Chapter Thirty-eight

“Yes, exactly like the foil replica,” Pia told Dee. “Well, not exactly. The jeweler is going to straighten it up a bit,” she said, recalling with a smile how she’d had to squish the original version back into shape.

“He’s going to love that, chica. I’m so happy for you. But you do realize that you’re going to owe me for the rest of your life? And I’m going to take great pleasure in saying ‘I told you so’ every day.”

“Between you and Maizelle, my sanity is doomed.”

“Don’t kid yourself. You were muy loca to begin with. So how’s the wedding coming?”

“Great, but there’s really not much to do.” She and Valen had decided on a small “official” ceremony, with fewer than a dozen close friends and family, to take place exactly at midnight on January 1. From there they would leave for Maldives to start the new year and their new life together. “I’ll fill you in later, but I have to run and meet the girls.” Pia said her good-byes and hung up.

From the other side of the room, she heard Brian Williams signing on to deliver the nightly news, which meant it was six-thirty. Where was Valen? They were going to be late for cocktails. Brian had just introduced the second news story when the phone rang.

“Valen, where are you? Becca and Flo are at the hotel, waiting for us.”

“I know I’m running late, but I was picking up one of your wedding gifts.”

“Sweetie, the wedding is still three weeks away. Plus, gifts are supposed to be a surprise so it’s no fair taunting me.”

“This is one I want you to have now. I’ll be there in five minutes.”

Pia hung up the phone, smiling. She gazed down at her stunning engagement ring. It had been on her finger a week now, but she still was not used to seeing it there. How lucky was she to have such a fantastic man? Looking back, Pia was almost glad she’d avoided love prior to meeting Valen. She could not imagine spending her life with anyone else.

A minute later than expected, Valen knocked on the door. Coat and overnight bag in hand, Pia flung the door open, expecting to join him in the hall and continue to the WMS reunion. Instead, Valen had company.

“Oh my God,” she said, gesturing them inside.

Sleeping in Valen’s protective arms was Isobella. She was bundled up against the cold, with only the center of her face peeking out of her snowsuit, but Pia could see she was a beauty.

“Who’s this little sweetie?” she said, gazing first at the baby and then at her man.

“She’s an early wedding gift. What’s mine is yours, and this beauty is my granddaughter, Isobella Bellamy,” he said, taking off her snowsuit.

“She’s beautiful, Valen. And so tiny. How old is she?”

“Five weeks tomorrow. You know the saying ‘It takes a village’—well, you’re now part of my village, and we need you to help raise Isobella. She may not be our child, Pia, but she can be the child in our life. And I know it won’t be the same and I certainly don’t mean to imply that she is a replacement for your son, but I hope you’ll love her and think of her as a part of you,” Valen said, handing the baby over to Pia.

She held Isobella to her breast, breathing in her baby smells and experiencing the wonder of her tiny chest rising and falling against her in a way Pom’s never had. She remained speechless as a multitude of emotions ran through her—gratitude, awe, wonder, and a great surge of love and regret.

Stop it, she commanded herself. This isn’t Pom and it isn’t his replacement. But her loving husband-to-be had given her back something that with her baby’s death she’d resigned herself to losing forever—a child to love and watch grow up.

“Thank you. I am so honored that you would trust me like this. This is without a doubt the most touching and thoughtful gift I have ever received.”

“So you know what this makes you, don’t you?” Valen asked, leaning over to kiss his girls.

“No. What?”

“Only the sexiest grandma on earth.”

“Hmm. Grandma. Do you think she could call me Mimi? That’s what I call my grandmother.”

“I like it. Very sexy. Hell, I might even call you Mimi.”

“Let’s go. I can’t wait to show off my new family.”

Pia grabbed her overnight bag and the gifts she’d gotten for Flo and Becca and followed Valen out the door. She felt like skipping. Never had her life felt so full and so very complete. It may not be exactly the way she’d painted it, but it was a damn masterpiece nonetheless.

Pia, with Valen and Isobella in tow, walked into the bar of the St. Regis Hotel and glanced around for her friends. Before she saw them she heard Flo’s loud and excited voice.

“Buenos noches, darlin’,” she said, the Texas Spanish she’d been using all week slipping out. The shrieks and hugs that followed belonged to both Pia and Becca as the three women hugged and kissed and greeted one another like the long-lost sisters they were. Valen, the baby, and Cris Yang were momentarily forgotten in the excitement.

“Let me look at both of you,” Pia insisted, stepping back to admire the view.

They both looked great. Florence, who’d arrived last evening from Barcelona, looked as if she’d lost at least fifteen pounds, but more than that she seemed relaxed and extraordinarily happy. She was decked out in a black St. John’s suit and heels thinner and higher than Pia had ever seen her wear. The woman looked ten years younger, and sizzling hot.

