All She Ever Wanted - Barbara Freethy [49]
She had so many questions bubbling inside of her, none of which had answers. She wanted to talk to someone and for a split second actually considered calling her mother. Thankfully, that thought passed as quickly as it had come. Admitting that there was even the slightest bit of trouble in her marriage would only elicit criticism and disappointment from her parents, who had already spent most of their lives disappointed in her. Her sisters would offer condescending advice and sigh that she was always messing things up. She couldn't call her other "mom" friends. Some of their husbands worked with Drew or played golf with him. And no one was divorced, separated, or admitting to problems. She didn't want to be gossiped about as the only woman who wasn't happy in her marriage.
She wished she had a girlfriend. Then it occurred to her that she did.
Could she call Natalie? Drew had ordered her not to. Well, wasn't that just enough reason to get up and do it? She didn't have to do what he said. She was a grown woman. She could make her own decisions. Jumping off the bed, she went downstairs and found the number Natalie had given her. She dialed the phone, relieved to hear Natalie's voice on the other end.
"I heard I missed you today," Laura said. "What are you doing tonight?"
Chapter 8
Natalie opened the door to Laura just after seven o'clock, still having doubts about inviting her over. But there had been something needy in Laura's voice that had matched a need of her own, the desire to connect with someone who might understand all the craziness that surrounded them.
"This is so cute," Laura said as she entered Natalie's apartment. "I love the movie posters, but I hope that doesn't mean you're still suffering from insomnia."
"Most of the time I'm so exhausted I just conk out, but on my days off, my brain likes to stay up and worry about the rest of my life. What smells so good?"
Laura held out a large brown paper bag. "I brought Chinese food, ice cream, and chocolate."
"The three most important food groups," they said together, then laughed as their gazes met in a shared memory.
"According to Emily," Natalie added softly.
"Yeah," Laura agreed, a sad note in her voice. "I wish she could be here. I wish we could all be together again."
The phone rang. "I'll get that," Natalie said. "It could be the hospital."
"I hope you won't have to go in to work."
"Me, too. Hello?" Her spine tingled as Madison's voice came over the line. It felt so strange to be looking at Laura and listening to Madison.
"Natalie, I think we should finish our conversation," Madison said. "I'm in my car. I'm just coming from a cocktail party. Do you want to grab some dinner?"
"Why don't you come here? I have Chinese food." She didn't bother to explain that Laura had brought dinner. She simply gave Madison directions, then hung up the phone. "We're going to have company. I didn't get a chance to tell you, but I ran into Madison today."
Laura's eyes widened in surprise. "You did?"
"At Dylan's club. But that's another story."
"I can't wait to hear it. Shall I open the wine?" Laura held up the other bag in her hand. "I thought I'd better cover all the bases."
"Actually, I'm sticking with nonalcoholic these days. I haven't had a drink since—since that night. It was a sobering moment for me."
Laura looked at her with compassion and understanding. They were still connected after all these years. Still able to feel each other's pain. Was that because of the depth of their friendship? Or was it because they'd suffered through a tragedy together?
"I'm sorry, I didn't know," Laura said. "I'll put it away."
"No, it's fine. You can have a glass of wine. It won't bother me."
"Are you sure? I have a hard time sticking to a diet when I'm with someone who orders a piece of chocolate cake. But then you always did have a strong will."
"About some things."
"You can still eat chow mein, can't you?" Laura asked as they unloaded the bags on the card table that also served