No Strings Attached(76)

With Robin by her side, the ocean seemed a little bluer, the caps of the waves a little whiter. It was cold but sunny—the exact weather Micky would have ordered from the weather gods for her birthday if she could have.

“Remember when you took me to Bondi beach?” Robin leaned into her a little, warming Micky’s flank. “You were so hot for me that day. You were basically squirming on your beach towel all afternoon.”

“And you knew and loved it.”

“Well, you know,” Robin leaned her head on Micky’s shoulder, “it’s not every day I get to seduce a housewife from Mosman.”

They both chuckled and inhaled greedily because the air was always so different by the ocean. Micky had come there on her forty-fourth birthday as well, although then it was more out of lack of official celebration than anything else. She’d just signed the divorce papers a few months earlier and was still living in the house her children had grown up in. And, like every year, Micky had—foolishly—asked the ocean, “Where will I be one year from now?” This year, when the question flitted through her mind, not a trace of desperation, of desire for drastic change, clung to it. Micky had taken the leap. She had followed her best friend’s advice, and there she stood, staring into the waves while all her dreams were coming true.

“I love you,” Micky said, for the very first time to another woman in this context. It didn’t feel as monumental as she had expected, perhaps because the entire year of leading up to her forty-fifth birthday had been one of firsts. Yet, the words made a warm glow erupt underneath her skin.

“I love you too, vixen.” Robin had taken to calling her that in private as an inside joke. “And I have a birthday present for you.” Robin turned to her. “I’ve known for a couple of days, but I waited to tell you until today. Next week, I’ll be signing a new contract at work. One that keeps me here for at least two more years after this one’s up.”

Micky brought a hand to her mouth. She threw her arms around Robin and pulled her close while the crashing of the waves roared in her ears.





THE END