“How do you like my haircut, sugar?” she asked, pushing her sexy red fringed bangs to the side. Gone was the sprayed and teased Texas bob. In its place was a soft wanna-run-my-fingers-through-it do. “I got it cut and colored while I was in Barcelona. I figured I’d come back to the States with a whole new look.”

“And you did. Your eyes look amazing. I never realized they were that green before. Both of you look great. Becca, you look ‘hot,’” Pia said, making them all laugh.

In the months since she’d last seen Becca, the girl had finally gotten her hair and wardrobe straight. She was wearing fitted pinstriped pants paired with a lacy white shirt and tiny cropped vest. A tangle of chains encircled her neck. It was subtle, trendy, and still sexy as hell.

“Love the ring,” Pia added.

“How are you?” Becca asked in a gentle, caring tone.

“I’m doing okay. It’s been rough, but I’m getting better. And he’s the reason why,” Pia said, gesturing to Valen to join them.

“Florence Chase, Becca Vossel, meet my fiancé, Valen Bellamy, and my soon-to-be granddaughter, Isobella.” As expected, Florence and Becca fawned over the baby until Becca realized who Valen was.

“Whoa. I’ve seen you on television. You’re famous,” Becca said, reverting to her starstruck ways.

“Nice to meet you, ladies. Pia has told me all about you.”

“Don’t worry, I haven’t told him all about you,” Pia said, making them laugh.

“And I want you all to meet my best friend, Cris Yang,” Becca said. “He’s the one who helped me get out to San Francisco.”

“Ladies and gents, there’s a martini with my name on it waitin’ at the bar. Let’s go sit down and get this party started,” Flo said.

Valen excused himself to take the baby home, and Flo and Pia lagged behind a bit while Cris and Becca moved into the bar. “Darlin’, that man is a total hunk. You didn’t tell me he was such a looker,” Flo said, locking arms with Pia.

“There’s a lot I haven’t told you yet,” Pia said, holding up her hand to show off her new engagement ring.

“Wow! Now that’s a rock!”

“And he’s definitely rocked my world. Flo, I love him so much.”

“Duh. Like I couldn’t see that written on both y’all’s faces.”

“Yeah, well, your face is telling quite a story as well. I can’t wait to hear all about Spain. I hoped you behaved yourself.”

“I did not. And just to be clear, I was a misbehavin’ fool. In fact, guess who joined me over there.”

“No.”

“Sí.”

“What, you had a dental emergency?”

“I’ve learned that there are all kinds of emergencies a good dentist can fix.”

“What about Dan?”

“After the martini, darlin’. Hell, better make that two.”

Cris joined the ladies for about twenty minutes before saying his good-byes and letting them get on with their weekend. Over dinner, Pia, Flo, and Becca caught up on all that had been going on in their lives since leaving the Weapons workshop and forging out on their own into the big, bad world of men and romance. After their meal, they took their drinks and moved the party upstairs so they could speak freely and enjoy themselves without feeling inhibited by nosy strangers.

They changed into pajamas, got cozy, and continued their reunion. After poring over the scrapbook Flo had put together chronicling their stay in San Francisco, the conversation turned decidedly personal.

The older women listened with love and concern as Becca admitted to her disastrous hookup with Nico Jones and the distressing things she and Cris later learned about him.

“Turns out that he was playing on both teams, as Cris put it. I’m just glad I was safe. Cris made me get tested for HIV, and thank God it turned out negative,” she revealed to a chorus of relieved sighs.

“Like I said, safe is sexy,” Pia reiterated.

“I thought that being a hot girl and hanging out with a hot guy, I’d feel different. But I didn’t—at least not in a good way,” Becca admitted.

“Maybe because you weren’t really bein’ a hot girl—you were only actin’ like one. I tell ya, since I’ve been home, so many of Joey Clements’s lessons have started to make sense. Like the only way to feel good about yourself is to be yourself. But the problem with that is sometimes other folks don’t like it or can’t handle it. But you can’t let that stop you from bein’ you.”

“I guess I still have some more things to figure out.”

“Honey, you’re still a baby. You don’t get that kind of wisdom until your butt is flappin’ behind your knees like mine. Beauty or wisdom. That’s the trade-off.”

“I did learn something else,” Becca said in a sly tone.

“What’s that?” Pia asked.

“I like sex.”

“You know what, darlin’? I think I’ve learned that same lesson,” Flo said as the three exchanged spirited high fives.

“Just no more jumping into bed with somebody just to make yourself feel good,” Pia added.

“Unless you’ve got a toothache,” Flo said with a saucy grin.

“Flo, you’re married,” Becca scolded.

“Yeah, well, about that. Technically, I still am, but I made a decision while I was in Barcelona. Hell, I think in the back of my mind I made it soon after I got home from the workshop. Some people lose their hearts in San Francisco, but I found my sensual self, and damn it, I like the old gal. So I’m not settlin’ anymore. I’m gonna live my life and live it well.”

