sensation? Ribbed for pleasure? Glow in the dark and…Lida! Cherry-flavored?”
“Knock yourself out, baby.” Lida laughed. “Have fun.”
“How much fun do you expect me to have?”
“Enough,” said Lida.
Arden tucked the bag into her purse and went back to her lunch. “Well, at the very least, if my car happens to go off a bridge I’ll be able to save myself by inflating them and using them to float to the surface of the water.”
Lida used her fork to point at Arden. “Don’t be a bitch.”
Arden reached across the table and took her friend’s hand, grateful to have someone who cared about her so much, even if she did show it in some very strange ways. “Learned from the best.”
Later, at the shop with the sewing machine whirring, Arden let her thoughts turn to other faces. She hadn’t heard from Shane since their Connex chat fiasco, but she couldn’t stop thinking of him. She logged into Connex every night to stare at his picture wondering if twelve years had changed him at all. Did he have lines around his eyes? Longer hair? And his eyes…oh, Shane’s eyes. Those would be the same, that shifting blue-green that kept haunting her dreams.
Useless fantasy. Shane Donner was a memory from her past, a one-time fling not meant to be repeated. Nope. She was moving on. Taking steps. Getting back on the horse, as Lida put it rather crudely.
Her stomach lurched at the thought of tonight’s date, but she forced away the incipient panic. She was going to meet Philip Davis. Nothing serious…just sex. And only if she wanted it, which Lida assured her, she would. It would be a relief—almost—not to play games. To know up front there was one purpose to the date.
She’d just taken her foot off the sewing machine pedal when the bell above the door jingled.
“Mommy!” Aislin swept in and ran straight for Arden, who had to hold her at bay long enough to move away from the moving needle before she gave in to the hug.
“Hi, baby doll. Where’re Maeve and Gran?”
Aislin jerked a thumb over one shoulder. “They’re coming.”
All at once Arden was overcome with an urge to squeeze her daughter, so strong it nearly overwhelmed her. She gave in to it, wrapping her arms around the girl and doing what she called “squeezing out the juice”.
“Mo-oom,” Aislin complained, then squeezed her in return.
Even as a toddler, Aislin had always patted the back of anyone she hugged. That simple gesture nearly undid Arden now. She fought back tears and kissed her daughter’s cheek. “What are you guys going to do tonight?”
“Gran says she and Grampa are going to let us stay up all night.”
Arden, who knew both her girls would be sacked out by half past eight, didn’t let on that sounded like a tall tale. “Really? All night?”
Aislin nodded, then leaned in to whisper, “And have popcorn.”
“Sounds like fun.” Wish I were going to be there, Arden thought, her stomach taking another twist at her upcoming night.
“Mommy?”
“Hmm?” she answered as she snipped off the last few threads and tidied up her workspace.
Aislin toyed with a bit of lace hanging out of Arden’s scrap box. “What are you doing tonight? Working?”
Arden took a deep but silent breath. “No. I think I’m going to go out with some friends. A friend.”
Aislin frowned, the tiny crease above her brows making her look so much like Jason that Arden again wanted to weep. “A boyfriend?”
Arden coughed. “No, honey.”
Aislin looked up then, blue eyes narrowed in concentration. “Because Samantha from day camp says when her dad and mom got divorced, her mom got a bunch of boyfriends right away. And you haven’t had any.”
Arden knew Samantha’s mom; had, in fact, gone to high school with her. Sherry Smith had had a lot of boyfriends in high school, too. “I didn’t get divorced from Daddy, honey. It’s a little different.”
“Samantha says her mom says she can’t stand to be without a
“Knock yourself out, baby.” Lida laughed. “Have fun.”
“How much fun do you expect me to have?”
“Enough,” said Lida.
Arden tucked the bag into her purse and went back to her lunch. “Well, at the very least, if my car happens to go off a bridge I’ll be able to save myself by inflating them and using them to float to the surface of the water.”
Lida used her fork to point at Arden. “Don’t be a bitch.”
Arden reached across the table and took her friend’s hand, grateful to have someone who cared about her so much, even if she did show it in some very strange ways. “Learned from the best.”
Later, at the shop with the sewing machine whirring, Arden let her thoughts turn to other faces. She hadn’t heard from Shane since their Connex chat fiasco, but she couldn’t stop thinking of him. She logged into Connex every night to stare at his picture wondering if twelve years had changed him at all. Did he have lines around his eyes? Longer hair? And his eyes…oh, Shane’s eyes. Those would be the same, that shifting blue-green that kept haunting her dreams.
Useless fantasy. Shane Donner was a memory from her past, a one-time fling not meant to be repeated. Nope. She was moving on. Taking steps. Getting back on the horse, as Lida put it rather crudely.
Her stomach lurched at the thought of tonight’s date, but she forced away the incipient panic. She was going to meet Philip Davis. Nothing serious…just sex. And only if she wanted it, which Lida assured her, she would. It would be a relief—almost—not to play games. To know up front there was one purpose to the date.
She’d just taken her foot off the sewing machine pedal when the bell above the door jingled.
“Mommy!” Aislin swept in and ran straight for Arden, who had to hold her at bay long enough to move away from the moving needle before she gave in to the hug.
“Hi, baby doll. Where’re Maeve and Gran?”
Aislin jerked a thumb over one shoulder. “They’re coming.”
All at once Arden was overcome with an urge to squeeze her daughter, so strong it nearly overwhelmed her. She gave in to it, wrapping her arms around the girl and doing what she called “squeezing out the juice”.
“Mo-oom,” Aislin complained, then squeezed her in return.
Even as a toddler, Aislin had always patted the back of anyone she hugged. That simple gesture nearly undid Arden now. She fought back tears and kissed her daughter’s cheek. “What are you guys going to do tonight?”
“Gran says she and Grampa are going to let us stay up all night.”
Arden, who knew both her girls would be sacked out by half past eight, didn’t let on that sounded like a tall tale. “Really? All night?”
Aislin nodded, then leaned in to whisper, “And have popcorn.”
“Sounds like fun.” Wish I were going to be there, Arden thought, her stomach taking another twist at her upcoming night.
“Mommy?”
“Hmm?” she answered as she snipped off the last few threads and tidied up her workspace.
Aislin toyed with a bit of lace hanging out of Arden’s scrap box. “What are you doing tonight? Working?”
Arden took a deep but silent breath. “No. I think I’m going to go out with some friends. A friend.”
Aislin frowned, the tiny crease above her brows making her look so much like Jason that Arden again wanted to weep. “A boyfriend?”
Arden coughed. “No, honey.”
Aislin looked up then, blue eyes narrowed in concentration. “Because Samantha from day camp says when her dad and mom got divorced, her mom got a bunch of boyfriends right away. And you haven’t had any.”
Arden knew Samantha’s mom; had, in fact, gone to high school with her. Sherry Smith had had a lot of boyfriends in high school, too. “I didn’t get divorced from Daddy, honey. It’s a little different.”
“Samantha says her mom says she can’t stand to be without a
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