“Oh.” Tessa looked rather disconcerted by the offer. “Um, normally I’d love to but I – ah, I’m sort of meeting – someone.”
Julia grinned. “You little devil. You have a new boyfriend, don’t you?”
Tessa’s cheeks were already flushed pink from the exertion of the class, and they deepened to a much brighter shade at Julia’s frank question. “Ah, I – I guess that’s what – yes, you’re right. I do.” She looked down at her bare feet shyly. “I’m just – it’s pretty new, so - ”
“You can’t really talk about it yet,” finished Julia. “I get it, honey. But I think it’s great. You really deserve some happiness. So, go meet your new guy and we’ll have coffee another time.”
Tessa looked relieved. “Okay, thanks. I’ll give you a call this week.”
Julia watched her friend dash out of the studio hurriedly, wondering who this new boyfriend was and hoping that he was treating Tessa right. But at least the existence of a new man in her life explained why she was suddenly able to afford yoga classes plus the new clothes and equipment. Julia hoped he wasn’t some sleazy creep who was just using Tessa, dazzling her with nice gifts and expensive dinners. She knew Tessa was rather naïve about men, despite the fact that she’d been married for seven years, and kept her fingers crossed that she wasn’t in over her head.
Julia spent a couple of minutes chatting with Sasha before grabbing her things and heading out to meet Nathan. Her super-hot fiancée was lounging against the side of the building, his thick dark brown hair still damp from the laps he’d just swum at his health club’s indoor pool. Nathan had played water polo during high school and college and still liked to get a vigorous swim in a few times a week.
“Hey, baby.” He pulled her into his arms and gave her a quick but still semi-dirty kiss.
“Hi.” She snuggled close as he took her yoga bag from her, slinging it over his own shoulder as they walked down the block to one of their favorite cafes.
“You look a little sweaty. Did Sasha kick your cute little ass again?”
Julia nodded. “Always. I swear I don’t know where she comes up with some of her moves. If you think I’m flexible, you ought to see her in action. She’s like Elasticgirl, or whoever that character is from The Incredibles.”
Nathan squeezed her ass cheek under cover of the thigh length cardigan she wore. “You’re plenty flexible for me, baby. Especially last night. I, uh, didn’t know you could actually get into that sort of position.”
She raised a brow. “Complaining?”
“Oh, hell, no. You can get, ah, all bendy and twisty like that anytime. Hey, was that Tessa I saw leaving the studio? I was just getting out of the car when I saw her turning the corner.”
Julia nodded. “That was her all right. Sounds like she has a new boyfriend. I just hope he’s a good guy and treats her right.”
Nathan stopped in his tracks, a frown on his handsome features. “Wait a second. Now that you mention it, I did notice her getting into a car. And – holy shit.”
She shook his arm. “What? What is it? And why are you grinning like an idiot?”
He chuckled, shaking his head. “That sneaky sonofabitch. Let’s just say I’ve got a very good idea of who Tessa’s new boyfriend is.”
Her eyes widened in surprise “Who? Did you see him? What kind of a car is he driving? God, don’t tell me it was a pickup truck. Or a Prius. I’m not sure which one would be worse.”
Nathan was full out laughing now. “Oh, not even close, baby. No, your friend was getting into a vintage Jaguar E-type. It’s a very expensive and very rare car. In fact, there’s only one person I know of who owns a car exactly like that one. I even rode in it once – en route to the new hotel site in Napa.”
It took Julia a moment or two for his words to register, and then she gasped, clutching his arm so tightly that he winced. “You mean – Tessa’s new boyfriend is – is Ian?”
He was grinning from ear to ear. “Yup. He denied being attracted to her when I brought the subject up once, but when you’re right, you’re right, baby.”
“I knew it!” she squealed. “Didn’t I tell you, Nathan? I knew he had his eye on her the first time I saw them together.” Then a sudden thought instantly sobered her up. “You don’t think – I mean, Tessa never told me why she and her husband broke up. You don’t imagine she and Ian were - ”
“No.” Nathan’s denial was emphatic. “I know Ian pretty well after all. He would never mess around with a married woman. Trust me, he and Tessa were not having a sordid affair. That is not why she and her husband are divorcing. I think this relationship with Ian is very new.”