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“It is. Let’s not talk about work. I think about it all day already. I’m dying to catch up with you guys since we haven’t had time to since I’ve been back. Marcus, how’s work? Do you like working at Mistral?” Mistral is an upscale, trendy French-Mediterranean bistro a few blocks away from where we are now.
“It’s okay. I miss working at the Florentine. I make more money at Mistral, but it’s a different vibe, ya know?”
“I was surprised when you told me you were leaving the Florentine. You worked there for years,” Luci says.
“Fourteen years, to be exact,” Marcus adds.
“You think you’ll stay there? Nothing worse than working somewhere you don’t like,” I say.
“Actually, I called the manager at the Florentine and asked if there was any possibility of me returning. She was gonna let me know. Guess they’re not a fan of the bartender that replaced me. I’ll know more in a few days.”
The server comes to our table and takes our order, and I fill Luci and Marcus in on what happened with Massimo—giving them all the details of our conversation, including why I left.
“You left because you can’t have kids? Jesus, Lena! Why didn’t you share that with me? I’m your best friend and would’ve never judged you.” Luci’s mouth twists in disbelief, her eyes are rimmed with water, and she’s fighting back the tears. Another one of my victims.
“Luce, I’m sorry. I know those words don’t do much to take away the pain my actions caused, but I want you to know it’s not because I didn’t trust you or because I was afraid you’d judge me. I just knew that Massimo would go see you and pressure you, and I didn’t want to put you in that position.” I extend both my hands across the table and grab her right hand in mine.
“Wow, Lena, I don’t even know what to say right now. You lied to me for so many years about something so monumental. I get why you did it, but it’s so fucked up.”
“I never lied to you. I just never told you the whole truth,” I say.
“Semantics. You lied by omission. It’s the same fucking thing!”
“I’m sorry.” I squeeze her hand. “I never meant to hurt you. I love you, and I hope that one day you’ll forgive me for the pain I caused you.”
“I’m not gonna lie and say I’m not hurt and that I forgive you because I need some time to let it all sink in. But I’m sure I’ll come around eventually. And I love you too, even when you do things you shouldn’t.” She squeezes my hand.
“You girls are gonna make me cry, and I didn’t come to shed tears tonight. I know you ladies will kiss and make up. Now let’s drink,” Marcus says and raises his glass. “To us, our friendship, and being back together.” That’s one of the things I love about Marcus. He always lightens the mood when the conversation gets serious.
“I’ll drink to that,” I say, looking first at Marcus and then at Luci. My gaze remains on Luci, hoping that she can see that I truly love her. We’ve been friends our entire lives, she’s my sister, even if not by blood, and I know that I wounded her. Hopefully, she’ll find it in her heart to understand and forgive me.
“Me too,” Luci says, and her lip curls up on one side.
“So, I am dying to hear about you and Dom,” I say. “I saw you guys being all hush-hush at the wake for Massimo’s mother but honestly didn’t think much of it. I just thought you were keeping your voices down because of the circumstances. But when you left together, I was intrigued. Are you guys an item now or what?”
Luci bites her lip. “We’ve been out a few times, nothing official yet.”
“Girl, spill. You know we’re not gonna be satisfied with that,” Marcus proclaims.
“Exactly! I want all the details,” I add.
“A few weeks ago, I was in the North End picking up a ricotta pie and a few pastries at Modern’s for a work thing, and I ran into him. We talked for a little while, and when I had to leave, he asked if he could call me. That day I didn’t realize he meant he wanted to ask me out. I wasn’t thinking about him that way. He called me the next day. At first, I was surprised to hear from him that soon, but then he invited me to dinner. We’ve been out a few times since.”
“Are you into him?” I have so many questions for her.
“Surprisingly, yes. I’ve known him for years but never thought about a relationship with him. But he’s sweet.” Luci shrugs and takes a sip of her wine.
Marcus quips, “Have you slept with him? Is he good in bed?”
“Don’t hold back, Marcus,” I add.
“Oh, stop! You know you want to know just as much as I do,” he responds, and I chuckle, shaking my head.
“Well, yeah, but figured I’d work my way to that question.”
Luci’s eyes widen. She shakes her head. “You guys have no shame! You want to get right to it.”
“That’s right, now spill it. How is he in bed?” Marcus insists and chuckles.
