Page 36 of Wild Abandon

Jeremy gives his attention back to me. “All I heard about was her wild friend Crystal. I couldn’t wait to meet you, and you were a riot. We went to clubs, and you would dance on the speakers. One time, we were walking down Broadway, and these street performers were there. You just jumped in and started break-dancing with them. So full of energy and life. Impulsive like I’ve never known. And then you went to Europe.”

Jeremy seems unsure about where to go from there, so Naomi finishes for him, “You were never the same after Steven.”

“Well, duh, he broke my heart.”

Naomi looks like she is about to say something but doesn’t.

When she opens her mouth again, Jeremy interrupts, “I think what Naomi wants to say is, you’ve closed yourself off a bit since Steven.”

“Closed off? I have done nothing but put myself out there. I even moved across the country, trying something new.”

“With only two suitcases,” Scarlet chimes in.

“I take it, this is a conversation the three of you have been having behind my back.”

“No. I’m just really observant,” Scarlet says. “And I heard them talking.”

Naomi defends herself, “How serious could you be about meeting someone here if you packed like you were coming here for a vacation?”

“I quit my job.”

“You were fired.”

“My teaching job.”

“Your best friend is your boss. You can have your spot back in a heartbeat. And you sublet your apartment. It’s yours again if you want it.” Naomi has been putting some serious thought into her hypothesis.

“All we’re saying is, you tend to close yourself off when things get serious. You’re scared, and that’s completely normal after everything you went through.” Jeremy says.

Naomi starts to chime in, but Jeremy holds his hand up to her in a hush motion. “I want to set you up with someone.”

“Oh God, no.” It’s bad enough that I’ve been scouring the Internet for a date. But a setup by a friend is always so awkward. If I don’t like the guy, I can’t just end the date. It would make Jeremy look bad. I’d have to see this one through. “Thank you, but no.”

“Just think about it. You say the word, and the date is yours.”

I sit up straighter in my seat and give them both a smile. “Thank you very much for your concern, but I assure you, I have a good feeling about Napa.”

Naomi leans forward, her face softer and her smile slightly lopsided. “I love you, Crystal. I want to see you with someone who makes you happy. That’s all.”

“I love you, too, Naomi.”

“Are you two going lesbian on me? Because I’m okay with it, under one condition—”

“Jeremy!” My hands are crushing poor Scarlet’s head.

After dinner, the four of us play a game of Scrabble. Scarlet is winning because, even though she doesn’t know what the words mean, she’s memorized the list of two-letter words, and she racks up a bazillion points.

It’s adorable, watching Jeremy and Naomi interact. They tease each other and pretend to fight, but they’re always touching each other in some way. Jeremy skims his thumb on her lower back, or Naomi puts her hand on his knee. I can’t say there’s an infatuating mad, passionate love affair between them, but there is something deep and true.

When I first met them, they would make out everywhere they went. That was different. That was lust. This, here…this is deep love. This is finding your partner in life and holding hands through the ups and downs. This is paying bills and raising a child. This is renting movies on Friday nights. This is roast chicken for dinner and leftovers on a Tuesday.

This is good wine.

This is real.

chapter SEVEN

Dressed in a short skirt and knee-high boots, I take a seat at a table at Henley’s Pub in anticipation of Salvatore. Yes, isn’t the name sexy?