Wait for the Rain (10 page)

Skylar laughed. “Everything looks fun in commercials, Little Miss Sunshine. Buying Cialis looks like a trip to Disneyland in the commercials.” She pretended to use a megaphone.
“Hey, everybody! I have erectile dysfunction! Isn’t that fantastic?”

Daphne laughed, grateful to be doing so in the midst of such a disheartening conversation. “What kind of men do you, um,
search
for?” she asked Skylar. The process sounded so clinical to her. “For example, what do you consider age appropriate?”

“I’ll go older or younger by a decade or so, but I won’t do married,” Skylar said.

KC’s eyes got big. “
Married?
Married people do online dating?”

Skylar nodded. “I hate to break it to you, Little Bo Peep, but married men do a lot of things.”

KC covered her ears with her hands. “I don’t know if I want to hear this.”

Skylar reached over and removed one of KC’s hands. “Please. I’m sure Max is as loyal as a German shepherd. I’ve just met a lot of married men over the years who don’t seem to be all that concerned with the fact that, you know, their
wife
is at home waiting for them.” She turned to Daphne. “I’m sure you’ve been hit on by married guys, right?”

Daphne shook her head. “Not that I’m aware of.”

Skylar gave her a look. “I find that hard to believe.”

Daphne stared at her lap. She’d been in such a fog for so long that she’d almost stopped paying attention to men entirely.

“How do you know they’re married?” KC asked.

Skylar took a sip of her drink. “You mean online or in person?”

“Both.”

“
Online
, sometimes they say it outright. But when I’ve met them in other situations, like at a trade show, for example, it depends. Sometimes they’re wearing a wedding ring, but not always.”

Daphne looked back up. “If they don’t have a ring on, how do you know?” For the first time, she wondered if Brian had ever cheated on her. She certainly hadn’t strayed, even when things between them were beyond repair.

Skylar set her glass on the table. “Sometimes the tan line gives it away.”

KC laughed. “That’s so sad, it’s funny. Men think they can get away with that?”

Skylar reached for the sangria pitcher and refilled all their glasses. “Yes, some men are that stupid. A few weeks ago, after work, I met a man at a bar who told me he was in Manhattan for a few days for business. Very handsome, charming, the whole deal. And no ring, no
tan line
either. He bought me a couple drinks, then asked if he could take me to dinner the following night before heading home over the weekend.”

Daphne and KC both leaned in closer.

“And?” KC said.

“And I said sure. Why wouldn’t I?”

KC grinned. “Your life seems so fun. Most weeknights I go to bed at nine thirty.”

Skylar continued. “So he pulled out his phone to get my number, and I noticed that his wallpaper backdrop was a picture of a little boy. I asked if it was his son, and he said yes. He didn’t immediately follow that up by explaining that he was divorced, so I asked if he was married.”

“And?” Daphne asked.

“And he hesitated for a moment before responding that yes, he was married, but that I should give him credit for being honest.”

KC laughed. “Wow, that guy had some balls.”

Skylar sipped her drink. “Oh, it gets better.”

“What happened?” Daphne asked.

“He told me I should sleep with him because married men never have sex, meaning he’d put a lot of effort into it.”

“That’s not true!” KC shouted, then immediately covered her mouth with her hand. “Oops, sorry I got a little fired up there.”

Daphne looked down. In the last years of their marriage, she and Brian rarely had sex. Early on they were intimate nearly every day, but after Emma was born that tapered off. Not overnight, but gradually, so gradually that it wasn’t noticeable—until one day when it was.

“What did you say to the guy?” KC asked Skylar.

Skylar held up her index finger. “Before I could respond to his comment, he told me that I should
also
have sex with him because—and I swear I’m not making this up—because he has a big dick. Those were his exact words. ‘I have a big dick.
’
”

“No way!” KC yelled, then covered her mouth with her hand again. “I’m sorry, I’m not used to drinking sangria. Or to hearing awesome stories like this.”

Skylar laughed. “It’s okay. You’re funny when you drink.”

“He really said that with a straight face?” Daphne asked.

Skylar crossed her heart. “You know I would never lie to you two.”

“What did you say back to him?” Daphne asked. “I’d be speechless.”

