color that seems to set off her blue eyes and pert nose.
“Look at you! Perfection as always,” I say, meaning every word.
She waves me off. “You always were too sweet for your own good.”
The host appears by our side. “May I take your coat from you?” he asks.
“Of course. Sorry, I was in such a hurry to see my friend that I skipped past the coat check.” She grins widely at me, and I remember suddenly how fun she always was. Everly could turn even the most mundane days into a good time.
She removes her camel-colored coat to reveal a pair of tight leather pants and a fitted sheer black blouse that shows off a beautifully detailed tank bra beneath.
“Jeez, you look like you just glided in off the runway and I look like a politician’s wife.” I sit down.
“You don’t look like any politician’s wife I’ve ever seen.” She passes her coat to the host and thanks him, then sits down opposite me. “It would make sense, though, what with you working on Ford Masterson’s campaign.” Her perfectly arched eyebrows rise in question.
“How did you know about that?” I reach for my water glass.
“Please. You can’t keep anything a secret in this town.” She smiles and it’s so genuine that tears prick my eyes.
With everything going on with my dad and having to face my past by returning here, I can’t believe how comforting it is to be in the company of my old friend.
A crease forms between her eyes. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
Now I’m waving her off. “Nothing. It’s just good to see you again. I missed you.” Even if I didn’t realize how much until this moment.
She reaches across the table and squeezes my hand. “I missed you too. You left town so fast after everything happened… I wanted to reach out to you, but you didn’t say goodbye, so I figured…”
“Can I start you ladies off with a drink?” the waiter interrupts.
“Sure, I’ll have your house red,” I say.
Everly takes her hand back to reach for the drink menu, then seems to think better of it. “You know what? I’ll have the same as her. Thanks.”
“Wonderful. I’ll be right back.”
“What were you going to say?” I ask.
“Just that I wanted to reach out to you a bunch of times over the years, but I always stopped myself because I thought you must have been mad at me for that night.”
I frown. “Why would I have been mad at you?”
“I’m the one who encouraged you to sleep with Asher. If I hadn’t, the sex tape never would have happened.”
My shoulders slump. Has she been blaming herself all these years?
I always thought that I was the only one who was affected by what happened, but I realize now that by avoiding facing this for so many years, I may have been stopping other people from healing as well.
“Everly, I never blamed you for what happened. I was the one who chose to sleep with Asher. The only one to blame is the person who filmed us and released the tape.”
“Do you really mean that?”
She looks like she’s been waiting to hear me say that for years.
“Yes, I mean it.” I reach over and grab her hand.
A large breath leaves her lungs. “Oh, thank God. I was nervous to meet you here tonight, but when you smiled at me when I came in, I got so excited thinking you had forgiven me after so much time had passed.”
“There’s nothing to forgive.” I squeeze her hand and then release it.
“I’m sorry that happened to you. I never got to tell you that.”
“Thank you. I’m finally at the point where I can deal with it.”
The waiter appears again with two glasses of red wine. After taking a quick look at the menu he takes our orders and leaves.
“So, what are you doing back? I assume you’re staying since you took a job working for Ford?” she asks.
I sip my wine.
I haven’t told anyone about my father’s illness. My parents are notoriously private, so I wouldn’t say anything to most people, but I need to confide in someone. It’s been difficult handling this without anyone to lean on. Plus, Everly understands family secrecy.
“My dad is sick, but we’re not telling anyone.” I suck back the tears and straighten my back. “He was diagnosed with lung cancer last month and is undergoing treatment. I’m here to help him get healthy again.”
Everly’s hand flies up to cover her mouth. “I’m so sorry. I