Page 2 of Breakaway

Remi blinked, then moved automatically to the cupboard where the champagne flutes were. Champagne? What was she celebrating? Her little brother was barely making it through his freshman year of college and her younger sister had just moved in with a man she’d suspected more than once of cheating on her. Remi was pretty sure he had. The scumbag.

“I don’t exactly feel like celebrating.” She held out the glasses.

“Oh, come on! I know you’re worried about Jasmine, but you have to let go! She’s a big girl who will have to learn from her mistakes. You just need to change your attitude!”

“I’m living alone for the first time in my life.” It hit her then that she did in fact live alone. All alone. No more kids to worry about, to bail out of scrapes, to sacrifice sleep and money and a life of her own for.

Well, until they came running back out of money, broken-hearted or in trouble of some kind.

“But that can be a good thing! Just think—you’re free now to do whatever you want! Whenever you want.” Delise poured champagne carelessly and it frothed over the top and ran over Remi’s fingers in cold foamy rivulets. “Orwhoever you want.” She winked.

Delise was right. She did need to let go. She needed to push aside those worries that Jasmine was going to get hurt or that Kyle was going to flunk out of college and spend the rest of his life working at Burger King.

“You’re right. I’ll try.” She clinked her glass against Delise’s.The sparkling bubbles nipped at Remi’s nose and throat as she drank and she laughed.

“So. Where should we go tonight?” Delise picked up the bottle to refill the glasses.

“I don’t know.” It had been a while since she’d been out with her girlfriends. A long while.

“We’ll go to Rouge.” Delise answered her own question. “It’s the hottest, most happening place in town. And you’re going to find the best looking guy there, pick him up and bring him home for head-banging, screaming sex. And it won’t matter—because you live alone now!”

Remi laughed at the outrageous plans. Like that’d ever happen! But she supposed she was willing to go out. It would be good for her. “Okay!” She forced a smile, drained her glass and held it out for more.

“I’ll call Emily and Sarah and tell them where we’re going. They said they’d meet us there.”

“Wow. You guys have this all planned.”

Delise shrugged, mouth curved into a smug smile. She tossed her long spirally auburn hair back over her shoulder. “I had to. If I left it up to you, you’d stay home marking papers or something. On a Saturday night!”

Remi grimaced. Yeah, that was usually what she did on Saturday nights. Or pretty much any night lately. “You’re so right.” She reached for the champagne bottle. “My lifeisboring. I need to have some fun.”

“True that.” Delise toasted her again. “Let’s go find your sexiest outfit for you to wear tonight.”

“Uh. That might be a problem. I don’t exactly have a sexy wardrobe.”

“Hmm.” Delise tapped her index finger against her lips. “Okay, then—let’s go shopping!”

“I can’t go shopping!” Remi glanced at her watch. “It’s nearly dinner time…”

“Remi. You don’t have to cook dinner for anyone. Time doesn’t matter. The stores are open for two more hours. Let’s go!”

Remi stared at her friend, fighting her reflexive resistance to anything spontaneous and carefree. A lifetime of being responsible, of being the dependable older sister, the mature, reliable one everyone counted on, had worn grooves in her that were too deep to disappear in an hour. A day. Maybe ever!

She drew in a long deep breath and straightened her shoulders. “Okay. Let’s go shopping.”

Pulsing techno music wrapped around Remi and Delise as they descended a long red-carpeted staircase into the dark nightclub. Ornate lanterns on red walls provided discreet light and mirrored columns reflected it back around the room, creating light and shadow, glitter and darkness. Remi and Delise walked into the front area of the club where well-dressed patrons crowded around a long glass and stainless-steel bar. Emily and Sarah waved from a small table near the back, which led to a second level where more gorgeous people lounged on red leather banquettes.

When Sarah looked up at Remi, her jaw went slack. “Remi! Holy cow!”

Emily’s reaction was similar. “You look incredible!” She studied Remi’s gold sparkly camisole top, short black skirt and stiletto heels. “Where’d you get that outfit?”

“Diva.” Remi looked down at herself and bit her lip, wishing she could slouch down into her seat. The low-cut top revealed generous cleavage—not that she had that much cleavage, but the mega-push up bra Delise had talked her into was doing a fine job of lifting up the girls. She tugged at the short skirt and shifted in her chair.

“Doesn’t she look hot?” Delise demanded with a satisfied smile.

“She does!”

Delise dropped her small purse on the table. “We went shopping. I helped pick it out.”

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