Lucky Charm (38 page)

“Thanks, Paige.” Annabel sighed
. T
hat was just it
. S
he had no idea whether she could trust Jeremy after what he had put her through.

Back in her office, Annabel had a hard time concentrating on work
. T
he heady smell of roses filled the tiny room, making her head spin. She did her best to focus on the tasks at hand, but as she mechanically sifted through client files, she could not stop wondering why she still had not heard from Etienne. She had left Etienne two messages in the past two days, and all she
had
received in response was a cryptic email from him, telling her that he was busy in negotiations with an important client and would call her soon. Was she being overly suspicious or was this nothing but a polite blow off?

What am I supposed to do now?
Annabel fiddled with the heart-shaped pendant around her neck
.
Madam Aurora’s necklace was meant to bring her luck in love, yet so far, it had brought her nothing but confusion.

Annabel was so deep in thought that when her cell phone rang, she almost jumped off her chair. For a moment she harbored a secret hope that it might be Etienne; then
she
felt a fleeting terror that it might be Jeremy, but when she recognized Lilly’s ring tone, she relaxed.

“Hey, I was just calling to make sure that we’re on for tonight,” Lilly sounded unusually tense.

“Of course we’re on
. D
o you even have to ask?” After everything that had happened today, Annabel could use a stiff drink or two.

“Good. Because I’ve got to talk to you
. I
t’s something that I just learned today
,
and it’s driving me crazy.”

“What is it?’

“I don’t want to tell you over the phone. Let’s just say I’ve been really wrong for a really long time.”

Annabel frowned
. T
o say that she found Lilly’s words alarming would be a gross understatement. “Are you sure you’re
okay
?”

“I’ll tell you everything when we meet.”

“See you then.” Dumbfounded, Annabel hung up the phone
. T
his was just what she needed in her life now – more drama.

“H
i! Sorry I’m late!” Lilly slid
into the empty barstool next to Annabel.

“Well, it’s about time
.
I practically had to clobber people to save this seat for you.”

“I know I can always count on my best friend.” Lilly bumped Annabel’s shoulder. “What are you drinking?”

“A m
argarita with extra tequila.”

“That sounds like an excellent idea.” Lilly called out her drink order to the tall, blond bartender. “The bartender is hot,” she whispered, fiddling with her hair.

“I wonder how Simon would feel about that.”

“What? I’m only looking
.
I’m allowed to look, right?”

“Yeah, you’re allowed to look.” Annabel finished the last of her drink and signaled to the bartender for a refill.

“Hey, why are you drinking like a fish? I’m the one having a crisis.”

“Let’s just say that the past two days have been overly eventful.”

“Well
,
I’ll let you go first then.” Lilly sipped her drink.

“First the good news: Paige is getting married and moving to
Wyoming
. She’s sold the agency, and she made me a one percent partner as a bonus.”

“You’re shitting me!”

“No, I’m not.” Annabel retold Lilly the discussion she had with her boss in the morning. “And Janine and Stephen Vargas got married in Vegas this weekend
.
Janine quit this morning.”

“Are you for real?”

“Yep.”

“The world has officially gone mad. But then why am I surprised? I’ve got some pretty unsett
l
ing news of my own today…”

Annabel was about to say that she was not finished with her own story yet
. S
he still
ha
d not g
otten
to the part about Jeremy showing up on her doorstep last night and sending her two dozen roses today. And as for the radio silence from Etienne, it hurt so much that she did not even know how to start talking about that, but when she saw the feverish look on Lilly’s face, she held her tongue.

“What’s wrong?”

“I had lunch with my dad today.”

“Well that sounds nice. Did you two have a good time?”

By way of answer, Lilly gulped down half of her drink.

“Hey, take it easy! What happened?”

“You know how I’ve been beating up on him for years for walking out on my mom and me? Well, turns out I was barking up the wrong tree. God, I can’t believe what a naïve idiot I was!” Lilly finished the rest of her drink and signaled for another one. “My dad did not walk out on us. Yes, he did leave, but he left because he found out that my mom was having an affair with her personal trainer! How would you like to try that one for size?”

“How did you find out?” Annabel stammered, completely at a loss on how to comfort her friend.

“My dad told me today. I was being snotty as usual, so I think he finally had enough of my bullshit, and he told me that I’ve been wrong to be so hard on him all these years. I asked him why, and he told me about
M
om having an affair. I didn’t believe him at first, but then I went to see her
,
and she admitted it
. S
he didn’t even bother to den
y it. She said that everyone had
a right to happiness. I guess she’s right, only it’s funny that she never bothered to think how her quest for happiness might affect me.” Lilly shook her head. “I just feel like such an idiot! For years I’ve been distrusting men, thinking that they are all lying, cheating bastards because I thought that my father was one, and I couldn’t have been further from the truth.”

“Lilly, I’m so sorry.”

“Thanks. I didn’t mean to freak you out by telling you all this, but I just needed someone to talk to. I’m so glad that I listened to you and took a chance on Simon
. I
magine if I treated him like all the other guys I’ve dated? I could have ended up an old maid!”

