All She Ever Wanted - Barbara Freethy [17]
"Absolutely not. You remember how bad I was at sewing, don't you?"
Laura grinned as they both remembered a particularly bad hem job.
Their orders were called, and Laura jumped to her feet. "I'll get those." She was back in a moment with their drinks.
Natalie took a sip of coffee, feeling immediately more relaxed. Oddly enough, she was happy to see Laura again. They'd parted under such tense circumstances that she never would have predicted they could come back together so easily. She had to admit it was nice to talk to someone who wasn't involved in her current life, someone who didn't know squat about medicine or hospital politics, someone she didn't have to impress with her intellect or medical knowledge. The last ten years had been exhausting. She'd run like a rat on a wheel, never stopping to catch her breath or look around for fear she'd fall off that wheel and never get back on. She'd never let anyone get close enough to see her true self ... whatever that was. Not only did she not have time for relationships, she had little time for personal introspection. In fact, she hadn't done this much thinking about anything that didn't involve a disease or a medical procedure in . .. she couldn't remember how long.
"I can't believe we live so close to each other," Laura said, interrupting her thoughts. She sent Natalie a quizzical smile. "It didn't bother you that Cole—"
"No." Natalie cut off the question she knew was coming. "It's a big city. A lot of years have passed."
"Sure. You're right. I'm not completely surprised you ended up here. You always loved this city. After your first trip home with Emily, you talked endlessly about the cable cars, the narrow hills, the bridges. You were in love."
And not just with the city but with Cole.
"So what happened to Cole?" Laura asked. "I noticed the bandage on his head."
"His girlfriend threw a stapler at him."
Laura's eyes widened. "Really?"
"That's what he said in the emergency room. Josh was with him. Do you remember Josh? He was one of the twins who grew up next door to the Parish family."
"The laughing, smiling one, or the dark, brooding one?"
"Laughing, smiling. The other one was Dylan."
"Right, the magician. I wonder what happened to him."
"I have no idea."
"What did you do when you saw Cole?"
"I was startled." Which was an understatement to say the least. Natalie didn't bother to explain that she'd taken off and Cole had made it his business to find her. Instead, she said, "I told him about the book and the signing. That's why we were together today."
"So, any lingering sparks?" Laura asked, a curious gleam in her brown eyes.
"We barely spoke," Natalie prevaricated. "And it was a long time ago."
"You know what they say about first loves. You never forget 'em."
"Well, you married your first love, so you can't forget him," Natalie said, changing the subject. "Tell me about your wedding. Did you wear the white dress with the long train that you dreamed about? Did you have the evening ceremony in a small chapel lit only with candles?" Laura's mouth trembled and Natalie could see she was on the verge of crying again. "I'm sorry. Did I say something wrong?"
"I just can't believe you remember that."
"You talked about it enough," Natalie said lightly.
"I guess I did." She looked down at her coffee, then back at Natalie. "It was a morning wedding, big church, hundreds of people, many of whom I didn't know. It was wonderful."
Somehow Natalie didn't believe her, but she didn't want to get into what was obviously a touchy subject.
"My parents love Drew," Laura continued. "My dad considers him the son he never had." She paused, a somber expression on her face. "Marrying Drew was the smartest thing I ever did. That's what my mom always says. And she's right. He gave me two great girls. I live in a beautiful home. What more could a woman want? Nothing, right? My life