purpose of it being a retreat, so she’d nixed the idea.
For the next hour, she searched for properties that would be a good fit for what she wanted—something relatively small and intimate but could accommodate at least six treatment rooms. Her fingers froze on the track pad when she saw a ten-thousand-square-foot space that had originally been a small women’s gym in El Dorado Hills. Joy quickly clicked on each picture, and her excitement rose with each one. There were seven large rooms that she could use for the various treatments and another space that she could have reconfigured into an industrial kitchen, as she planned to offer a limited menu. It also had a locker room, showers and plenty of bathroom stalls.
Joy read further and saw that there were an additional ten acres of land on the property that could be developed. Her smile widened, and her mind went into overdrive. She opened her wish list document, and her fingers flew across the keyboard. She
was so engrossed in the task that she didn’t hear Robert come in until he appeared beside her desk. She jumped and clutched her chest.
“You scared me.”
Robert mumbled something that sounded like, “Sorry.” He peered over her shoulder. “Are you researching ideas for Mr. Kelly’s project?”
“No. This is for the spa. Do you want to see?”
“No.” His deep voice was curt as he pivoted on his heel and stalked out of her office.
Get his ass out of the way, indeed. She’d sacrificed her dreams long enough.
Diane Evans sat on the side of her bed Friday evening reading the latest test results from Dr. Fields. Her fertility specialist had called to share the information earlier, but seeing it in black and white made it all too real. Premature menopause. The phrase played in her mind over and over. How could she be entering menopause at thirty-eight? She swiped at the tears flowing down her face. Even though she knew there was a slim chance of her being able to conceive and carry a child, this blow hit her hard. She hadn’t mentioned it to Chelle and Joy last weekend during their brunch get-together because they were dealing with their own problems.
That never stopped you before, her inner voice chimed.
Truthfully, she hoped that by not saying the words, they wouldn’t be true. Adoption was still on the table, but in a perfect world, she would have been able to do both.
“Why are you still sitting here? You’re not even dressed yet.”
She glanced over her shoulder at her husband, Jeffrey, as he rushed into the room and over to the walk-in closet.
Jeffrey looked down at his watch. “The guests will be here in less than an hour, and we need to make sure everything is ready.”
“And the reason you can’t do it would be what? They’re your guests.” Surely he could see that she’d been crying, but he didn’t even ask why.
He took down a tie and walked over to the mirror to put it on. “Can we not do this tonight, Di, please? We can talk about whatever you want tomorrow, but my boss is coming, and you know I’m up for asset manager this quarter.”
“All the more reason for you to host this dinner yourself.” Diane rose from the bed and went into the bathroom. For the past three months, Jeffrey had been working longer hours and hosting one business dinner after another. But Diane always ended up doing all the work while he stood by and accepted the praise. Tonight, she didn’t feel like it. Tonight, she wanted to take a long bath, put on her pajamas and crawl into bed with a book and a bowl of her favorite chocolate chip ice cream. Instead, she settled for a quick shower. She applied light makeup to her tawny-brown face and recombed her short, layered hair, then slipped into her dress and smoothed a hand down the front. At five six, she’d maintained her size ten frame.
Her hand stopped on her belly, and Diane felt her emotions rising once more with the knowledge that it would never be filled with the baby she desperately wanted. Sighing, she pushed the thoughts away and headed downstairs. And by the time the six guests arrived, she had her smile firmly in place.
Diane made sure the service staff she’d hired for the night replenished the hors d’oeuvres, kept the glasses full and served each one of the dinner courses on time.
“Everything tastes so good, Diane.” Jeffrey’s boss’s wife, Adele, said halfway through the last course.
“Thank you, Adele.”
Jeffrey shot Diane a look, which she ignored. The woman had called Diane by her first name, and Diane didn’t see any reason not to do the same, particularly since Adele wasn’t much older. The conversation flowed around the table, and they all laughed loudly at the many bad jokes Jeffrey’s boss told. She figured more than one person must have been up for a promotion since his boss wouldn’t have been able to tell a good joke even if Bernie Mac walked up and handed the man a script. She had never been so glad to end a dinner in her life . . .
unless she counted the last four times they’d hosted Jeffrey’s work colleagues.
Jeffrey stood. “We can all adjourn to the living room for after-dinner drinks.”
How about they all adjourn somewhere else? An old saying popped into Diane’s head: You ain’t gotta go home, but you got to get the hell out of here. She allowed Jeffrey to help her up and led the guests into the next room. Once again, Adele tried to engage her in conversation.
“What is it that you do again, Diane?”
“I’m the director of a preschool and day care center.”
“Oh, that must be challenging.”
“Some days it is, but I love the kids.”
“Are you and Jeff planning to have any children of your own?” Adele asked with a sly grin.
Before Diane could answer, Jeffrey slid an arm around her waist and said laughingly, “We’re working on it.”
It took everything inside Diane not to knock that fake smile right off his face. They weren’t working on anything. She couldn’t get him to talk about fostering or adopting a child for five minutes, let alone work on it. She discreetly pushed his arm away and pasted a smile on her face.
“I need to go check on dessert. I’ll be right back.”
Instead of going to the kitchen, she made her way down the short hallway to the half bathroom. After closing the door, she leaned against the counter and drew in several calming breaths. How dare he stand there and lie? She’d had to beg and plead for him to accompany her to one doctor after another for five years, in the hopes that she would be able to fill that missing piece in her life by having a child. She’d had her life all mapped out—career, marriage, then children. Never in her wildest dreams did she think she wouldn’t be able to have it all. But as her mother often said, we plan and God laughs. Only she couldn’t find one thing funny.
Diane stood there a moment longer before going back to the front. She stopped in the kitchen and asked that the dessert be served now instead of later, as had been planned. The quicker they finished, the quicker she could curl up in her bed and begin her pity party. She donned her polite mask once again—the one that said everything was okay—and announced dessert.
Forty-five minutes later, the last of the stragglers were leaving, including Jeffrey’s boss and his wife.
“Thank you for coming, Mr. Paulson,” Jeffrey said, shaking the man’s hand. “It’s always a pleasure to have you and your lovely wife in our home.”
Diane barely suppressed an eye roll.
Mr. Paulson turned to Diane. “Everything was just wonderful, Diane.”
“Thank you. I’m glad you both enjoyed yourselves. You two have a good evening.”
Jeffrey paid the staff, and they departed. As soon as the door closed, she breathed a sigh of relief, but it was short-lived.
“How could you embarrass me like that in front of my boss by
calling his wife by her first name?”
This time she did roll her eyes. “She called me by mine. And as far as being an embarrassment, that honor goes solely to you.”
Jeffrey’s eyes narrowed. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“That whole we’re working on it crap when Adele asked about us having children.” Diane stepped around him and went upstairs to their bedroom. She removed her jewelry and dress.
“What was I supposed to say?”
She spun around and glared at him. “How about the truth! You know what hurts the most? When you came in earlier, you knew I’d been crying, but you didn’t bother to ask why. The doctor called me today and said I’ve started menopause prematurely. Do you know what that means?” she asked, her voice and emotions rising. “It means that I will never be able to have the babies I wanted.”
“Diane—”
“Are you ready to discuss being foster parents or adopting, ...
We hope you are enjoying the book so far. To continue reading...
Copyright © 2024 All Rights Reserved
Please log in to recommend or discuss...