“Without Dan?” Becca asked.

“I tried really hard when I got back to Texas, but Dan just isn’t the man for me anymore. I know that now.”

“Is Clay?” Pia inquired.

“Darlin’, I don’t know that for sure either. And frankly, it doesn’t really matter. On a whim, I called him from the airport while I was waitin’ for my flight to Spain. He said he couldn’t stop thinkin’ about me and I told him the same thing, and three days later we’re dancin’ the night away at some little club with a view of the Mediterranean Sea, and then the next day nibblin’ our way through the Museu de la Xocolata. Ladies, you gotta love any city that has a museum dedicated to the aphrodisiac qualities of chocolate.”

“Girl, you are now an international weapon of mass seduction. You go, Miss Flo,” Pia said.

“And you’re practically a married woman and a grandma! Seems like the world is spinnin’ in reverse.” Flo said, laughing.

“But what about Clay?” Becca wanted to know.

“Right now, Clay is just the steppin’-stone I need to move forward into the new Flo. We’ll see what happens down the line. But if Barcelona is any indication of my life to come, I’m gonna need a new panty patrol trip while I’m here in New York. I’m thinkin’ pink. Hot pink.”

The ladies burst out laughing as they raised their drinks to the middle of the table and toasted themselves and their obvious progress.

“Well, speaking of the panty patrol, I have something for all of us,” Pia declared, jumping up and retrieving the three gift boxes from her luggage. “One night I was sitting around watching The Wizard of Oz and it dawned on me that the three of us are very much like the characters in that movie,” she said, passing each one of her friends a beautifully wrapped box. “We went to the Emerald City, a.k.a. San Francisco, to find the great Wizard of Oz—”

“A.k.a. Joey Clements,” Flo chimed in.

“Exactly. Each of us had issues about men that brought us to her workshop, where we thought we were just going to learn how to flirt and attract the men we wanted. Instead, we were forced to look at ourselves as real women and not just the roles we play while wearing a skirt.”

“It was like going to girl school,” Becca said.

“Exactly, but even though we learned a lot there, we needed to come home to really master the lessons.”

“I’ll buy that,” Flo concurred.

“So open your gifts. Becca first.”

Oohs and aahs mixed with throaty giggles rose to the ceiling as Becca opened her box to find a pair of hot red boy shorts embroidered with the saying “Smart Is Sexy.”

“So, I’m the scarecrow?” Becca asked, not sure if she should feel complimented.

“Only in that you needed to find the wisdom to go with your sexy new persona. And you did,” Pia said, giving her a gentle squeeze on the arm. “There’s no sexier combo than brains and a body, and now you’ve got both.”

“Thanks. Okay, you go, Flo. I’m guessing lion all the way,” Becca said.

“It was the big Texas hair,” Flo quipped, ripping open a box containing a pair of electric blue satin panties with “Bold Is Sexy” on them.

“They aren’t hot pink, but—” Pia apologized.

“They’re perfect. And you are absolutely right. I might be as loud as a lion, but I was a real scaredy-cat when it came to gettin’ what I wanted out of my life. I had to find the courage to step away from a marriage that wasn’t fulfillin’.”

“This is fun,” Becca said, laughing. “And what about you, Pia?”

Pia unwrapped her box to reveal “Love Is Sexy” sewn across the front of a fuchsia-colored thong. “I’m like the tin man. I needed a heart.”

“And that you definitely got,” Flo remarked.

“It’s crazy. I was so mad that Dee tricked me into attending the Weapons of Mass Seduction workshop. And I had such an attitude. I knew I was rusty, but I really thought I already had and knew it all when it came down to the whole sensuality, flirting, sex thing. But I was so wrong.

“Before the celibacy, I wore the underwear and a signature scent, I lit the candles and sprinkled the rose petals, and once setting my sights on a guy, I knew how to work it until he was in my bed. But what I realized after the workshop was that I was basically just setting the stage and playacting.

“I came to WMS a know-it-all. But when I came home, life sent me on a journey to learn it all, and now hopefully I’ll spend the rest of my days living it all.”

“Here, here,” Flo said, raising her glass.

“Flo, maybe you can trade with Pia for the thong. It’s pink,” Becca suggested.

“Darlin’, I may have dropped a ton or two, but my butt still is not thong-ready. First we’re gonna have to address the twin canyons I got gracin’ not one but both cheeks.”

“Well, ladies, it looks like we are fully evolved weapons of mass seduction,” Pia proclaimed.

“That’s right. Look out, world! We got heart, we got brains, we got courage, and sexy drawers to boot!”

“And we are definitely not in Iowa anymore!” Becca chimed in as they each stood up and twirled their panties in lacy salute.