Page 116 of Whenever You Call

“Hey, I’m a mom, leave me alone.” I chuckled.

“Oh, I’m going to enjoy this.”

An hour later, she’d raided my wardrobe, and we left the house with me dressed in a pair of wide-legged, tan linen pants, golden flats, and a white camisole that apparently showed off the tan I’d acquired from those long pool days with Bella and Logan whenever he wasn’t on shift. Kate had even gone to the trouble of curling my hair, pulling it back on one side to pin behind my ear.

A driver had been waiting patiently outside my home, and he drove us into downtown Beverly Hills to a restaurant where we could eat outdoors, with people passing us by while we ate. As soon as I saw BeverLiz Cafe when we turned off Rodeo Drive and onto South Beverly Drive, I couldn’t ignore the giddy thread of excitement running through me. Sure, the nerves were there still, but all it took was me to draw on Logan’s promises of safety, and I pushed those nerves as far down as they could possibly go.

Plus, it had been such a long time since I’d eaten out in public. Even if the places around here were over the top pretentious, I could allow myself to enjoy this because the company mattered to me.

Kate led us toward our reserved table, pushing her shades to the top of her head as she took the seat the waiter offered, watching me do the same on the opposite side. By the time we’d ordered our food, as well as two glasses of wine, Kate sank back into her seat, eyeing me as though I was a frightened animal about to flee.

“Is this okay?” she asked.

I sipped on the crisp white wine, nodding my approval before I rubbed my lips together and dropped my crystal glass back to the table. “It’s perfect.”

“You know, I style a lot of women, doing what I do, and no matter how expensive the makeup we apply, or how rare the diamonds around one’s neck, or how many accessories we throw over their shoulders, there’s only one thing that makes a woman glow the way you’re glowing today.”

“What’s that?” I asked, leaning forward with my forearms resting on the table.

“Love.”

I scowled. “Love?”

“You heard me the first time.”

“Doesn’t mean I understand what you’re implying.”

Copying my pose, she leaned forward too, her voice dropping. “You can’t fool me. I heard you on the phone that day. This has to do with that Logan guy, doesn’t it?”

The mere mention of his name had my smile rising.

“I knew it!” she cried, slapping her hand full of expensive rings on the table.

“Shh! Kate!” I hissed, narrowing my eyes and glancing around. “It’s not what you think it is. Yes, we’re… you know… together. But love?” I shook my head, trying to argue with the rapid thoughts and feelings that rushed through me. “It’s too soon for that. We’re just—”

“Having a good time?”

“Yeah.”

“And the sex?”

“Stop it,” I warned playfully.

She laughed, throwing her hands up in the air. “I don’t care what you’re choosing to label it, but I do want all the details, so spill.”

That was the thing with Kate: if she wanted something, she left you with no choice but to give it to her. Without paying attention to those around me or wondering if I was about to be caught on camera, I let myself speak freely to a friend as though it was the easiest thing I’d ever done. Just as it should have been.

She swore to absolute secrecy, not that she needed to. I trusted her with my life as I told her about how I’d tried hard to fight Logan’s company, as well as my attraction to him. How I’d thought we could be just friends and nothing more, only for Kate to roll her eyes like I’d been stupid all along.

“Please, I knew what was going on the last time I called you.”

“How?”

“Because you spoke about him in a way you rarely spoke about Cole.”

The mention of my late husband had my smile fading, only for Kate to reach across the table and place her hand on top of mine.

“Don’t get me wrong; you loved him. I know you did. But you always loved him with a little bit of trepidation in your heart, wondering when you’d have to suffer the next gut punch. Anyone could see that.”

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