Chapter 4
CHARLOTTE
A night out with girlfriends is just what I needed after listening to Giana’s advice.
The music is playing softly in the background of the restaurant.
Since Bloom is my brother Franklin’s restaurant, I’m surprised there isn’t a harpist. Maybe he has taken my advice about popular music, although Pink should always be heard at top volume.
I love her music now as much as I did over a decade ago.
The last few years, “So What” has been somewhat of a lullaby.
“Filet mignon it is,” Violet says and lowers the menu.
“It’s because she’s not getting any at home,” Bella says under her breath, and Cassie giggles.
I take a sip of my wine. “What did I miss?”
“Violet’s kids are not sleeping. They sneak into her bed every night, so meat has been off the menu for a while,” Bella says with a smirk that highlights the dimples in her cheeks.
She may look sweet, but Bella lays everything out on the table at our meetups.
There are no secrets between us if she can help it.
“How old are your kids now?” I feel bad for asking because I should know this. But I have been a lousy friend for years, consumed completely by our family business.
“Seven, five, and two. Our two-year-old sleeps through the night. I just don’t have it in me to battle with a seven-year-old at all hours of the night.
I’m sleep deprived, and Levi has extreme night terrors, so we manage more sleep if he sleeps with us.
” She takes a sip of her wine. “Only his brother is also experiencing the same nightmares, so Benjamin sleeps with Owen, and I sleep with Levi.” She flips her dark hair over her shoulder and lowers her gaze to the menu.
“This is not funny,” I tell Violet. “You must be exhausted.”
“And sex deprived,” Cassie adds.
“No, it’s shocking,” Bella pipes up in a serious tone. But then she grins at Violet. “Tell her about the time when Ben and you were having sex, and Levi walked in and screamed at Ben, thinking he was hurting you because we all know you’re a moaner.”
Violet shakes her head, but she’s grinning so I stop being on the defensive.
“He started punching Benjamin’s back, telling him to stop hurting me, and since it had been a while, Benjamin was about to blow, and there was no turning back at this point.
All he could manage was, “Son, get out,” between strained breaths of his release.
Levi grabbed my phone and started to call 9-1-1. ”
I can’t help but smile. “He’s a smart boy to know what number to call.”
“Help, my daddy is giving my mommy an orgasm,” Bella whispers.
We all giggle. Violet is a nurse so she taught her kids at an early age what to do in an emergency. I laugh again, imagining her son calling 9-1-1.
“So the night terrors come from him being scarred, and he’s making sure that doesn’t happen again,” Cassie says, tongue in cheek.
“He’s aced that,” Violet says and groans.
The server appears and takes our order. “I’ll also have the fillet mignon,” I add.
“You’re not getting any either?” Violet cocks an eyebrow.
“Well,” I hesitate. “I’m not as drought-stricken as you.”
“Have you heard from…” Cassie coughs, “… him?”
I catch Bella giving a subtle shake of her head to our friends.
No,” I say quickly. “Well, apart from that one email and a letter I received three years ago, he has never tried to call or see me. Even after the games when we played Chicago, he gave me nothing. I went on the road a few times when we played them to see if he made a mistake. He saw me, I’m sure of it, yet he ran to the safety of their locker room rather than stop to speak to me. ”
“Double back. He sent you an email?” Cassie asks.
“And wrote you a letter? How sweet,” Violet adds.
“You never told us about this,” Bella says, put out. “What did it say?”
I take another mouthful of my wine. “I deleted the email and returned the letter to the sender.”
“Without opening it?” Bella asks incredulously. “Without knowing what was inside?”
My friends’ mouths are open, and they are gaping at me like I have two heads.
I didn’t tell anyone. “If he doesn’t have the balls to come and see me and talk since he knows where I live, or at least call, then I wasn’t interested in what he had to say in a letter because he’s a coward.
He ran without a word and was too gutless to speak face-to-face. ”
Silence surrounds our table.
“Some people find it better to express themselves in the written form before confronting the person,” Bella says gently.
“Well, he never tried again. He won’t even look at me.”
“Do you still like him?” Violet asks.
“I fucking hate him.” I down the rest of my wine and signal to the waiter for another drink.
“She’s still in love with him,” Bella says quietly.
“No.” I shake my head to make a point. “I’m wiser and smarter and know we were doomed anyway. We are opposites, and I don’t think I could trust him if he won’t show up and do the right thing.”
“What was the right thing?” Cassie asks.
“Stay,” Bella finishes. “He should’ve stayed and tried to work it out.”
“I dodged a bullet.” I shrug. “I’m learning to forgive myself for believing in him… us. I’m slowly learning to stop carrying the burden of hatred in my heart for everything he did. One day, it’s possible I’ll forgive, but I will never forget.”
Bella raises an eyebrow. “Are you saying there is a chance for you two?”
“No. We were exhausting together. After the humiliation and the pain of being easily forgotten….” I inhale a deep breath before going on, “… it’s hard to come back from that.
I recently learned he might be returning to Australia, and that would never work for me.
I’m not interested in a long-distance relationship, never mind on the other-side-of-the-world type of love. ”
“Yet you have a private jet,” Cassie says as though it wouldn’t be impossible.
“It doesn’t matter,” I say bluntly. “Because I’m sort of seeing someone.”
“Oh,” Violet says.
“Who?” Bella asks. She has a look that she suspects I am telling a white lie.
“River. The new guard. He seems nice enough.”
“Nice enough.” Bella rolls her eyes. “Girl, you can do better than nice enough. It’s like your rebound relationship with that other player. He was also nice to you.”
“We both were rebounding back then,” I add.
“Yeah, him with his wife. Did they ever get back together?”
I shake my head. “He’s now playing for Miami, and she returned home to St. Louis.”
“So tell us about River,” Cassie asks. “Where is he from?”
“If you kept up to date with the NBA, it would save me from trivial questions.”
“Your happiness is not trivial,” Bella says, frowning.
“You know I don’t have time to date.” I give her my best stern look. “River has been flirting, and I enjoy it. It might develop into something more…”
“More than sex?” Bella’s eyes round. Although beyond the surprise, I sense hope.
“Maybe.” A word I use widely. Since we haven’t even kissed, it’s a maybe not. But I needed a name, and his was the first to come to mind.