business dinner. That is all.”
“Sure it was. Honey, we all know that you never got over the man. Why you ever let him go in the first place is beyond me. You guys were great together. You should never have let your careers get in the way. You could have made it work, lots of couples have high-powered careers and stay married. They lead successful lives and do just fine.” Marianne had finally put into words what they all had been thinking.
“But, at the time, it just didn’t seem to be working. You are right about one thing, though, and I never thought I would ever admit it. I never got over the man, plain and simple fact. And I probably never will.”
“Well, now is your chance to rectify the mistake of letting him go in the first place. You may never get another chance like it,” Lizzie, who had been listening intently, added.
“But so much time has passed.”
“Did he act interested?” Katy asked, knowing full well that he was.
“Maybe, I just don’t know what to think. I have to work with the man for the next several months.”
“There’s that work thing getting in the way again,” Marianne replied.
“You have got to find a way to work with him and a way to get to know him all over again. You might just like the man he has become even more than the Michael you fell in love with all those years ago,” Katy said.
“You are both established in your careers now, sounds like you are both doing well for yourselves. You are both available and obviously neither of you has found anyone else, which should be telling you something. It may be destiny’s way of stepping in where you two have been too stubborn to go,” Lizzie offered.
“I agree,” said Marianne, who had always been a great believer in fate and destiny.
“Well, I do feel better after talking with you guys. I knew I would. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens from here, I guess. Enough about me, who wants to go next?” Angie was glad to get the conversation going in another direction. They did not know everything about her breakup with Michael. She had never told them. She had never confided the most personal thing in her life to her best friends in all the years since it happened. Actually, she had never even told Michael the real reason she had set him free.
“I’ll go next,” Katy offered. The others leaned forward to listen, eager to hear as she began.
“Well, you all know that Alex has gone off to college. It has been wonderful raising him, even though we were very lonely at times. Now, it’s been ten years and it’s time for me to decide what I am going to do with the rest of my life. Bill would want me to move on and be happy. I need to decide on a job, for starters, and then who knows what will happen next? It has been so many years, I just don’t know if I can do the whole dating thing again. And things are so different now from when Bill and I got together. I mean, we were high school sweethearts, for God’s sake. I thought I could gain a little perspective this week while I’m here.” Katy was very serious now.
“Well, Katy, I think you’re right, the time has come for you to start the rest of your life. It won’t be easy, I’m sure, but something or someone will come along when you least expect it and just like with Angie, it will be meant to be,” Lizzie said with a smile for her friend.
“She’s right, you know. You need to see what happens. What kind of job are you thinking about?” Angie asked.
“I really don’t know. I’ve always been interested in interior design, you know. I took those classes after high school and worked for a decorator before I had Bree.”
“Well, maybe you could start a business of your own. I think it’s great you are thinking about doing something like that. Maybe you could work on some ideas for my project at the hotel. That would be a start for you. Let you get your feet wet and see if this is really your thing.”
“I think that’s an excellent idea, Angie. That is so like you to think of something like that,” Marianne said.
“Wow, I knew you guys would have ideas for me, but I never expected