“I don’t think you were ever in danger of being an old maid.” Annabel barely kept a smile off her lips
.
Lily’s propensity to drama had no bounds. “So are you going to patch things up with your dad?”

“Yeah. I’m gonna try.”

“Just do me a favor?”

“Yes?”

“Don’t go bashing on your mom,
okay
?”

“I won’t. We had a long talk
,
and we’re fine
.
I can’t say that I’m all happy about it, but I’m not mad at her
. I
t’s her life, and it’s about time I stopped living through my parents’ relationship.”

“Spoken like a true shrink.”

“Well, I did take
a
psychology class
in college.” Lilly took a pensive sip of her drink. “I’m so glad I got this off my chest
. Y
ou are the bestest friend ever.” Lilly wrapped her arms around Annabel in a long hug. “Now
,
let’s have some fun!”

Annabel nodded, finishing her drink.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing, really.”

“Spill.”

“Jeremy showed up in front of my building yesterday. He begged me to take him back.”

“Huh! That’s a joke.” Lilly jerked back her head in a loud laugh, but noticing Annabel’s expression, added with alarm, “You’re not seriously considering it, are you?”

“He sent me two dozen roses today at work.”

“Oh
,
boy!” Lilly grumbled. “O
kay
, start from the beginning.”

Biting her lip, Annabel gave a complete account of Jeremy’s plea to get back together.

“I just can’t get him out of my mind. Do you think I was too tough on him? When I confronted him about Athena, he wanted to stay
.
I was the one who kicked him out. Maybe I should have given him a chance to make things right.”

“Why are you torturing yourself like this?”

“I don’t know. We’ve been together for a long time
,
and I can’t help wondering if maybe I was too hard on him. Maybe I should have given Jeremy another chance.”

“But what about Etienne?”

“What about Etienne? We haven’t talked in over a week. I tried calling him, but all I got back was a one-line email telling me that he was busy with a client and would call me soon.”

“So, he’s probably busy at work
. G
ive the guy a chance!”

“Come on, Lilly! Don’t be so naïve
. D
o you want me to wait for him to tell me to get lost?”

“I wouldn’t be so rash
as
to jump to conclusions. You have to give Etienne a chance
.
I know that you really like him and he likes you.”

I don’t just like him,
Annabel thought bitterly
.
I love him.
“Maybe you were right when you told me to keep it light with Etienne
.
I should have never taken the whole thing so seriously.”

“No, Ann, I was wrong
.
I had been wrong for years. I was so blinded by my parents’ divorce that I thought I could go through life pretending that I didn’t want to get close to anyone. But now that I have Simon, I know that being in love is worth taking the risk of getting your heart broken.”

“It’s easy for you to say, but I did get my heart broken, and I don’t want to get hurt again. At least with Jeremy I know what I’m getting into
. H
e already hurt me once, and I won’t let him hurt me again.”

“You have to stop thinking this way, Ann. You can’t be one hundred percent sure of everything all the time. Don’t run back to Jeremy just because you’re afraid of taking a chance on Etienne.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Annabel retorted defensively.

“Well, it sure did sound that way.”

“You think you always know the answer to everything, don’t you?” Annabel flared. “I admit that Jeremy is not perfect, but he seemed really sincere
.
I think he really is sorry. I’m not saying I would get back together with him right away, but we have a long history together, and maybe, if we got to know each other again, it could work out. I’m tired of looking for the right guy
. M
aybe he just doesn’t exist.”

“But that’s the thing, Ann
. Y
ou can’t meet the right guy unless you take a c
hance on the wrong one. Case in
point – you wouldn’t go out with Stephen Vargas, and now, Janine has married him! Who knows what could have happened if you gave him a chance? You have something real w
ith Etienne, yet
you are ready to throw it all away because you are afraid to get hurt again. How are you going to meet the right guy if you don’t put yourself out there?”

“I guess that’s the crux of my problem.”

“All I’m saying is that you have to give Etienne a chance.”

“Hey, I’ve got an idea
. R
emember that palm reader you took me to
?
Madam Aurora? Maybe I should go and see her again.”

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea.” Lilly shifted in her chair. “She was nothing but a charlatan
.
I recently saw a special on the Discovery Channel that explained the tricks that fortunetellers use to make it look like they have supernatural powers. They look for clues and ask ambiguous questions, which was exactly what Madam Aurora did.”

“But she seemed to get almost everything right in your reading
. S
he said you’d find success in your career and that you’d have to let go of a grudge in order to find love, and you just said yourself that your anger at your dad prevented you from getting close to anyone… Now that you forgave your dad, you are with Simon.”

“I was with Simon before I forgave my dad
. T
he story fits, but the sequence is all wrong. Just let it go, Ann. You don’t need some silly talisman to find the right guy for you
. Y
ou’ll find him on your own.”

“So you don’t think this necklace meant anything?” Annabel pulled on the chain around her neck.

“You’re still wearing it?” Lilly’s face reddened.

“Yeah, why? You think it might have a negative effect on my love life
?
I doubt that things could possibly get any worse. Hey, your face is all red
. A
re you
okay
?”