Emily cleared her throat and took a seat at the bar next to Blair.
“Your eyes are so puffy they’re almost shut. Here.” Sienna slid a cup of coffee toward her. “You need this more than Blair does.” She came over to Emily and put a hand on her shoulder. “What’s wrong?”
With a groan, Emily told them about the call.
“I’m so sorry, Em.” Blair wrapped her arms around Emily and gave her a squeeze.
Sienna rolled her eyes. “He’s a selfish jerk. How did we not see it sooner?”
Emily took a long drink, letting the nutty, rich flavor settle on her tongue. “Believe me, I’ve been asking myself the same question. I agreed tomarryhim. If anyone should’ve seen it, it’s me. But I didn’t have a clue…”
“It’s terrifying actually,” Blair said. “You did nothing wrong, and Will strayed.” Her face paled.
“You okay?” Sienna asked, pouring another cup of coffee.
“This isn’t anything to do with your situation, Em, but it just hit me: What if Rocko looks somewhere else because I can’t give him what he needs?”
“Rocko isn’t Will,” Emily said.
Sienna slid a second mug over to Blair.
“Since losing the baby, I’m in my head all the time, worried about what might happen with every choice I make,” Blair said. “It’s got me paralyzed. But at the same time, I’d die without Rocko. He doesn’t really understand, but he’s supportive. He was the first one to cheer me on when I wanted to start the influencer thing, while my family cautioned me. I knew it wasa crazy idea, and the chances of anything coming of it were relatively low, but he had my back from day one. He still does.”
Sienna sat down on the barstool beside Emily. “Now you two havemeworried. Tyson isn’t my rock like Rocko. And, to be honest, I wouldn’t know if he had a chick in the city. We’re like two ships passing in the night. But we don’t worry about one another because we’ve always wanted the same thing—basically a single lifestyle minus the dating. We can come and go as we please. And now, I’m going to change that. I’m not sure we’re ready for this.”
“I’m living proof that we can never be ready for the things that get thrown at us,” Emily said. “But it’s how we deal with the unexpected that matters.”
She wasn’t sure yet how she planned to deal with it, but the first step was to sign that form to transfer the house so she could start the next chapter of her life.
“You’re right.” Blair took her coffee and twisted around on the barstool. “Focus on the positive. And my counselor says I need to develop emotional intimacy before I’ll feel totally comfortable with the physical. Rocko has been trying. He’s been bringing home fresh flowers because he knows I like them. And he spends an hour each night talking to me. That should say something, right?”
“Absolutely,” Sienna said. “But now I’m more nervous than I was to begin with. Tyson and I have a long way to go.”
“Talk to him about it,” Emily suggested.
“I’ll call him tonight and just feel him out.”
Blair leaned on her elbow, a dreamy look on her face. “It all seemed so easy when we were young. I used to put my bedsheet on my head and pretend to get married. I’d cradle my baby dolls and make-believe they were my kids. I never imagined any other future for myself.”
“Me too,” Emily said. “I had tons of dolls. It’s a wonder I didn’t start a daycare center.”
“Well, you did become a teacher,” Blair said. She leaned around Emily. “Sienna, what did your playtime look like as a girl?”
“I dressed up Barbies in their little business attire and created scenarios about how they were headed off to make millions in their pink convertibles.”
Blair laughed. “That sounds about right. We had no idea then what we’d all face as adults…”
Sienna blew out a loud breath of air. “We’re not even through breakfast, and I think we all need an escape from our regular lives already. It’s got to be this dreadful weather.” She shot an angry look at the gray view. “Who wants to plan the outing today?”
Blair raised her hand. “I’ll do it.”
“Perfect.” Sienna got up and walked around the bar. “Given that my waistline is expanding anyway, I’m planning on carbs this morning. I found ingredients for pancakes. Anyone up for some?”
Emily’s eyes widened. “I could definitely go for some pancakes. And I packed syrup.”
“The morning’s getting brighter already!” Blair cheered.
As rain patteredagainst the windows, the women retreated to their rooms. Over the last hour, while getting dressed, combing her hair, and putting on her makeup, Emily had picked apart every moment of her and Will’s life together, trying to figure out the warning signs she’d missed. It was true they’d gotten busy with work and remodeling plans, and they hadn’tbeen as romantic as they used to be, but was preoccupation grounds forthis? Why didn’t he ever say something? She’d have dropped everything to have a date night. She’d have reorganized her time immediately to allow a candlelit dinner or a pizza in. The question she kept coming back to, which she didn’t want to ask herself: Was she not enough? Could this Lanie give him something she couldn’t?
