The Men In and Out of Her Life

Chapter 2-1

(One year later)

Lacey stood in her closet looking at the new clothes she and the girls had shopped for a few weeks ago. She wasn’t one for indulging in shopping sprees, but that was exactly what the girls had helped her do. “Out with the old and in with the new,” Sophie had said. And Nikki hadn’t been much help either in deterring her from the purchases, holding up a skirt here and a shirt there. “Would you look at these Barbie-doll clothes? Girl, you need to eat some carbohydrates. I’ll never be able to borrow anything you buy!” And Susie had really surprised them all with the clothes she was bringing into the dressing room, mixing and matching some of the latest styles and labels. Lacey smiled to herself as she remembered that day with all of them—Sophie, Susie, and Nikki. If it weren’t for her girlfriends, she didn’t know how she would have made it through the last year.

So what do I wear to go clubbing? Lacey was never one to stay undecided, especially when it came to clothes. But then again, she hadn’t been out in the single scene for a very long time. Fifteen minutes and seven outfits later, Lacey had finally settled on a pair of black low-rise Chanel pants that flared at the bottom, and an Abercrombie black-beaded halter top, which she pulled up and over her small chest and tied in a way that created the illusion of cleavage. “And now for the shoes,” she said aloud. Her gaze fell upon the boxes and boxes of shoes, the array of colors more explosive than any rainbow—white, black, red, blue, yellow, lime green, brown, tan; and not just one of each. Oh, no. There were several styles for each color. “Hmmm,” she reached for the black Pradas, a simple but elegant style with one-and-a-half-inch heels. They were surprisingly comfortable and one of her favorites. Apprehensively, she walked to her full-length mirror, muttering under her breath, “It’s not like I’m a spring…” The reflection that stared back at her stopped her midsentence and pushed her self-doubts out of reach. The girl that stared back at her was someone she still didn’t recognize. At five-three, now toned and petite, a size two instead of her former size twelve, she definitely looked confident. She liked her newly cut hairstyle that was a simple layered cut with bangs that swept down and around her cheekbones with blond-and honey-colored highlights which enhanced her big dark brown eyes.

So what do I wear to go clubbingShe put on the finishing touches of her makeup, using a pencil to darken and lift her eyebrows, Bare Minerals blush the color of Bryce Canyon clay to bring out her cheekbones, mascara to thicken her already long and curly eyelashes, and icy pink gloss to help shape her lips; and lastly, she reached for her new favorite perfume, Light Blue by Dolce & Gabanna. The doorbell rang, and she sprayed to the right, to the left, and then all around, put the bottle down, and ran down the stairs, excited to see Nikki. They had met through the court reporting agency that Lacey had joined not quite a year ago, and though the friendship was still new, it was as though they had been friends forever; she was a welcomed addition to “the girls.” She opened up the door and was rewarded with one of Nikki’s famous bear hugs.

.“Come on in, girl.”

“Peanut”—Nikki’s new nickname for Lacey—“just look at you. My gawd, we’re gonna be beatin’ ’em off with a stick tonight. Looks like I’m gonna get my once-a-year workout in after all.”

“You look pretty great yourself, Nikki.”

“Yeah, not so bad for a fat-camp graduate, huh?”

“Stop that,” Lacey exclaimed. “You’re beautiful.” Lacey marveled at how Nikki was able to laugh at herself and draw others into her laughter, appearing comfortable with her weight, yet hiding behind it. “Let me just get my purse and jacket, and we can go.”

Nikki reached for her purse and turned towards the door. “So are you ready to come out of hibernation and meet the wolves?”

“Oh, Nikki, I don’t want to meet any wolves, maybe dance with them,” she said, laughing. “But I think I’m ready to come out of my season of singleness and have a good time with you and the girls. We’ve got a lot of catching up to do. The last time we were all together was a month ago when we went shopping and had lunch. I wish Susie was coming so she could see this outfit she picked out.”

“Well, Peanut, I have a feeling she didn’t come because of him.”

him“Yeah, I think you’re right. I don’t have a good feeling about him. Hey, we better get moving. I told Julia we’d meet her there at nine, but we should be okay. Did I tell you she got us a VIP table at this place?”

him “Oh my gawd, you didn’t tell me I was going out with royalty tonight. How in the heck did she manage that?”

“She’s an attorney with connections. What can I say? Besides, I think she spends a lot of time at this place. Let me just grab the address to put in for Siri and lock up, and I’ll meet you outside.”

Julia parked in her regular parking spot. As she got out of her car, she saw Sophie walking toward her. She waved, locked up her car, and went to meet her. They hugged and complimented each other. “So where’s Susie?” Julia asked Sophie.

