“Really know? Not that long ago. But I have to admit I was in denial for a very long time. I was also happily married for almost two decades. It just, I don’t know, never really occurred to me.” Micky glanced at Amber. “Even though, all the while, my very best friend was a lesbian.”
“Talk about being in denial,” Amber said. “Denial is probably not even the correct word to describe how deep you had buried your true desires.”
“Better late than never,” Sheryl said. “I applaud your courage. I dread to think how many women in your position don’t take any steps and just continue with their passionless lives.”
“What about you guys? How long have you been together?” Micky felt like talking about something other than herself.
“We’ll be celebrating our twenty years together next year,” Kristin said, placing a hand on Sheryl’s shoulder. “Gush about me all you want, honey.” She pecked Sheryl on the cheek. “I’m going to get dessert ready.”
“Do you need a hand with that?” Amber asked. She wasn’t nearly as intoxicated as Micky was. She didn’t wait for Kristin’s reply, and they both disappeared into the kitchen together.
“Twenty years,” Micky repeated. “I’m so in awe of that.” They must have gotten together around the same time she and Darren had met—a lifetime ago.
“As corny as it sounds, I guess we’re soul mates. Kristin has been the one and only for me for twenty years now, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
That did sound corny, but also very beautiful.
“Let me tell you something, Micky.” Sheryl leaned over the table. She was obviously the biggest drinker of the pair. “It’s important to surround yourself with like-minded people. It really is. Of course, times are different now. Everything is much more open and accepted, but if I hadn’t had the support network I had when I was younger, I wouldn’t be sitting here with my partner of twenty years today. You were lucky to have Amber, and now you have us as well, okay?”
“Okay,” Micky said. She wasn’t that tipsy to know that sometimes, under the influence, some people were prone to make big declarations. Or maybe this was just the kind of person Sheryl was. Sitting here in her and Kristin’s home, Amber by her side, Micky felt as though she had started a new chapter in her life. “At least I’m out at work,” she joked.
“No news from Robin yet, huh?” Sheryl sank back into her chair.
“It’s okay. Not having to sit at home and obsess about it on my own while my children are in their rooms doing God knows what really helps.”
Amber and Kristin emerged from the kitchen, each carrying a plate.
“Apple crumble for dessert,” Kristin said. “I hope there’s some room left in your bellies.”
Micky might not have the tiniest bit of appetite left after the scrumptious meal Kristin had already served, but what she had plenty of space for in her heart and in her life, were new friends like these.
CHAPTER TEN
The first thing Micky did when she woke up on Sunday morning, was reach for her phone. When she’d arrived home late the night before, she’d drunkenly taken it into the bedroom with her. She still hadn’t received a text back from Robin, which, despite having had a wonderful evening last night, didn’t sit right with her. Why the silence? If Robin wanted to be friends—be it with benefits or not—shouldn’t she at least have the courtesy to text back?
Micky felt like one of her teenagers when she checked her phone for messages like this in bed. Nine times out of ten, when she opened Olivia’s bedroom door—after knocking first, of course—she’d find her daughter in the position she was now lying in herself, painfully uncomfortable. Christopher was more glued to his laptop screen than to his phone, playing the online versions of the video games she and Darren had always refused to buy for him.
On her phone, Micky found a message from Amber, sent two hours ago. Of course, Amber had been up since the crack of dawn. She’d probably already meditated for an hour and repotted some plants. If anyone was the polar opposite of Micky, it was her best friend. And they’d managed to be friends for almost forty years.
What a great night last night. They’re definitely keepers! See you tonight, Amber’s message read. Micky’s best friend couldn’t help it. She even sounded upbeat in her text messages, even the ones sent frightfully early on a Sunday morning. The message also reminded Micky that she, the kids, and Amber were having dinner at her mother’s that night. Micky and Amber always joked that they were more like sisters than friends, but after Amber’s parents had both passed away in quick succession more than fourteen years ago—sparking Amber’s zest to adopt an ultra-healthy lifestyle—Micky’s mother had, in fact, started treating Amber as one of her own.