Page 3 of The Love Dose
By the time I reach the restaurant, my booted toes are frozen pebbles. I take a deep breath, passing beneath the neon sign.Le Marais.
Roger, the owner, stands in the vestibule, assessing the glass display, showcasing perfect cuts of aged meats. I paint a fake smile on my face.
"Hello, Mrs. Page, the others are already here."
Mrs. Page.
I've told Roger to call me Caroline at least a hundred times. He's within five years of my fifty.
For some reason, he's grinning.
"Allof them?" I ask, hopeful.
Before he can respond, I hurry into the dining room and head for the back.
The ladies are giggling at the round table, our table. I count four women. The club is back together. My faux smile magically morphs into a genuine one.
"Evie! What an incredible surprise!"
I offer Evie a kiss on each cheek, overjoyed to see the huge bauble and wedding ring on her left hand. I wasn't expecting my best friend to be here. She lives much of the time in California with her new, much younger husband.
Evie leans in, whispering. "Thought you'd appreciate if I dropped by."
She's a mind reader. Her presence is almost enough to make me fall apart. But I don’t. I won’t.
I proceed to hug Barbie, Sam, and with mutual reluctance, Mo.
“Hello, gals,” I announce, taking the sole empty chair and wave to the waiter. “Bring on the mojitos!”
“You look ten years younger,”I say to my best friend, meaning every word. I know Evie doesn’t mess with plastic surgery. When I had my eyes done, I suggested we do it together, a BFF version ofNipped and Tucked. She declined. And still looks amazing. I guess happy works.
“How are the boys?” I ask.
Evie has three now. Her two grown sons and her new husband. Come to think of it, it was right here in this dining room that Adam proposed. It rates as one of the most romantic gestures I’ve ever witnessed, the kiss rivaling Jack and Rose’s at the ship’s bow inTitanic. It even sparked my own short-lived fantasies, as if love is contagious. I now chalk them up to a bout of temporary insanity.
Evie beams. “Everyone is great. Jeffrey loves his new job in California. Daniel is still figuring things out but he's considering moving out West as well."
My stomach drops. How much more can I bear to lose? “I guess there will be no reason for you to come back here anymore,” I say, aiming for levity. It comes out flat.
Evie’s green eyes scrutinize me, her gaze cutting to the group sitting at the table. “I can think of at least four reasons.”
She means it. Evie will do all she can to keep coming to New York but how long can she sustain that sort of travel? For now at least, I get to see her when she comes for work. She’s in-house counsel for several of her husband’s firm’s subsidiaries.
As if reading my mind once more, she says, “Daniel isn’t moving away anytime soon and remember I’m licensed in New York. I need to come here to practice.”
Evie is a lawyer though not the same kind I just met with. She would be livid if she knew I spoke with Howard and didn’t tell her.
But I choose not to. She’s finally found her joy. I will not dampen it with my riches-to-rags sob story.
Instead, I order another mojito.
Chapter Three
Caroline
The dining room is slowly clearing out with the end of the lunch rush but the five of us are still tackling our various designer salads. My sous vide tenderloin on baby arugula is a masterpiece.
Waiters in starched uniforms carry trays laden with dirty dishes into the kitchen, the hustle-bustle of setting up for the dinner crowd will soon begin. I’m intimately familiar with the routine at Le Marais. Thanks to the days when Roger was sweet on Evie, we have this table in the corner reserved each month.