“She just said she couldn’t get away tonight.”

Julia refrained from making a sarcastic remark, a rarity for her. “Well, we’ll have fun without her. Wait ’til you see how we’re going to celebrate Lacey’s divorce. I got us a VIP table, right up front, and wait ’til you see the view.”

As they made their way toward the club, Sophie marveled at Julia as she took her by the hand, and they walked right past the mob of people waiting in line. “I suppose that VIP table comes with cuts to the front of the line?”

“Absodarnlutely.” Julia laughed. “I just need to give these two tickets to the bouncer so he can get them to Lacey and Nikki when they get here.”

Sophie stood to the side at the entrance while Julia talked to the bouncer, who looked to be no stranger to Julia. If he’s any indication of what’s inside this place… Sophie thought. Julia made her way back to Sophie and whispered in her ear, “Trust me; it gets better.”

If he’s any indication of what’s inside this place… A splash of cool air and loud music welcomed them as they made their way in, and Sophie stood beside Julia, impressed when a host, a really hot host, approached them and greeted Julia with not one kiss, but two, one for each cheek, which confirmed Sophie’s suspicion that Julia had more than the partner at her firm as a connection. He took them to their table, which had a beautiful view of the back patio and surrounding area that boasted of a long and winding reflecting pool, spiraling waterfalls, and requisite palm trees. Their own table had a big palm-tree umbrella that offered a bit of privacy without shutting anyone or anything out. Sophie looked around and gave Julia a thumbs-up sign as the hot host took their drink orders.

“I’ll have my usual, Pierre, and do you have that bottle of champagne chilling?”

“You bet. Just let me know when you want me to bring it out.” His gaze turned to Sophie. “And what will the beautiful lady have?”

Sophie smirked at his comment, not easily captured by a guy’s charm, and looked up at him. Their eyes locked, and she felt a chill go down her spine that changed her smirk to a smile that warmed her face with a natural blush. “I’ll take a pomegranate martini.”

“Nice choice. I’ll be right back with your first round. By the way, Julia, this first round’s on me.”

“Thank you, Pierre.”

“My pleasure. I’ll be right back.”

Julia turned her attention to Sophie. “So Lacey told me your son’s dad was in a bad motorcycle accident and he’s in a coma. Have you told him yet?”

“Yes. I explained it to him a couple of weeks ago, and he wants to go see him. I just don’t know if that’s a wise thing to do. I mean, it’s not like he saw him a lot anyway, but I don’t think I want him to remember his dad the way that he is now.”

“Well, how did you explain it to him?” Julia asked, curious.

“I told him that his dad had been in a bad motorcycle accident, and because he wasn’t wearing his helmet, his brain died but the rest of him is alive and that’s why he’s asleep all the time. So I think I’m going to wait as long as I can.”

“Wow, I don’t blame you,” Julia affirmed. “It’s not going to be easy for you to see him like that, let alone Zach. I mean, I’ve never had a kid, but I think I would wait as long as I could too.” When Sophie’s eyes welled up with tears, Julia changed the subject. “So do you think Lacey will like this place?”

“How could she not?” Sophie said, as she turned and looked around her. Her eyes opened wide as she saw that there was a double-decker dance floor. “She’s so going to love the dance floors; that’s for sure. This was so nice for you to arrange this for her, for all of us.”

“Yeah, well, I haven’t seen Lacey very much lately, especially since she sold her court reporting agency and began working for that firm in Hollywood.

“Well, I think she’s going to love it here.”

“Before they get here, let’s go check out the eye candy.”

“Let’s, and can we look for the ladies’ room on the way?”

The girls pulled into the parking lot of the Cabana Club, and Lacey’s laughter suddenly stopped in her throat. She looked to Nikki. “Wow, would you look at this place. It’s beautiful.”

Nikki heard a “but” coming in Lacey’s tone of voice.

“I can tell something’s wrong, Peanut. What’s going on?”

“I don’t know if I can do this, Nikki.”

“Do what?”

“Go in there. Who am I kidding? I just don’t think I’m ready for this.”

“Now wait a minute, Lacey. You’re the one who said we’re just getting together with the girls. Don’t go getting all twitter-pated on me now. I’m the one who should have her head examined, going to a club with my skinny girlfriends. Now that’s worth a laugh and a half. Besides, I’ll hold your dance card and make sure that you only dance with a guy I’d take home to mom, and that means, he’s got to be Italian.”

“Yeah, well, I can’t imagine ever taking a guy home again to my adopted mom, let alone your mom, but the Italian doesn’t sound half bad,” Lacey said with a smile. “Let’s go do this, and, Nikki, in case I forget to tell you later, I’m glad there is you.”