“I think I would have up and left.” KC pounded her fist on the table.

Skylar gave them a sly smile. “I did leave, but first I came up with something pretty good. I stood up and casually reached for my purse, and then I smiled and told him
he
was a big dick. Then I calmly strolled out of the bar.”

KC pumped her fist. “That’s my girl!”

Daphne clapped her hands. “Well done. I’d probably still be sitting there with my mouth open.”

Skylar bowed her head. “Thank you, thank you.”

“I’m so fired up right now,” KC said. “Can’t no man be messing with my Skylar!”

“I love it when you drink,” Skylar said to her. “Anyhow, the online thing isn’t all bad. It just depends on what you’re looking for, and when getting married and having kids isn’t priority number one, you can have a little more fun with it. I have some girlfriends in New York who are hell-bent on finding a husband, so they treat online dating like a full-time job. They’re basically managing a spreadsheet, trying to keep track of everyone.”

“Sounds exhausting,” Daphne said.

“I agree, but sometimes it’s a necessary evil if you don’t want to sleep alone, or if you want to procreate. So enough about
my
love life. What about you? What’s the story in Columbus? If you’re not online, how do you meet most of the men you go out with?” Skylar asked.

Daphne felt her neck get warm. She took a sip of water, then pretended to be looking at something on the beach.

Skylar and KC both turned their heads to follow her gaze.

“What are you staring at?” KC asked.

Daphne awkwardly pointed toward the ocean, which was barely visible in the moonlight. “Oh, I, um, I thought I saw a dolphin jumping.”

“For real?” Skylar squinted. “Your eyes really
are
good.”

“That’s an understatement,” KC said. “I can’t see anything out there.”

Daphne swallowed and looked at Skylar. “So getting back to the men in your rotation. What do they do for a living?”

Skylar set her glass down. “Kristoff’s a banker, Michael’s in pharmaceutical sales, Trevor’s an attorne
y . . .
and Antonio’s a bartender. I’ve learned that bartenders are usually a lot of fun to date because they have hilarious stories. Drunk people do funny things.”

“What are all their ages?” KC asked.

Skylar closed her eyes again to think. “Give me a minut
e . . .
oka
y . . .
Antonio’s twenty-seven, Michael’s thirty-three, Trevor’s thirty-nine, and Kristoff is forty-two.” She opened her eyes. “I think that’s right.”

KC whistled. “
Twenty-seven?
Wowsa. That’s twenty-five years younger than my husband. A quarter century!”

Skylar shrugged. “What can I say? I don’t discriminate. Plus, you’re the one who said age is just a number, right?”

“I did say that,” KC said. “I guess I never really thought about it backward like that.”

The waiter returned to clear their plates, and after he was gone, KC picked up her drink and looked at Skylar. “The rotation thing sounds fun, but complicated. And maybe a little draining,” she said.

“All of those adjectives are accurate, but enough about
me
.” Skylar looked at KC. “I want to talk about you and Max again. How’s the sex? Do men get better at it in their fifties? Or does it, you know, start to wilt a little bit?”

Daphne felt her cheeks flush. “Don’t you think that’s a little personal?”

“No,” Skylar said without looking at her. “We’re in the inner circle here, no subject is off-limits. So how is it? Is he paying close attention to the aforementioned Cialis commercials?”

KC laughed. “
No
. I have zero complaints in that department. Max is in great shape all the way around.”

“He must be to keep up with you,” Daphne said. “Although I don’t know if anyone could keep up with you.”

“How’s his business going?” Skylar asked.

“Fantastic! Commercial real estate is booming in LA right now, so they’re growing like gangbusters on the construction side. Jared’s been there since graduation, which Max is thrilled about. He doesn’t want to push, but it’s sort of his dream to groom his firstborn to take over the business when he retires.”

“What does Josh think about that? Is there any competition there?” Daphne asked. As an only child she’d always been curious about the sibling dynamic. Why were some adult siblings such close friends, while others rarely spoke to each other?

KC reached for her napkin. “Trust me, there’s no rivalry there, at least where the family business is concerned. Josh would
never
want to work for his dad, much less have an office job of any kind.”

“Not his vibe?” Skylar asked.

