Carrie: =O Tell me he’s a good kisser.
Lizzie: Details!
Aurora: You want me to kiss and tell?
Lizzie: Um, yes.
Aurora: It was amazing.
Aurora: The weird thing is, I’m not feeling guilty at all. Which makes no sense. Shouldn’t there be guilt for kissing another man?
Adele: Sweetie, you’re a widow. You’re not cheating.
Carrie: What she said.
Aurora: Right. I need to shower. I’ll talk to you guys tomorrow? Lots to digest.
Adele: Can’t wait =)
As she sent the last message, Lizzie came through on her caller ID.
“Hey, how are you feeling?”
Aurora fell onto her bed. “Like I’m in a romance novel or something,” she started. “Maybe the guilt hasn’t hit me yet.”
“You don’t need to feel guilty on any level. You mourned longer than most people. It’s been five years. It’s not like you’re jumping into bed with some guy right after the funeral.”
“I know, but …”
“Did you and Jeff talk about dating again before he died?”
“No …” Aurora sat up. “I couldn’t even think about dating anyone else. And it’s not exactly something you want to discuss with your husband on his hospice bed.”
“I guess not. My point is, all Jeff ever wanted was to make you happy. And if he’s no longer there to do it, and you find someone else who can, do you really think he’d sit there on the other side and resent you for it? Or do you think he wants to see you stagnate and live in the past?”
“When you put it that way, no.”
“You and Jeff had something special. No other man can ever take that away from you. There’s no harm in seeing if this is something special, too. Or even in having a little fun. You haven’t had sex in the five years since he died, have you?”
“Err …”.
“I didn’t think so. Have fun tomorrow, and if guilt raises its ugly head, smash it with a mallet.”
Aurora started laughing. “Okay, okay. I better get some rest for the big day tomorrow.”
“I’ll let you go. I love you.”
“Love you too, Sis. Good night.”
Duncan put the finishing touches on the ticketing table as the first alumni arrived. Jen was giving the photography club members directions. Dave and Mike were checking some last-minute things with the DJ. Britney and Emily sat down at the ticket table.
“We can take it from here, Duncan. Go say hi to people.”
“Have you seen Roar?” he asked them.
“Not yet. Oh, hey, Mike.” Britt waved at Mike, who was coming back from the ballroom.
“Hey, guys. Everything’s set up.”
