As I put the final touches on packing my bags, I make a valiant effort to shut off the chatter in my head. I keep replaying the conversation we had weeks ago about the now-infamous birthday gift. At times, I honestly cannot imagine how I kept my anger in check.
Most women would have come unglued if their husbands confessed that they wanted to sleep with their best friend. I suppose given the unusual circumstances, it is to be expected. I don't have the least bit of interest in getting together with Ryan again, but it wasn’t dreadful either.
So given that, I have decided I would put that dialog to rest and stop letting it fester. I cannot afford the mental number it's doing on me, therefore, my marriage. If I were able to share something like this with my mother, she'd tell me to let it go and life is too short, blah, blah, and blah.
With my bags packed, I drag them over to the tiny elevator in the broad upper hallway. I love having such a decad
“Speaking of Christmas parties, I'm really looking forward to yours this year. This will be the first that I will arrive as Mrs. Mecchia. I can't wait to show off our matching ugly sweaters!” Candace gushes.“Honestly, I can't believe it's just weeks away. Thanksgiving just flew by. First, we had Marcus's birthday then his sister came to town for a surprise visit, and now here we are on this fabulous trip. No sooner when I get back, I'll go into full-time holiday mode. Hey did I tell you that this year we are going to have a scavenger hunt instead of the ugly sweaters?”“No, that sounds intriguing, do tell!” Melissa chirps.“Oh no. I'm not giving any surprises away. But I will expect you all to dress to kill this year.”“Spoken like a true fashion maven.” Andrea purrs.I look over and notice that Candace is pouting. I pat her hand and smile, “You can still wear your matching sweaters
“But why?” I protest, “If he's worth ending an eight-year relationship then he ought to be worth telling your best friend about!”“That's just it, I'm not sure if he is worth my leaving Ryan. Even though I don’t believe he was my soul-mate I wasn’t unhappy and neither was he. You know as well, that we truly did have a good thing going, but this other person sparks something in me that I can't really explain. And the sex is mind-boggling."After a slight pause, Amelia continues to say "Anyway, I know you have a million questions that you are going to put me through and you won't stop until I relent. Let me just set you straight now so we don’t have to go through all of that and end up in a wicked fight.”“Um, ok...” I said reluctantly.“So here it is...I have no intention of telling you about my new man...leave it alone. Okay?” She sounds almost chipper.I'm biting o
“Ryan! Amelia! It looks like the party has now arrived!” I say teasingly as I eye them both up and down.Amelia is wearing a champagne beaded dress with a deep neckline showing an ample amount of skin. Not to mention the hemline hits mid-thigh. Though she is barely in the foyer, she has managed to turn several admiring heads. Ryan looks dashing in a pale gray fitted suit with a darker gray pinstripe.Under the jacket, he's wearing a dark gray shirt and black skinny tie. His blonde hair has been tamed, slicked back Gatsby's style. Honestly, the two of them look like they bounced off the cover of a magazine tonight.“You sure clean up well.” I tease again. “Come in, get a drink. The food table is out back in the tent.”Strangely, Amelia only nods and smiles, I wonder just what has got her tongue. Ryan, on the other hand, spots a pal and saunters over to the bar where his friend is standing. Leaving Amelia and me by oursel
Looking in the mirror, I'm horrified by the person staring back at me. My eyes puffy coupled with dark circles, I look rough. I feel even worse.After applying a generous amount of eye cream to reduce the swelling and concealer. I finish by using far too much mascara and eyeliner attempting to create a sultry look to mask the tears. To my horror, I look like a Goth sister. Giving up, I throw my hair into a high ponytail and slip on a fitted black tracksuit.Much to my surprise, the house is perfectly clean. It's as if a cleaning crew came through overnight. Aside from a few catering items in the foyer that the caterer presumably will come back to pick up, everything is back to normal. I wish the rest of my life were that easy to clean up!The smell of coffee is wafting in the air. I follow my nose to the source in the kitchen where a freshly showered Marcus is standing at the stove just about to cook eggs. He looks up at me doing a double-take. His brow instantl
“Well, as you know, my friend Olivia lives just a few doors down from Amelia.”She pauses as I nod in acknowledgment.“So she said that she has seen a black convertible Porsche that is brand new at the house for the past couple of weeks. The car is there overnight like every night and leaves early in the morning.”I only nod again.She bites at her manicured nail then continues, “She also said that when she goes out to walk her dog late at night, she hears piercing shrieks coming from Amelia's house. At first, she said she thought it might be the television, but it's like every night so...”I get up from my seat and begin to pace in front of the fireplace.“If this is too uncomfortable for you I can stop.”“Oh no, continue. I think I must be a sadist because honestly, I want you to finish. Besides, it might be valuable information later. ” I fight back the quivering in my kne
The problem isn’t just that they were business partners, but that Grant is Charlie's godfather. It has been next to impossible to include him in our life since they had the fight that eventually dissolved the business partnership.Marcus is a good entertainment lawyer but Grant is a damned good talent manager and it has always bothered Marcus that he got more of the credit.Their undoing was derived from an argument that was literally over one of the talents they represented. He thanked Grant for everything he had done for him in his acceptance speech at the Grammys but never mentioned Marcus.So naturally, Marcus was livid and accused Grant of coaching the talent on who to thank and what to say. Naturally, the bad blood that had formed between them necessitated Grant moving his portion of the business to his house in the Colony in Malibu.There was no way they would have been able to separate the business without an embattlement that would have pro
Early Saturday morning I wake up to the sun shining in my room, illuminating it like I am floating on the wing of an airplane above the clouds. I lie staring at the ceiling while the birds chirp and the sounds of the ocean off in the distance beckon to me.My moment of happiness is cut short with the sound of Charlie coughing and wheezing. I hear it all the way in my room which alarms me. Springing out of bed I tie my silk robe around me as I hurry down the hall. He's still coughing and sputtering as I come through the door, his face is purple and blue.Rushing to his bedside table, I grab his inhaler and bring it to him as he is hunched on the floor with the small robot Grant gave him happily charging ahead on the floor beside him.Charlie, use your inhaler honey.” I insist.Taking it from me, he nods and takes a deep breath using the inhaler followed by two more stabilizing breaths. He is still coughing, but the color in his face is now pink from
On the way to the club, Charlie sings his favorite Carrie Underwood songs and chatters away happily while looking out the window, watching the world pass by in a blur. I watch the rearview mirror as Grant follows us in his sleek convertible.I giggle as we drive by crowds where people peer into the car assessing whether he is someone famous or just another Hollywood Mogul. In truth, I guess he is famous and a mogul of sorts. But if you suggested that to him, he would deny every bit of it.He loves his job and doesn’t see himself as anything other than an Irish import who has done well with grasping the American dream. For that, I certainly cannot disagree. His way of being humble to a fault has always been a trait that I admired in Grant, I often wished that he could impart a little bit of that humility onto Marcus.My soon to be former husband was and still is certainly full of himself. I often overlooked that flaw because, in the past, his good poi