Page 35 of It's a Widow Thing

She locked up her apartment and they headed downstairs, where Sabrina had a town car waiting. The driver opened the door for them and they ducked inside. She really did want tonight to go perfectly, and worrying about things like taxis or using a ride app was just going to add too many variables. The car pulled away from the curb for the relatively short trip to Times Square when Sabrina’s phone rang. It was Lucy.

“Don’t freak out,” she said when Sabrina answered.

That immediately made her want to freak out. “If you don’t want me to freak out, don’t tell me to not freak out. What’s wrong?”

“I’m at Urgent Care. I think I sprained my ankle. Badly.”

Sabrina’s stomach lurched. “What? What happened? Are you okay?” She looked at Michael, whose face was painted with concern and worry, only compounding her stress level.

“It was the stupid shoes I planned to wear tonight. I was walking through our bedroom and the cats were chasing each other and the next thing I knew, I was in a heap in the hall, screaming in agony.”

“Are you going to be okay?”

“Yeah. They gave me pain killers. They’re going to fit me with one of those boots. But needless to say, I’m supposed to stay off of it. There’s no way I can be there tonight. I’m so sorry.”

So much for tonight going perfectly. “Don’t apologize. I hate this for you. This is as much your big night as it is mine. You should be there for it.”

“I know. It sucks. But you can’t think about that right now. I want you to go and drink a bunch of champagne and have fun, okay? You deserve it.”

It was impossible to not feel disappointed. “Okay.”

“I’m serious,” Lucy said.

“I know. I will.”

“Okay. Good. You can tell me everything tomorrow. Good night.”

“Take care of yourself.” Sabrina hung up the phone. “Lucy can’t come. She sprained her ankle.”

“Oh. Shit. That sucks. I hope she’s going to be okay.”

“It sounds like they’re taking good care of her. Do you think this is a sign that things aren’t going to go well tonight?”

Michael took her hand. “No. One bad thing always happens. That’s your one bad thing. I’m sorry she can’t come, but the rest of the night will be smooth sailing. I’m sure of it.”

Sabrina sank back in her seat. “I hope you’re right.”

Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at the location for Echo Beauty on Broadway at 42ndStreet. This wasn’t a part of town Sabrina typically hung out in, but you couldn’t ask for a more prime location. Tens of millions of people walked past that exact spot every year. Sabrina knew this for a fact. She’d looked it up.

As she climbed out of the car, she couldn’t help but feel like her life was about to change. Sure, from the sidewalk, it looked like nothing more than an out-of-use big box retail space, with three stories of windows covered with brown paper from the inside. But the fuchsia pink carpet runner leading to the front door, the fabulously dressed people strolling down it, and the pair of security guys guarding the entrance told her this was a very exclusive situation. She was not only invited to this fabulous party. Her presence had been requested.

She and Michael joined the queue and checked in with the young woman who was policing the guest list. “Got it. Sabrina Kelly plus one,” she said as she made a checkmark on the page then hugged the clipboard to her chest. “You’re all set. Coat check is right inside. Have fun.”

“Thank you.” Sabrina took a deep breath for luck, then stepped over the threshold, clutching Michael’s hand like he was her only lifeline.

It was like crossing through a portal into another world. The space was soaring and open with white stone floors, bright lighting, and escalators criss-crossing in the center up to the other levels. Sabrina immediately imagined Chelsea Mayhem’s second home here, and her heart swelled with pride.

“Wow,” Michael said.

The world’s simplest review, but it summed it up perfectly. “That’s what I was going to say.”

“Seriously. If this is what it looks like before they begin construction, I can’t even imagine how amazing it will look when they’re done.” Michael tugged her toward the coat check, where he helped her take hers off. Once the attendant had taken it from her, Michael took the liberty of grabbing two flutes of champagne from a waiter. “Now this calls for a toast. To you and Chelsea Mayhem. May this be the first of many leaps forward.”

She grinned and clinked her glass with his. She felt so lucky to have him by her side. With Lucy out of the picture, she would have been all on her own tonight. She’d spent enough of her life feeling like that, untethered to anything or anyone. “Thank you for being my emotional support person.”

“Of course. I wouldn’t have missed this for the world. Let’s look around.”

“Definitely.”