friends, about to attend a fantastic housewarming hosted by the best boss in the world. And if we were lucky, her fiancé would let us see the
pictures of him when he was a swimmer in col ege, back when swimmers stil just wore tiny Speedos. We would sigh and gaze endlessly until Jil ian
made us put them away. And then she would usual y put Benjamin away too—for the night.
“I’m tel ing you, I have a real y good feeling about tonight. I feel like something’s going to happen,” Mimi mused, staring thoughtful y out the
window.
“Something’s going to happen, al right. We’l have a great time, drink way too much, and I’l probably try to cop a feel off Caroline on the car
ride home,” Sophia said, winking at me.
“Mmm, sugar,” I teased, and she blew me a kiss.
“Oh, would you two forget your pseudo-lesbian romance? I’m being serious here,” she continued, sighing in the Harlequin romance voice she
used sometimes.
“Who knows? Not sure about me, but maybe you’l meet your Prince Charming tonight,” I whispered, smiling back at her hopeful face. Mimi
was certainly the most romantic of the three of us. She was steadfast in her belief that everyone had a soulmate.
Eh…I’d just settle for my Soul-O.
When we pul ed up to Benjamin and Jil ian’s house, there were cars parked everywhere along the winding street, and Japanese lanterns and
luminary bags lined the property. Like most houses set into the hil y landscape, from the street there was nothing to look at. We giggled as we
made our way through the gate, and I smiled when the girls stared at the contraption before us. I’d seen the plans for this, but had yet to take a ride.
“What kind of fucked-up rickshaw is this?” Sophia blurted, and I couldn’t help but laugh. Jil ian and Benjamin had designed and instal ed a
hil evator, basical y an elevator that went up and down the hil . Very practical when you considered the amount of steps it took to reach the house.
Their hil side front yard was blanketed with terraced gardens and benches and various garden scenes, al artful y arranged on flagstone paths lit
with tiki torches that led down the hil to the house. But for grocery shopping and other less-leisurely approaches, the hil evator made for a much
easier ride.
“Would you ladies care to use the lift or make your way down the path?” an attendant asked, appearing from the other side of the carriage.
“You mean, ride in that thing?” Mimi squeaked.
“Sure, that’s what it’s made for. Come on,” I encouraged, stepping through the little door that he’d opened in the side. It real y felt like a ski lift,
except that it was going down a hil instead of up in the air.
“Yeah, okay, let’s do it,” said Sophia, climbing in behind me and plopping down on the seat. Mimi shrugged and fol owed.
“There’l be someone at the bottom waiting for you. Enjoy the party, ladies.” He smiled, and we were off.
As we rode down the hil , the house rose up to meet us. Jil ian had created a purely magical world here, and as there were huge windows
throughout the house, we could see into the party as we continued our descent.
“Wow, there’s a lot of people here,” Mimi noted, her eyes huge. The sounds of a jazz band on one of the many patios below came tinkling up to
us.
I felt a little fluttering in my tummy as the cart came to a stop and another attendant came to open the door. As we filed out and our heels click-
clacked across the flagstone, I could hear Jil ian’s voice from inside the house and immediately smiled.
“Girls! You made it!” she cal ed as we walked in.
I turned in the space, taking it al in at once. The house was almost like a triangle, set into the hil side and sprawling outward. Deep mahogany
wood floors spread out beneath us, and the clean lines of the wal s contrasted beautiful y. Jil ian’s personal taste was a comfortable modern, and
the colors in the house reflected the colors of the surrounding hil side: warm leafy greens, rich earthy browns, soft muted creams, and hints of deep
marine blue.
Almost the entire back of the two-story house was glass, taking advantage of the spectacular view. The moonlight danced on the water in the
bay, and in the distance you could see the lights of San Francisco.
Tears sprang to my eyes as I saw the home she and Benjamin had created for themselves and as I looked back at her, I saw the excitement in
her eyes. “It’s perfect,” I whispered, and she hugged me tightly.
Sophia and Mimi gushed to Jil ian as a waiter brought us each a glass of champagne. When Jil ian left to go mingle, the three of us made our
way out onto one of the many terraces to take stock. Waiters passed trays, and as we munched on roasted prawns and sipped our bubbly, we