California Girls

“I am. I work in the OR, mostly with cardiologists. It’s intense, but I love it. No two days are the same. We save lives—nothing beats that.”

C.J. looked crushed. “You’re right. I mean all I do is sell real estate.” She set down her drink. “What am I saying? I find people their homes. That’s important, too. Okay, you get to be the most special, but I’m right there, one rung down.”

“Half a rung,” Zennie told her. “Where’s your territory?”

“East Valley, mostly. I flirt with Burbank but you know that market is pretty specialized. Do you own your own place?”

“I wish, but no. I have a little studio close to the hospital.”

“You should buy something. It’s good to build equity. The rest of the country’s real estate market goes up and down but this is LA. We’re always going to be growing.” One eyebrow rose. “Unless you’re secretly waiting for a man to tell you it’s okay.”

“Ouch. Not that.” Zennie paused. “Okay, maybe that, but only because I wasn’t paying attention and wow is that stupid. What have I been waiting for?”

“I have no idea. Maybe you love your place.”

Zennie thought about her small apartment. It was where she lived but it wasn’t exactly what she’d envisioned for herself. At first she’d liked the convenience, but she supposed that in the back of her mind, she’d always assumed she would...

“I’ve been waiting for a man,” she said, shocking herself with the truth. “I didn’t even know. I’ve been brainwashed by societal pressures.”

“It happens to all of us. Awareness isn’t easy. So what other dreams have you put on hold?”

“Are you judging me?”

C.J. held up her hands again. “Not me, sister. Career-wise, I kick ass, but in my personal life, I jump into relationships way too fast. If someone wants a second date, I’m immediately planning our lives together. It’s awful. I hate being alone. It’s like a death sentence. So I’m a mess.” She flashed a smile. “But I look good.”

“You do. Okay, other dreams put on hold. I want to learn Italian and go to Italy. Not just for a week, but like for a month. I want to experience the rhythm of life there.”

“Excellent goal. So start today. Get one of those language apps and learn Italian. You could be ready to go by the fall.”

Zennie shook her head. “Not this fall.”

“Giving in to fear?”

“I’m hoping to be pregnant.”

C.J.’s brown eyes widened. She gulped her margarita, then waved over the server. “I’m so going to need another one of these, then I want to hear the story. You’re going to have a baby?”

“Not for me. For a friend.”

“That is way more than house-sitting a cat.”

Zennie laughed, then told her about Bernie and the surrogacy. “I haven’t told my mom yet, so please don’t say anything.”

“I won’t and for the record, I don’t hang out with your mom. Not that she isn’t lovely, but I have my own mother to guilt me into things. A baby. I don’t know that I would do that for a friend. You dazzle me.”

“Thanks. I get it’s a big deal, but Bernie’s been through so much and I know she’ll be a great mom. She teaches kindergarten, so she’s all prepared.”

“Amazing.” C.J. looked at her. “All right, I say let’s be friends.”

“I’d like that.”

“Good. I’m going to the restroom. When I get back, we’ll order dinner, then talk trash about our exes. How’s that?”

“Sounds perfect.”

C.J. got up and walked toward the back of the restaurant. Zennie pulled out her phone and texted her mother.

Not a lesbian, Mom. I thought we’d talked about this before.

Just checking. You might have changed your mind.

I haven’t, although C.J. is nice. We’re going to be friends, so the odds of grandchildren with her are slim.

You’re killing me, Zennie. Right now, I’m lying here dead.

Night, Mom.

Dead people can’t text.

Zennie was still chuckling when she put her phone away.





Chapter Twelve


Finola arrived home from the studio to find Nigel’s bleached and ruined clothes pulled from the pool and neatly folded on the back deck. She had no idea what the pool guy had thought when he’d seen them, but doubted he’d more than blinked. After all, this was Los Angeles and crazy things happened here, even in the valley.

She walked out of the kitchen, formulating her plan for the evening. She would start with a hot shower, then she would redo her makeup, get changed and leave. Traffic would be a mess, but if she got there early, then it was only a win for her.

She’d barely started up the stairs when her cell phone rang. She glanced at the screen, saw it was her stepfather and answered the call as she sank down onto a stair.

“Hey, Dad.”

“Hey, yourself. Your mother told me what happened. I wanted to find out how you were doing.”

Finola sighed, ready for a little parental comforting. “It’s been awful, as you can imagine. What was Nigel thinking? I mean cheating is one thing, but with her? And telling me the way he did. I can’t even describe how hard that was.”

She felt her eyes fill with tears. “Oh, Dad, he was mean and she was a bitch and everyone’s going to know and it’s all ruined.”

She drew in a breath and waited for him to say something. There was only silence.

“Dad? Aren’t you going to say something?”

“I’m sorry you’re in pain.”

That was it? “I was looking for more sympathy.”

“I’m sure you were, but you have plenty of people to give you that. I want to make sure you’re asking the right questions.”

“What do you mean?”

“Why.”

“Why what?”

“Why it happened, Finola.” He spoke slowly, as if to a child.