Chapter Ten
December
"It was so sweet of you to serve a vegetarian entrée tonight, Tessa," said Sasha to their hostess. "But you really didn't have to do anything special."
Tessa waved a hand in dismissal. "Don't be silly, it wasn't any trouble at all. And vegetable moussaka is one of my favorite dishes to make."
Julia, whose twin-sized baby bump was extremely noticeable at nearly the seven month mark, swallowed another forkful of the eggplant and mushroom laden dish. "Mmm, and it's sooo good, Tessa! I definitely don't miss the meat."
Julia's husband Nathan grinned at her good naturedly. "I guess since you're eating for three it's acceptable to have seconds. Though I honestly don't know how you've got room in there any longer."
He patted her burgeoning belly affectionately, then planted a kiss on her cheek after she gave him a mock glare.
"You're right," sighed Julia. "Your sons are taking up most of the space down here. I can usually only eat a little bit at a time or it's uncomfortable. They aren't even born yet and already I'm making all these sacrifices for them. When Tessa and I went out for lunch earlier this week, I was way too full to even think of eating dessert."
Nathan arched a brow in her direction. "Would that particular dessert have been the giant lemon bar that you were snacking on in the middle of the night?"
Julia exchanged a quick look with Tessa before shrugging. "Guilty as charged. Hey, I might have been too full at lunch but no way was I passing up on that lemon bar. I've been craving sour stuff like crazy the last couple of months."
"Which is why I made a key lime cheesecake for dessert," announced Tessa. "So hopefully you'll save a little room for it."
Even Sasha, who wasn't overly fond of sweets, made a little "mmm" of pleasure at the mention of the dessert Tessa had planned. She took a small sip of the one glass of red wine she'd indulged in this evening, smiling at Matthew as their eyes met.
This intimate dinner party at the Gregsons' had been one of the most enjoyable evenings Sasha had experienced in a long time. Given that she had spent the first fifteen years of her life constantly packing up and traveling from one place to another, Sasha had never been able to make close friends. And even after she'd come to live with Linda, and then later as an adult, she'd found it difficult to form lasting friendships.
But Julia and Tessa had quite firmly brought her into their small but close knit circle, one that also included Julia's friend Angela and occasionally her twin sister Lauren, in addition to some of Julia's co-workers. And while Sasha mostly eschewed girly activities like shopping or spa visits, she liked having brunch with Julia after yoga class, or going on a strenuous hike with Tessa. She'd also helped Tessa plan a baby shower for Julia to be held right after New Year's, admitting that it would be the first such event she'd be attending.
And once she'd finally fessed up to both of them that she and Matthew were in a relationship, Tessa and Julia had squealed excitedly like little girls. Tessa in particular had been elated to hear the news, and assured Sasha that she was exactly the sort of woman Matthew needed in his life.
"I don't know all the details, of course, about why he and Lindsey split up," Tessa had confided. "But I can tell you that she was never very nice to him, took him for granted most of the time. Any woman who can blatantly flirt with another man right in front of her husband - especially with a husband like Matthew, who's just about the nicest person I know - doesn't deserve someone like him. I'm just glad that he finally decided to do something about it, because he should have the chance to be happy. And I'm doubly glad that he has you in his life, Sasha. You're two of the kindest people I've ever met, and I hope that things keep working out for you."
Sasha had been touched by Tessa's ardent declaration, but had also been quick to downplay her relationship with Matthew. "It's pretty casual between us, you know. We really only get to see each other once a week, maybe twice, since he travels so much or is busy at work. And then of course he has his children every other weekend, and tries to see them at least once during the week, too."
"How are you getting along with his kids? They're both teenagers, correct?"
Sasha had given a nod. "Hayley is sixteen, and Casey turns fourteen in February. As for getting along - well, I'm afraid Hayley doesn't like me very much, not so surprising under the circumstances. Casey on the other hand is a great kid, very kind and friendly like Matthew. I actually haven't spent all that much time with them, since it's important for Matthew to have time alone with his children."