“Oh, Eva. I’m so sorry. Harrison is lucky that you come to his defense in spite of everything.”

Finishing the last of my coffee, I signaled the waitress for the check. I was tired, and I wanted to go home. I was over shopping and over trying to understand men.

“I’m okay, don’t worry. Listen, honey, you must be really tired. I know how exhausted I am. So how about we go home?”

“Yeah, I’m totally drained. Harrison is so damn intense. But I have a better idea. Let’s go for a manicure and pedicure. I can’t reach my feet these days, and I really just need to relax and be pampered.” Jade surprised me with her answer. I expected her to want to go and put her feet up at home, and I was pleased that she wasn’t abandoning me. My spirits lifted and I was ready for the next round. Pampering sounded exactly like what we needed.

“Okay, but it’s my treat. I know just the place to go. They have massage chairs and champagne . . . not that you can have any, but they have orange juice too. Sound good?”

“Oh yeah. What’s a girl’s day out without some pampering?” She wrinkled her nose. “But what about your dress? You need one by the weekend, right?”

“I do, but maybe I’ll go online tonight and check it out. I love shopping in my pajamas.”

I paid the check and left a generous tip. Grabbing our purses, Jade and I pushed to our feet to leave. I couldn’t wait to get out of the place.

We hopped into my car and I drove us to a little place I’d frequented since my mother had introduced me to pampering sessions as a teenager. The staff were friendly, and because they’d known me for years, they always squeezed me in regardless of how busy they were.

Monica welcomed us with a smile. Luckily her salon wasn’t that packed so I didn’t feel too guilty showing up without an appointment. I’d called her on the drive over and she’d assured me she could do our nails.

“Oh this is heaven.” Jade sank back into the leather massage chair and closed her eyes.

“Hmmm, this is the time I’m glad I’m a woman.” I sipped my champagne and reran the whole lunch episode through my head. Two glasses of champagne later, and I was finally able to relax enough to enjoy the treat.

I chuckled when I looked over at Jade. She’d fallen asleep with her feet in the water bath and was even snoring softly. I indicated for Monica to let her just rest for a while before she chose her nail color.

Monica and I chatted while she did my nails. She loved catching up with my life and never failed to ask me the one question I was dreading.

“So how’s your love life these days?” She winked at me. “Still seeing the sexy cop?”

I’d shown her pictures of Harrison and me at a barbeque, and she’d drooled over how good-looking he was.

I shrugged and took another sip of champagne. “That is a question I can’t really answer. The sex is off the charts hot and yeah, I’m still seeing him . . . but I honestly don’t have a clue where it will end up. Harrison is so damn unpredictable. Just when I think I understand him, he goes and makes me doubt everything.”

“Oh, sweetheart, men usually say women are hard to understand, but let me tell you—I talk to a lot of women daily and the male species, while simple in many respects, are complicated as anything. They run hot and cold and everything in between. It’s as if they don’t know what to do with their feelings.”

“You’re a wise woman, Monica,” I said, laughing out loud. Monica always managed to lift my spirits, regardless of how I felt when I walked into her salon.

“That may be because I’m on husband number five. And I’m still none the wiser sometimes. Men confuse the crap out of me.”

“Me too,” I said, as I held my glass for a refill.

“That’s your third glass, Eva. Will Jade drive you home?”

On hearing her name, Jade stirred. Moments later, her eyes popped open. “I’m sorry. I’m so damn tired all the time.” She sat upright and looked around the salon before leaning back into the chair again. “I haven’t been sleeping all that great and this chair is freaking magic.”

Monica laughed. “Those chairs are the best investment I made in my business. I can’t tell you how many women have fallen asleep in them, especially when we get to the foot massage part, so don’t apologize at all. I take it as a compliment.”

“That’s good to know. I was feeling a bit foolish.”

Handing Jade a glass of orange juice, Monica said, “Choose a color from the swatches. We’ll have you feeling pretty in no time.”

I loved how my old friend could make anyone feel at ease.

“Thanks.” Jade pointed to a hot pink. “I like that color. It’s pretty and reminds me of happy times.”

Poor, sweet Jade. I wanted to kill Harrison. And maybe I would.

Chapter 7 — Eva

A full bottle of champagne later and I was buzzed and certainly in a better mood. I kissed Monica goodbye on both cheeks and promised to bring Jade back soon.

As soon as we hit the sidewalk, Jade held out her hand.

“Hand me the car keys, missy. I’m driving us to my place, and you can have dinner with Ryder and me. You can either sleep over or we’ll drive you home later.”

Stupid tears built up behind my eyelids and made my vision blurry. Jade’s kindness hit me right in the heart.

“Thank you. I’d love that.” I found the keys in my purse and handed them to Jade, grateful that I didn’t have to take a taxi home and spend the rest of the evening alone.

Jade made a quick call to let Ryder know of our plans and from what I could make out, he seemed happy that I was coming over.

Half an hour later, as Jade drove up the driveway, Ryder came out to greet us with a gigantic grin on his face.

“Hey,” he said, as he came toward us.

Jade and I both greeted him at the same time. He folded Jade into his arms and kissed her as if he hadn’t seen her for a month. When he pulled away, he searched her face with a concerned expression. “You okay, baby?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I had a lovely day with Eva.”

He kissed her forehead before letting go of Jade and embracing me, hugging the crap out of me.

“I figured you’d both be tired so I ordered some food in. I hope you’re okay with Thai food, ’cause I just got a mix of vegetarian and some with chicken for the two of us,” Ryder said as we walked up the path to the front door and went inside.

“Perfect. I love Thai cuisine. Especially the green chicken curry,” I said.

Ryder closed the door and locked it.

“Me too, and while Jade can’t handle red meat, she does allow me to have chicken some days. Man, I was glad when I heard you were coming over and I had a good enough reason to order in.”

Jade laughed. “I’m sorry, baby.” She rubbed his back in a sympathetic gesture.

“I’m not complaining. It’s far worse for you than for me. I’m just glad to spend some time with my sister too. Just the three of us.”

Jade and I looked at one another and rolled our eyes. Those men.

“I’ve already opened a bottle of wine for you, Eva, and I’m boiling water for tea for you, Jade.”

“You know how to make tea?” I said with wide eyes.

“I’ve become pretty domesticated since we moved to the house. Jade had to housetrain me at first, but I’ve learned a few skills.”

I flopped down into a comfortable chair and took the glass of red wine Ryder handed me. I swirled the contents, sniffed and then took a sip. “Hmmm, delicious.”

“He’s fun to train. So much smarter than a puppy,” Jade said with a wink.

Ryder wiggled his eyebrows at her. “And the rewards when I do good are so worth it.”

Jade sat on the couch and kicked off her shoes. “Oh, and his foot-massaging skills are amazing.”

Ryder sat down beside her and leaned down to kiss her belly. Jade giggled with delight as she stroked his hair. Leaning back into the sofa, he lifted her feet onto his lap and kneaded her soles with his thumbs while she laid back and sighed contently.