Henry hops to his feet and takes my hand. “Then I say we start our perfect day of togetherness in the bedroom … without all these clothes.”
“Henry Wallace, what has gotten into you?” I giggle, gladly allowing myself to be led.
“Oh, I think I have a lot of surprises in store for you,” Henry snarls, and I feel myself grow warm within.
TAKING A DEEP breath, I soak in the moment—balancing the bath towel my hair is wrapped in on top of my head. Henry is in the shower, and my thoughts drift to our morning of passion, before the growling of my stomach reminds me that such actions require sustenance. Quickly, I run through what I need to take care of—pack for my extended trip, book my flight, make arrangements to have my fabrics shipped to Emmie’s gallery, and it might be nice to call my dear friend and let her know she’s about to have a house guest for the next couple months.
I reach over and pick up the phone from my nightstand, ignoring the numerous and annoying Facebook notifications, and flip to my contact list. My heart skips a beat as I press Em’s name.
I listen as the phone rings—one, then two—finding myself growing impatient, missing the voice of my sweet Emmie. “Hello,” she finally answers, sounding out of breath.
“Hey darling! It’s Paige,” I reply.
“I know, there’s this great thing nowadays called caller I.D.”
“Oh, how I’ve missed that bitchy streak.”
“Sorry, the baby kept me up all night,” Emmie offers.
“How is beautiful little Olivia?”
“She’s great, it’s her mom who might be losing her mind. She sleeps all day and then is up all night.”
“Sounds miserable,” I reply honestly.
“You know what, I hardly ever get to hear your voice anymore, so let’s not talk about how I get no sleep. What’s going on with you?” Emmie asks. I can hear her trying to shift her tone. I wish I could reach through the phone and give her a supportive hug.
“I have big surprise.”
“Let’s see, your last surprise was that you had been offered a show of your own clothing designs, and the surprise before that was that Henry had gotten you a design apprenticeship in Paris, shortly after proposing with a big ass diamond ring. With you girl, I can’t imagine what your next surprise will be.”
I smile, so used to the excitement of my life that I forget how amazing of a dream I am living. “Well, it’s not quite in the same family of those other things, but I think equally as exciting.”
“Well, don’t keep me in suspense, what’s the surprise?” she presses.
“You’re going to have a house guest,” I answer excitedly.
“Huh?”
“I’m coming to Texas, girl!” I exclaim, surprised to be met by silence on the other end of the line. “Em?”
“Yeah, I’m— I’m here.”
“Did you hear me?” I ask, certain she must not have, or I would have heard it in her reaction.
“Yeah, I heard you. I’m just confused, I guess.”
“What do you mean?”
Emmie pauses, choosing her words carefully. “You have a fashion show coming up in a few months, not to mention a wedding. How can you possibly come for a visit?”
“That’s why I’m coming. I was stressing out this morning about how I have no friends to help me with the wedding planning here, and I think Henry knows I’ve been missing you guys so much that he told me I should go down there and finish my show in Bastrop.”
“That’s … great,” Emmie says, though I can sense the uncertainty in her voice.
“All right, lay it on me, what’s up?” I push.
“I don’t know if it’s the best time to head down here, sweetie. Between the gallery and Olivia, we barely have time for ourselves, let alone a houseguest. I mean—it’s not that I wouldn’t love to see you, I just think it might be a distraction for you.”
“Nonsense. Ten weeks down in sleepy town Texas is just what the doctor ordered. And besides, I can’t wait to get my hands on Liv, which will free up some time for you and Colin to be alone. Just no details, please.”
“Well, I guess.” Emmie still seems hesitant.
“Ten weeks with your bestie. What more could you ask for? Unless there’s some other reason I shouldn’t come. Is there something else, Emmie? Are you and Colin doing all right?”
“Other than being sleep deprived, we’re great. You’re right, this will be good.”
“Perfect, I’ll book my flight into Austin for tomorrow.”
“I’ll have Colin pick you up, so just text me the time your flight gets in.”