“Leave her alone, Chuck,” Lexa said, low and controlled.
She’d read the articles about the American heiress who left her European prince at the altar. They were not flattering.
“Chuck, you don’t strike me as the celeb gossip type,” Jett said. “How do you know about Coral?”
“I drive a car all day. I listen to the news, eavesdrop on passengers. Hey, some of them talk really loud. Right after Coral left him, I picked up two women at the airport who’d just returned from Lauchtenland. They’d gone over to see the new American princess, who they called the Panicked Princess.”
The more he talked, the more Coral’s confidence faded.
“I said leave her alone,” Lexa said.
“Sorry, I’m just saying—” Chuck said, hands raised. “It’s a pretty big deal when a girl leaves—”
“Chuck, would you please stop?” Coral’s stiff posture ended with her hands balled into fists.
Lexa nodded her approval when the beauty icon’s gaze met hers.
“I don’t know why I’m making a big deal out of it,” Coral said after a moment. “I’ve been through far worse, trust me.”
“I’m so sorry,” Lexa said.
Coral revealed a side of the elite life most people didn’t see or understand. The constant scrutiny.
“What can a girl expect when she leaves a prince at the altar?” Coral brightened by a sheer act of her will. “So, what’s our little group about? Are we a one-and-done? Victims of a prank? Failures at solving a mystery?”
“I still want to write my love story.”
Ed. All eyes fell on him. Jett started with a low chuckle, then Coral, followed by Chuck and Lexa. Last but not least, Ed.
“Well . . . I do.” He held up the typewriter. “The world needs to know about me and my Esmerelda.”
“Not sure I can be of help,” Chuck said. “I’m divorced. And clearly these two”—he pointed to Jett, then Lexa—“didn’t have a happily ever after. Or Coral.”
“Maybe that’s why we’re here,” Coral said. “To learn about love from Ed.”
Lexa peered at Jett from under her brow. She’d loved him with every fiber of her being. He had been her soulmate. Her best friend. Nothing could ruin, wreck, or penetrate their love.
By the time she realized they were the frog in a boiling pot, it was too late.
“I’d rather learn about business from you, Coral,” Lexa said.
“Me?” She pressed her hand to her heart. “I’m not sure I’ve much to offer. I’m sure I could learn a thing or two from you and your boss. I’ve never been on the cover of Forbes.”
“I can help Ed with his manuscript,” Jett said. “Chuck, what about you?”
He shrugged. “I can drive people places. Not Uber unless I’m in your neighborhood, but with the limo service. I have some latitude. And I like to eat.”
Jett raised his hand. “Me too. Anyone for food at these gatherings?”
“Are we seriously considering another meeting?” Lexa said. “What for?”
“Don’t you want to know who sent the invitation?” Ed said.
“We tried to figure it out. We don’t know.” Lexa’s rebuttal bounced about the room. “What would be the point? Besides taking up everyone’s Monday night?”
“I wouldn’t mind making the time,” Coral said. “After the thing, I’ve been sort of socially isolated. All I do is work.”
“I work all the time, but come to think of it, I’m pretty much a loner these days.” Chuck peered at Lexa. “Can you stand seeing Jett one night a week?”
“I don’t know.”
“I’m cool with it if you are,” Jett said.
“This is how I see it,” Chuck began. “None of us knows who sent those invites, but I’d like to see if we can figure out why we’re all here. Anyone else?”
One by one, hands went in the air. Coral, then Ed, followed by Jett. With them all staring at her she had to give in. Because she was also a joiner. She wanted to be liked. Even more, she wanted to be wanted.
And this weird gathering of folks seemed to want her. Even her ex.
“I’ll give it one, maybe two more weeks,” Lexa said.
“Good.” Chuck popped his hands together. “I already sort of like you guys.”
They’d just decided when a sweet-faced librarian peered around the door.
“Closing time.”
Slinging her old FSU backpack on her shoulder, Lexa exited the Bower with Coral, chatting about the strange evening.
“I guess we’ll see what the future holds,” Coral said as she moved toward the car waiting for her. Ed and Chuck wished Lexa a good evening and headed off together.
Jett rolled his bike up next to her.
“Are you sure you’re okay with—”
“I’m fine.” She smiled. “This isn’t how I ever thought I’d see you again.”
“Nor me.”
She wished him a good night and headed for the subway. The lights and sounds of the city carried her through the dark.
No question she never wanted to see her ex-husband again. But as the train rattled and shook its way underground toward her Greenwich Village stop, something shook loose in her, and Lexa Wilder felt a little bit more free.
* * *
Jett
Seeing Lexa for the first time in two years knocked him sideways. He had tried to talk to her after the judge banged his gavel, declaring their five-year marriage over, but she bolted before he could shed his talkative lawyer.
She was as beautiful as ever with a touch of summer sun on her freckled skin and an air of vulnerability. Seeing her tonight made him miss her more than he thought possible.
Locking on his bike helmet and anchoring his arms though his backpack, Jett headed home.
He’d imagined their first postdivorce meeting a hundred times. A scene like Streisand and Redford’s in The Way We Were. Regretful, perhaps still in love, but selfishly ensconced in their own worlds.
He’d see her walking down some New York avenue as he exited his publisher’s, where he’d learned his latest book spent a total of sixty weeks on the bestseller list. She’d be decked in her CEO attire with a conquering stride, afternoon sunlight streaming through her hair. Then, as if sensing an unseen force, she’d look around. Their eyes would lock. He’d wave. She’d smile and cross over to greet him, dodging a speeding taxi. They’d exchange a light hug and a kiss on the cheek.
He’d tell her he’d just finished his tenth novel and recently sold an option to Hollywood.
She’d confess she’d read his latest book and loved it.
He’d offer congratulations for her article in Forbes. Named to the Top 100 Women in Business to Watch.
She’d tell him she’d married last year. No one he knew.
He’d say he’d just gotten engaged. But it’d be a lie.
She’d reach up and brush his unruly bangs aside and—
A car horn blast jolted him out of the scene. He righted his trajectory and pedaled with focus.
But his thoughts continued to stray. He didn’t love her. Not anymore, though he wasn’t sure when the flame went out.