Page 52 of Beauty Of Her

Bridgette rolled her eyes, continuing to eat. I, on the other hand, was done.

Me

What are you wearing?

Julia

Not now. I’m busy.

Me

Aw, that’s too bad. I wanted you to meet the other woman in my life.

Julia

Fine. You win. What’s up?

Me

Will you go to coffee with my cousin Bridgette? I’d love for the two of you to meet. I think you’d hit it off.

This wasn’t the first time I spoke about Bridgette to Julia. She knew of my cousin’s past and listened attentively whenever I brought her up. I could tell Julia sensed an unspoken connection between them. And it wasn’t because they were divorced. They were two strong women who fought hard for what they had today.

Julia

Of course. I’d love to meet her! Is she free next Monday after work?

“Are you free next Monday after work?” My eyes lifted to meet Bridgette’s steady gaze. She pushed around the food on her plate, and I couldn’t tell if she wanted to meet Julia. “If you don’t want to go, you can always say no. I’ll just make up an excuse.”

“Did anyone ever tell you how annoying you are?” Bridgette squinted.

“Great! Next Monday it is.”

Me

That works for Bridgette. Thanks for this, babe.

Julia

Of course, my love. I’m about to go into another meeting. Talk later…xx.

Love? Did Julia use that word in a context close enough for me to believe she loved me? Who was I kidding? Of course, she loved me. I didn’t need to hear the words to know it. Her actions spoke the sounds she couldn’t form…at the moment. I failed to wipe the goofy smile off my face and caught Bridgette staring at me.

“Julia just said, ‘my love’ to me.” I held up the phone before chucking it onto the table.

“Here we go.” Bridgette rolled her eyes. “Are we going to analyze that line for the rest of the day?”

“No, no.” I waved a dismissive hand, even though my mind had already raced to figure out that small phrase. Instead of driving myself crazy, I took my phone and pulled up an app to send a dozen red roses to Julia’s office.

“What are you doing now?” Bridgette motioned to my cell.

“I’m sending roses to Julia’s work.” I hit complete, and my order was confirmed. “They should be there in an hour.”

“Oh, my God. You really are serious about Julia.” Bridgette’s eyes bulged.

“Don’t worry. You’ll find someone like me one day.” I grinned, showing off every single tooth.

“I don’t even know who I’m sitting across from now.”

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