Page 22 of Mayfair Madame
She said yes.
I clasped the phone tightly, giddy with excitement, and checked she had actually just called me and it wasn’t a figment of my imagination.
Because of Melinda, Oscar knew about Ellie, and because of Oscar, I’d made the call and asked her out.
It wasn’t a date.Lies.
It was totally a date. She just didn’t know it yet.
“Well, what did she say?” Melinda sat forward in her seat across the table from me, a couple of margaritas between us.
“She said yes.” I fizzed like a bottle of expensive champagne, ready to pop.
“Of course she did. I told you not to worry.”
“You both did. You and Oscar. It’s been a while since I asked anyone out. The agency keeps me busy, as you know. And if Ellie said yes to me, Felicity might say yes to you. I know you like her.”
“No, she wouldn’t. When I was there earlier today, I saw her chatting with a guy. They were very hands on. Very touchy-feely. She’s far too young for me, Naomi.”
“Read more romance stories. They’re full of age gaps. And anyway, you’re thirty-seven. Hardly over the hill.”
“Naomi. She’s twenty-two if she’s a day. That’s fifteen years. At least Ellie seems to be similar in age to you. Think of the looks we’d get.”
“Fuck what other people think. As long as you’re happy, that’s the most important thing, and I know you haven’t been happy since…”
“Don’t say her name. I never want to hear it again.”
She took another drink, almost draining the glass. I reached across the table and placed my hand over hers.
“I’m always here for you, you know this. Anytime you need to talk or cry or shout.”
“I know, and I’m grateful. I thought I’d be over it by now.”
“You were with her a long time. Of course it’ll take time, but it’s been six months. I’m not saying you should throw yourself at the first available woman you see, Melinda, and I’ll never tell you it’s time to move on.”
“But itistime to move on. I know it is. I just can’t forget her and what she did to me.”
“I won’t tell you that. You will know when it’s time.”
“God, I’m sorry for bringing the mood down. We should celebrate you having your first date in goodness knows how long, not listening to me wallowing in self-pity.”
“How long have we known each other? We share each other’s successes and failures. God knows I’ve had plenty of those.”
“What do you want from her? Ellie, I mean.”
I shrugged. “A little fun? I don’t know, really. I haven’t thought that far ahead. It’s strange, but I feel I’ll be missing out on something special if I don’t see where this could go.”
“You’ve never said that about anyone before.”
“That’s because I’ve never felt like that before. The first time I saw her, I was drawn to the kindness radiating from her. She’s attractive, although I don’t think she sees that. My heart picked up a beat, and I had a desire to reach out and touch her. Feel how soft her hair was, her skin.”
“Wow. Seems like she made a good impression in a short space of time. Do you think perhaps you were overemotional? You’d just been assaulted. It’s easy to latch onto people when you feel vulnerable.”
“It could be, but if I don’t follow up, how will I know? I could pass up the best thing to happen to me.”
Before we could say anything further, the alarm on my phone went off.
“Damn it. I have to go. I need to work, and you should go home. It’s after seven.” I gathered up my phone and bent down to kiss her cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
