I give her a doubtful look.
"Ethan and I want to do this, Tess, and Jace is the perfect guy. Not only is he lonely, but he'll eventually find someone to fill the empty void in his life, and until he does, we will."
I stare right at her. "I don't understand, how did this even come up?"
"When Ethan and I were in Fiji, we talked about a lot of things we never had. Don't forget, our relationship didn't progress slowly. We fucked, and didn't talk again until the day I told him I was pregnant."
"I know," I say softly.
Fiona leans forward, and continues. "He told me something he hadn't before."
"What's that?"
"When he and Jace were seniors in college, they had a relationship with a junior named Hannah." She rolls her eyes, "Hannah. That just sounds so goody two shoes."
I smirk at her. "What? Unlike Fiona, which sounds so ghetto whore?"
She narrows her eyes at me, and then laughs. "So, I'm a little jealous. Don't judge. Anyway, the relationship didn't last long."
"Why did it end?"
She shrugs. "As far I know Hannah ended it. Ethan didn't go into detail. The only thing he told me was that the three of them had decided to go skiing over spring break, and Jace suggested a place in Colorado, but didn't tell Hannah his family owed the house, until his grandmother unexpectedly showed up."
"Okay," I say. "And that was a problem, why?"
She shrugs again. "Jace comes from a very wealthy family, and I guess Hannah had no idea until then. When she found out, she felt duped for some reason. She called Jace a big shot, and left. Ethan tried to call her when he returned, but she wouldn't take his calls. Neither of them saw her again after that, and a short while later, Jace met Tricia."
"So what? Since they've done this thing before, you think they can do it again?"
"Yes, I do."
I stare at her, uncertain what to say.
"Be happy for me. I want this. I've wanted something like this since you first told me about the twins."
I give her a look.
"You know how jealous I was of you. How I went on about it for months after."
I do remember that.
"I had actually told Ethan about that time in my life first, before he told me about Hannah." She makes a face when she says her name.
My jaw drops open.
"Don't worry, he won't judge."
I keep my mouth shut, knowing this isn't about me.
As if a weight has been lifted from her shoulders, she takes a huge bite of her brownie. "Besides," she adds, "it's not going to be a steady thing. We said we'd try it tonight, and if any of us don't want to do it again, we won't."
"Okay," I tell her. "Start again, and this time from the beginning."
"On New Year's Eve . . ." she starts with a smile.
Watching the glow lighting up her face, I can't help but be happy for her. After all, Fiona didn't have to choose to settle down, she got pregnant and did the right thing for Max. She also learned to live within the constraints of marriage, which for her hasn't been easy. And aside from her adjustment to staying home, she seems to be doing a good job of it.
Maybe Ethan is more perfect for her than I thought. Or maybe he's more in tune to her needs than I give him credit for.
Either way, I have no doubts that he's the right man for her, and that he will handle the situation with care, for her, for him, and for their son.
Besides, who am I to judge?
Tess
A DRESS IS just a dress, until it is more.
The silver silk glimmers in the light, and feeling like a princess waiting for her Prince Charming, I twirl around to get the full effect.
This dress is perfect for my date tonight. Its halter-style neckline offsets the provocativeness of the open back, and the length on me is just above the knee, sexy but not trashy.
Fiona also lent me her black velvet trench coat, which when paired with a pair of black velvet shoes, looks like an outfit from the pages of a fashion magazine.
I add a pair of chandelier earrings, a few bangles, and a dab of perfume, and I'm ready with time to spare.
Then I look around my apartment, the one in which I ended up doing nothing to except shove all the boxes against the wall and throw all the clothes I had dumped everywhere into the closet.
Meeting Fiona for a one-hour speed lunch turned into a gabfest three-hour one, and then she'd forgotten the dress I asked to borrow back at her house on the kitchen counter. Because I wanted to wear it, I had to go back to her place to get it. Once there, I ended up playing with Max and chatting with Ethan.