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Prologue
Jenni glanced at her watch as she climbed out of the cab. Fifteen minutes after the time she’d agreed to meet her old friend from their modeling days. A successful attorney, now, Matilda was always just a little late, and nothing made Jenni crazier than sitting alone waiting for someone, so she made sure it didn’t happen. Ever.
Entering the restaurant, she spotted Matilda sitting at a table toward the back and made her way toward her. The place was packed with hipsters brunching. So pretentious. There’d been a day when they would have been putting on just as much of a show, but not anymore. Now, they were free to be themselves. But she wouldn’t trade the days they’d spent together when they first came to the city for a billion dollars.
“Hey, beautiful.” Matilda rose and flashed one of her gorgeous smiles. No wonder the cameras loved her so.
“Hey, yourself, gorgeous.” Jenni gave her a big squeeze and slid into the seat across from her. “Been waiting long?”
“Not so much. Just got here.” She folded her hands on the table and grinned again. “It’s good to see you.”
They lived across the country from each other now. No more late night movie and cheap wine parties in pajamas with all the other girls. Getting together a few times a year for a meal was precious. Jenni worked from home, but from time to time had to visit clients in various cities for meetings or she’d never leave the house. She picked up the menu as a waitress appeared at tableside.
“You’re here. Excellent. Mimosa?”
“Ummm, sure.”
Matilda nodded, and the waitress disappeared into the crowd like her shoes were on fire.
“She’s in a hurry.” Jenni shook her head. “What are you having, or have you not had time to look yet?”
“As if you don’t know.” Matilda winked.
Jenni refilled her friend’s cup from the carafe in the middle of the table and then filled her own before moving the vase with a single plastic exotic flower and all the other things from the middle of the table so they could look at each other while we talked. Matilda smirked, but Jenni knew she understood.
“Eggs Benedict for you and pancakes for me.” She set the menu aside and took a fortifying sip of coffee. At least these hipster places did that right, strong and smooth. “So, tell me all that’s new in your world.”
“Aside from work—nothing.” Matilda shrugged.
“No men?”
“No, but I’m about to change that. I have an appointment with Gerri, a matchmaker, this afternoon. I’m done being lonely.” She was so glad to hear that. They both tended to be workaholics. After the years of long hours modeling, they’d switched to long hours in other fields. At some point, a person needed to live.
“I always figured you would end up with Daniel or Evan, honestly.” Two amazing men to choose from and she needed help finding someone? Of course she’d never been one to settle. Unlike Jenni.
“How about you? Any prospects on the horizon?” Matilda changing the focus of the conversation. Okay.
“Just Harold. He’s proposed. I got picked up by another agency, so I’ve been really busy.” Jenni started to tell her all about work…but she knew better than to think she could sail that news past her. The Harold news. Not the work news.
“I hope you said no.” Just flat. Like that.
“Matilda, you know Harold is perfectly nice. And it’s not like I have guys lining up to marry me.”
“If you ever left the house you might meet someone.” It was an old argument between them. When they lived in the model house, she’d dragged Jenni out to parties and all kinds of social activities. But now that she was three thousand miles away from her influence, she’d managed to slip back into solitude. Harold lived in the next apartment over. Jenni had met him in the laundry room.
“Are you going to ruin our short time together? I’m not like you. It’s not easy for me to meet new people.”
“Not inside your apartment.”
Jenni spoke through gritted teeth. “I get out. I like to get into nature and take pictures. I go to the beach and do that all the time.”
She shook her head slowly. “The beach is a block from your place.”
“It’s still outside.”
“You should use the Gerri’s dating service.” Matilda’s voice held the confidence of her convictions, as it always had when she was trying to change Jenni’s life. But they weren’t kids anymore. She had a life.
“I’m fine as is.” Although, her old friend’s enthusiasm, as always, got her mind working. Was she settling? Was that a bad thing?
