Over the next couple of weeks I avoided Trey’s continued attempts at contact. His messages sat unanswered in my voice mail. Between Trey’s unreasonable demands and worries over my last meeting with Professor Calder, I needed a distraction from the stress because revising my thesis only added to it. I persuaded Hayden to work on my tattoo. It had become a talisman of catharsis. He scheduled three mini-sessions to fix the spots where the ink hadn’t taken. He refused to work on me for more than an hour at a time. As long as we were making progress, I wouldn’t complain. The upside to the frequent sessions was the amount of time I spent in the shop. The easy banter between the four of them gave me insight into just how close they were. They loved and fought like siblings.
I even got to know Lisa better. She was warmth personified, and I gravitated to her. Apart from her visits to Serendipity, we hadn’t spent much time together, because I’d always been with Hayden. It was nice to have a reason to hang out with her that didn’t include clamps and needles.
Hayden was busy cleaning up his station after our third session when Lisa approached me, eager to show off her newest jewelry acquisitions. She pulled out a tray of curved barbells. They looked so harmless, sitting against the black velvet backdrop. Lisa was highlighting the benefits of a hood piercing. My reluctance had more to do with healing time than pain. From the research I’d done, there would be no sex for two weeks. Hayden would implode. We’d barely been able to handle five days; fourteen would be insanity, but the positives might outweigh the cost.
Lisa was in the middle of explaining the difference between a vertical and horizontal hood piercing when I noticed a flash of red on her left ring finger.
“Is that new?”
She held it out to me. A single ruby sat cushioned amid a circle of tiny diamonds set in a platinum band. It was stunning.
“Jamie proposed last night.” Her smile was radiant.
“Oh, my God. Congratulations! That’s great news!”
A riot of conflicting emotions hit me as I hugged her. Connor had been over-the-top romantic with his proposal. It had been a complete surprise, particularly since it came on the heels of a two-month break. After weeks of limited communication, he showed up at my undergraduate commencement and took me away for a weekend in Minneapolis, intent on fixing things between us. We’d had a private dinner in an upscale restaurant on a rooftop patio. He’d asked to me marry him over dessert, while the sun had sunk below the horizon. I’d been months away from turning twenty, having fast-tracked through my undergraduate degree. I’d been na?ve, blinded by the romance and the allure of a safe and comfortable future.
When Lisa released me I felt disembodied. I welcomed the numbness. Happy though I was for her, the news resurrected pieces of my past I didn’t have the energy to deal with.
My mouth was full of cotton, my brain just as fuzzy as she told the story, her excitement uncontained. Her unbridled joy was exactly how a person should feel after a proposal.
“We’re having a party this weekend to celebrate. I know it’s short notice, but I’ve already talked to Cassie. She’s going to close Serendipity early so she and Nate can come, at least for a little while.” Lisa’s exhilaration was infectious as she chattered away. “You don’t work tomorrow, do you? I’m taking the evening off to shop. I thought maybe you’d want to come?”
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been shopping with a girlfriend. My friends and I used to go to the city regularly for weekend expeditions. I wanted to replace the memories with new ones that didn’t hurt so much.
“I’d love that. And I could make cupcakes for the party,” I offered.
Hayden’s arm came around my waist, surprising me. “What’s this about cupcakes?”
“For the party this weekend.” Lisa flashed her ring in explanation.
“Right. Good plan. You’ll make extra?” Hayden burrowed his nose into my hair and whispered, “Maybe I can come over and help with the icing.”
*
Hayden didn’t get the opportunity to help me, because Lisa and I spent the next two days planning her party. He was miffed by my lack of availability, but in the wake of Lisa’s announcement, I welcomed the space. Almost. The nightmares returned without him, and his absence in my bed made me anxious. It reaffirmed how much I’d come to depend on him.
Sarah wasn’t working, so I invited her to join us with the party planning. She and Lisa hit it off right away.
The three of us congregated in the kitchen, the counter overflowing with baking supplies and cooling cupcakes. Sarah measured icing sugar and dumped it into the mixer. It puffed up in a sugary cloud and she shrieked, batting it away.
“It’s sugar, not poisonous gas,” I said sardonically.
“I don’t understand why the two of you like baking,” she grumbled as Lisa hip-checked her out of the way and took over.
“Why don’t you pour some wine?” Lisa suggested.
“Excellent plan. I’ll take care of drinks, and then I can be the delegator or something. I’m good at that,” she said with a cheeky grin.
“How’s your stalker situation as of late?” I asked.
Sarah rolled her eyes. “Don’t get me started. He has to be the most persistent man I’ve ever met.”
“What’s this about?” Lisa asked.
“Oh, just this guy Chris who’s been at my work a lot lately. He won’t take a hint.”
“What she’s not telling you is that Chris happens to be covered in tattoos,” I prompted.
Lisa’s eyes went wide. “Not our Chris?”
“The one and only.” I grinned.