Both women recognized the blank stare on Lauren’s face as she walked onto the Stones’ plane. White was everywhere she looked- the rounded walls, the lavish seats, even the small tables in between them. After dropping their bags, Nicole and Kate each curled up comfortably in a chair, aimlessly swiveling while they watched Lauren take it all in.
“Come sit.” Nicole motioned to the chair across from what could be considered the aisle. “Karen will come by to bring you a drink before we take off.”
On cue, a woman in a simple navy dress walked out from the back of the plane to check on the ladies.
“Hello, Mrs. Stone, Mrs. Price. I see we have an extra guest?” She smiled to all three of them.
This must be a dream! Lauren thought to herself. She didn’t realize her bag was still hung over her shoulder until Karen approached and offered to take it, so that she could sit and relax with her friends. Friends… Could she really have friends with their very own plane?
“Oh, thank you,” she replied with an awkward smile and claimed the seat closest to her. Lord, it was comfortable. Her body melted into the cushioned leather. She watched out the window as the airport employees hurried to get the plane ready for its flight.
“A glass of prosecco, ladies?” Karen returned holding out a tray with three glasses of bubbly.
Lauren was worried how easily she could get used to this.
…
“Wanna talk about what happened?” Nicole didn’t want to press but figured it was a completely reasonable question.
“Have you ever been with a guy, and you knew he was cheating, but you just couldn’t prove it?” Lauren began but didn’t wait for a response. It was one of those rhetorical questions that didn’t need answering. “I always knew. I’d confront him, and he’d deny, deny, deny. Well, I walked in on him with a woman. In our apartment, in our bed!” Feeling her blood pressure rising again, she took a deep breath. “Once the homewrecker left, I grabbed my bag and started throwing everything I could find inside. He tried to stop me and tried apologizing. When he saw that it wasn’t working, a switch flipped, and he tried to tell me that I should be comforting him!”
“HUH?” Both women asked in unison.
“Right?” Lauren rolled her eyes. “He acted like he decided to come clean, and I should be happy that now we could move forward with no more secrets! He actually expected me to comfort him, since this was hard on him, too. I’m not sure if he completely missed the part where I walked in on them? Did he forget about the lies?”
“Wow!” was all Nicole could answer.
“You have her speechless! Not easy to do,” Kate responded.
“I’m so done with men!” Lauren shrugged.
“Famous last words,” Nicole added with a laugh.
…
The rest of the flight was spent going over the basics of their lives. Both women knew that their situations in life were not normal, especially Nicole’s. She and Derek lived in different apartments on his properties, like an endless vacation. Most of them were in Mexico, but with Dominic’s move to be with Kate and the arrival of Kenzie, the Stones now spent far more time at the Chicago property. Plus they want to be close to their goddaughter.
Though a bit too young to know Derek as an MMA fighter from years back, Lauren was still impressed. Then impressed again when she found out that Nicole was finishing up her first novel. She was aware of Chicago Home Magazine, where Nicole wrote before marrying Derek. Although she didn’t follow his work, Lauren was also familiar with the artist Dominic Price and was a little starstruck. Both women had definitely been lucky in love. Lauren silently wondered what, then, was wrong with her.
Kate and Nicole knew from their conversation on the train that Lauren had a brother in New York but discovered that they weren’t close. Being ten years older than his sister meant he was far closer in age to Nicole and Kate. Nicole still insisted that they host a reunion between the siblings. Lauren couldn’t remember the last time she saw him. Maybe their grandfather’s funeral?
Their parents still lived in a little town in Indiana; both kids moved into the big city the first chance they got. Cameron chose New York, and Lauren opted for Chicago. She dropped out of college when she couldn’t keep up with her bills- one reason she and her boyfriend, Tim, had moved in together prematurely, a bit more for convenience than love. On her way towards a hospitality degree, she worked in a bar to keep current with and involved in the industry. She loved it; there wasn’t anything quite like the restaurant industry. It had a life of its own.
…
The New York hotel was incredible. As the new friends walked up to the front desk to check in, Lauren of course noticed the entrance to a small lounge. Dark inside, she could see plush velvet bar stools drawn up to the thick mahogany bar. The room was decorated simply, with deep maroons that left the focus on the floor-to-ceiling windows that showed spectacular views of the city. Lauren had never been to New York before, and she decided the views of its city were like no other. When the bartender glanced in her direction, she stopped in her tracks. He was leaning into the bar, his arms set wide apart while he watched a game on one of the TVs across from him. His dirty blond hair was long enough to show a bit of a wave that framed his face. It looked as though it hadn’t been touched since he rolled out of bed. He pulled off the look perfectly. There was something about his eyes. They were the combination of kind and wicked all mixed together. He gave her a crooked smile that produced a large dimple on the side of his rugged face; it made her knees want to buckle. Somehow the imperfection and contrast made him even more appealing. Lauren smiled back and pulled her attention to her friends at the counter.
“We should check out the bar once we’re settled in,” Lauren suggested, looking down at her ripped jeans and casual white t-shirt. Not exactly New York bar attire.
“You can borrow one of our dresses, babe,” Kate offered, noticing her concern.
“What would I do without you?” Lauren flung her arm around Kate’s shoulders as they headed to the elevator. Sneaking a glance over at Mr. Sexy, butterflies swarmed her stomach as he smiled back when they passed by.
…
The room was magnificent. The corner suite was all windows with a breathtaking view of the city. Walking into what only could be called the living room, Lauren stopped and slowly turned to take it all in. Nicole and Kate were impressed as well. The wood was dark, with warm coppers and golds as accents. The furniture was modern but still incredibly comfortable looking. Besides the couch and chairs, there was a dining table next to the large bar.
Nicole had upgraded their room from a one-bedroom to a two-bedroom with the addition of Lauren. Though she was undoubtedly harmless, Nicole wasn’t dumb. She wanted a room that could be locked. Both women carried cash and credit cards, and had husbands that spoiled them with jewelry. All things that could be tempting to a woman in a desperate situation.
The bedrooms mirrored one other, each with an enormous King-sized bed with piles of pillows. There was a chaise lounge and desk that led up to a wall of windows with more views of New York City. Lauren unpacked what she could, leaving most of her belongings in the massive bag. Nicole and Kate unpacked their things, and Kate grabbed a simple black dress that could most likely fit Lauren. They could always do some shopping later. Kate was small with short, dark brown hair; the opposite of tall, leggy, blonde Nicole. Lauren was petite like Kate, but with short blond hair. She looked younger than twenty-five, with rosy cheeks and a sweet smile. Once she had calmed herself and flashed her genuine smile, Kate noticed how pretty her face really was.
The three ladies met in the living room, ready to start their weekend. Luckily the dress fit Lauren like a glove. Her hair was tamed a bit with some product, so that waves fell and brushed just over her shoulders. She wore red lipstick that stood out against her light hair and slightly tanned skin.
“I’m glad that works. You look great!” Nicole said as she hugged Lauren. Something about this girl reminded Nicole of herself at that age.
“I feel like I’m going to keep thanking you over and over,” Lauren admitted.
“Well, that’ll get old.” Nicole scrunched her nose at her, joking. “You are very welcome.”
“Let’s do this, ladies,” Kate said, as she opened the door to head for the bar.