“Clearly,” Tess said. “Well, I’m off or my associate will have a meltdown.”
“Tess, we can share an Uber,” Josie said. “I need to go to Soho too.”
“Perfect.” After the girls left, I debated what to do. I could go back to the office. In all honesty, I probably should, but I didn’t feel like being stuck at my desk.
I just wanted to celebrate, and I knew exactly with whom I wanted to share this victory: Laney. Her shift wouldn’t be over until late in the evening, but if I remembered correctly, she only started in an hour.
I texted her.
Cole: I’m on top of the world. The judge ruled in our favor.
Laney: OMG congrats.
Cole: Are you still at home?
Laney: I’m with Isabelle in the hospital cafeteria. I was too nervous to be home by myself during your hearing.
This woman, damn. The way she cared about me just brought me to my knees.
Laney: Do you want to come to the hospital? Google maps says you need forty minutes. That still leaves us with twenty minutes. Enough for some cute, PG-rated kisses.
Cole: Woman, I’ve just come out of a courtroom. I deserve more than that. How about a supply closet and deep, dirty kisses?
Laney: You could talk me into that :-D Is that incentive enough to get your perfect ass to the cafeteria?
Cole: On my way already.
Josie had been right. I’d never been so pissed off about anything—or more euphoric about an outcome. This was important to me, and as I headed to the hospital, I realized why: it wasn’t just that this was a family issue. One could say the galas were our legacy, and I wanted our legacy to be intact for future generations. The recognition was startling, because I’d never given that any thought, and I knew without a doubt that having Laney in my life had made me consider things that hadn’t even been on my radar before.
***
Laney
“Laney, this was genius. I’m so happy we’re having lunch,” Isabelle exclaimed. I’d had a stroke of genius this morning, when we’d been trying to find a time after my shift that worked for both of us, and I’d thought, why not before? Having lunch in the hospital cafeteria was the perfect compromise. Isabelle was bubbly and cheerful again, and her optimism was catchy. Her red hair was styled in loose curls that bounced around her face.
“Me too.”
“I’m so excited about signing the contract for my practice. The touring company signed me up for more tours, so it’s all working out. I even have my first New York client. I need about thirty more to afford life here, but one step at a time. It’s a big day for both of us.”
It was huge. I was attending a very difficult surgery with the chief, and I was super nervous.
“Who keeps texting you?” Isabelle asked.
“Cole. He’s gonna crash our lunch date.”
“Good for him. I knew why I liked Cole.”
Cole: I’m gonna be late. Traffic.
Laney: How late?
Cole: Ten or fifteen minutes.
Laney: Boohoo. But this will only leave us with 5 minutes. That’s just enough for a super quick kiss.
Cole: Or you can change now and earn us a few minutes.
Laney: Already did that, so I’m in my scrubs with my pager on me.
Cole: Stop talking dirty to me.
Giggling, I just pushed the phone away, focusing on Isabelle again.
She was smiling at me. “Damn, Cole’s good for you girl.”
“I agree one hundred percent.”
“Oh, forgot to tell you. Lisa got married.”
Lisa had been one of our best friends growing up, but we’d drifted apart in college.
“No, way. Do you have pictures?”
“There are a ton on Facebook.”
“I forgot my password, so I can’t log in again. I hate resetting it too, since I have so many security questions and I don’t know what the heck I put for those.” I gave my friend the pouty face because it was true. I suck with social media things.
Isabelle got out her phone, obviously feeling sorry for me, tapping on the screen before turning it so I could see.
“Oh, she’s so beautiful. And they both look so happy.” Lisa had always been gorgeous, but with the white dress and the flowers, she just radiated joy.
“Remember when we used to sneak in each other’s houses and cause trouble?”
“Oh, yeah.”
We took a walk down memory lane that went on about ten minutes, and it was astounding how many details we remembered.
“Let me see more pics,” I said, holding her phone and scrolling to the right.