Page 92 of Sparks
We all sat around the room on the couch, chairs, and beanbag. Cheryl breezed out from the bedroom wearing a loose, flowery kimono, and sat on a floor cushion.
“And then there’s the date with Silas. He flew me to Philadelphia on a private plane and we ate cheesesteak.”
Willa let out a giant laugh. “You are hilarious.” She eyed me. They all eyed me.
“Wait, are you serious?” Holly asked.
“I’m so serious. It was super sexy and intense and—”
“Did you or did you not have sex again?” Cheryl blurted, making everyone’s mouths pop open.
“No,” I admitted. “Not even a kiss. But the cheesesteak was amazing.”
Everyone fell over groaning and pretending to cry and have tantrums. I tried to explain everything, and it sounded lame, even to my ears.
“You’re trying to protect yourself,” Rhea said. “There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s smart. A lot of stuff is happening at once.”
“So, what will you do now?” Holly asked.
“Be single, I guess. Let Shawn get married. Let Silas get divorced. And then we’ll see.” I peered around at their sympathetic faces. “In the meantime, I’m going to Paris.”
“What?” The whole room erupted, and everyone sat up, their eyes bugging out.
“With who?” Holly asked.
I shrugged. “By myself.”
“A solo trip,” Cheryl said. “That will be really good for you. Though, I feel like I’m missing some news here.”
“Oh, yes,” I said, sighing. “We need to catch you up.” My head flopped back in exhaustion at the thought of reliving all of that again.
“I’ll tell you everything in a little bit,” Holly promised her.
“I’ve been to Paris several times,” Rhea said. “My mom is fluent. I can explain the metro system—I’ll pull up the map—and show you some restaurants that are affordable and off the beaten path. You’ll need to be really careful of pick-pockets, though.”
I sat up, my nerves kicking in. “Maybe it’s not such a good idea to go alone.”
“I couldn’t do it,” Syd admitted.
“No, no.” Rhea turned on the couch and faced me, full on. “You can do this. It’s a pretty safe city for tourists…other than the stealing thing. This is a good opportunity for you to focus on yourself and reset.”
Cheryl was nodding.
“And,” Willa said, waggling her eyebrows. “French men.”
“Ooh-la-la!” Syd said, making everyone laugh.
I smiled but shook my head. “No men.”
“That’s right,” Holly said. “No men. Focus on the food.”
“Oh, my God.” Rhea’s eyes rolled back. “The food!”
“You right, you right,” Willa conceded. “But if you see a fine cocoa Frenchman…” She raised her brows.
“I’ll snap a picture for you.” I smiled around the room. “Do any of you want to come with me?”
“When are you leaving?” Holly asked.