KC shook her head. “Far from it. He’s only a sophomore, so we’ll see how it pans out, but as of now he’s planning to do Teach for America for a couple years. And after that, who knows? But I doubt commercial real estate is in his future. He’s too much of a free spirit for an office job. I love that about him. Personally, I think he’d make a great elementary schoolteacher because he has such a gentle way about him.”

“I could say the same about you,” Daphne said to her.

KC smiled at Daphne and used her fingers to make a heart.

“I would be a horrible teacher,” Skylar said. “I don’t have the patience for it.”

“Your dream of making enough money to hire a traveling hairstylist would be out the window on a teacher’s salary, that’s for sure,” Daphne said.

Skylar held her glass in the air. “An excellent point. Yet
another
reason why I could never be a teacher.”

“So to finish up on your original question: Max is great, Josh and Jared are thriving, there are no complaints, all is good on the home front.” KC clinked her glass against Skylar’s.

“You really love those boys, don’t you,” Daphne said to KC. It wasn’t a question. The glow she saw in KC’s eyes when she talked about her stepsons was how Daphne felt when she thought about Emma. A love so unconditional and pure, it was overwhelming at times. Emma was nearly old enough to drive now, but sometimes when Daphne looked at her, she still saw the miracle baby she’d carried home so gingerly from the hospital, and in those moments it took every ounce of Daphne’s willpower not to smother her daughter with kisses, be it in the middle of a piano recital or volleyball match—or God forbid in front of other kids at school. She’d learned her lesson about that.

KC’s face lit up. “You have no idea. Biggest surprise of my life.”

“I’m glad you found Max,” Skylar said. “I remember you used to say you would never get married and have a family, but I always felt that you would make a great mom. You’re such a positive role model.”

“I certainly didn’t expect to become a stepmom of two teenage boys at age thirty-five, but it turned out to be one of the best things I ever did. Life can really sneak up on you, you know?”

Daphne felt a pang in her gut.
It sure can.

“So speaking of kids, tell us about how Emma’s doing,” KC said to Daphne. “Is she in high school now?”

Daphne nodded. “She’s a sophomore, which I still can’t believe. She’s getting her driver’s license soon.”

“Wow, I remember during our last birthday trip, you were telling us how you’d cried when you’d dropped her off at kindergarten,” KC said. “Soon you’ll be dropping her off at college.”

“Oh gosh, don’t remind me.”

“Is she dating?” Skylar asked.

Daphne shook her head. “Not yet. Not ever, I hope.”
Not that I know of. I bet Alyssa knows. Stop thinking about Alyssa!

“Do you have a recent picture?” KC asked.

Daphne reached for her purse. “I have millions.” She pulled out her phone and scrolled through the photos, then handed the phone to KC. “Here’s one from her volleyball tournament last month.”

KC smiled at the phone, then handed it to Skylar. “Look at that adorable face. Where did all those freckles come from? She looks more like my daughter than yours.”

Daphne touched her own cheeks, then looked at her arms. “Brian and I have no idea. I have like ten freckles on my entire body, and he has even less.”

Skylar studied the photo, then handed the phone back to Daphne. “She’s still in that awkward gangly stage, but it’s pretty clear she’s going to be a swan once she emerges on the other side. Prepare yourself.”

Daphne held the phone against her heart. “The thought of her going on a date makes me feel a little sick.”

“So speaking of dating, what about
you
?” Skylar asked Daphne. “Are you dating anyone worth mentioning?”

Daphne felt her cheeks flush, and then she reached for her water glass. “No, not really.”
Not at all.

“Are you dating anyone
not
worth mentioning?” Skylar asked. “Those guys make better stories anyway.”

KC grinned. “I agree. Any exciting flings? My divorcées are always regaling the class with tales of their romantic adventures, most of which don’t really qualify as
dating
but sound pretty entertaining.”

Daphne shook her head slightly, her nose still in her water glass.

Skylar raised an eyebrow. “A smart, attractive, single woman like you, and no stories to share? That doesn’t add up.”

Daphne suddenly felt a familiar sensation in the back of her head, and she knew that within seconds, her eyes were going to well up with tears. She noticed the waiter approaching them with dessert menus and was grateful for the forced break in conversation.