“Willow!” she called, almost bursting into tears when she saw her friend’s fiery red hair in the crowd.
A moment later, her friend hurried forward and…threw her arms around Tamara’s shoulders. “I know!” she whispered soothingly as Tamara burst into tears. Willow eased the two of them out of the stream of other passengers and onto a nearby bench.
Tamara hadn’t realized that her feelings were so close to the surface but feeling Willow’s arms wrap around her, she couldn’t hold back the tears.
“I’m so glad to see you!” Tamara whispered.
Willow’s arms tightened around her neck. “Me too!” she whispered back.
They stood there like that for several minutes before Tamara pulled herself together, wiping her tears and laughing self-consciously. She didn’t notice the four men trying to look inconspicuous as they scanned the crowds. Nor did she see another man taking pictures of Tamara’s tear-stained features. The two women linked arms and walked out of the airport.
“So, tell me what you know about this grandmother,” Tamara demanded, needing a change of subject.
“I think that you need to talk a bit more than I do,” Willow countered.
Tamara’s chin went up and she blinked back a fresh wave of tears. “Nope. I’m the strong, grumbly one,” Tamara countered. “I showed weakness, therefore I must regroup before I can talk things out. You know me,” she shrugged. “I need to pretend that I’m all tough and unaffected by life.”
Willow sighed. “I know,” she leaned her head against Tamara’s shoulder. “And I’m the bouncy, flighty one.”
Tamara stopped, glaring down at Willow from her additional two inches of height. “You are not flighty!” she snapped. “You are creative and amazing! Don’t ever put yourself down like that, Willow!”
Willow smiled and hugged her again. “I know. I just forgot.”
Tamara sighed, shaking her head. “You’re slipping back to your old habits, my friend.”
They laughed and chatted as they made their way through the parking lot. Tamara’s utilitarian SUV was in the hourly parking lot and she pressed a button, releasing the trunk.
“I still can’t believe you drive this old clunker,” Willow teased. “You make a good salary, Tam. Why not get something that doesn’t look as if it might break apart from rust disintegration?”
Tamara laughed. “Because this thing can take any abuse I dish out,” she replied, slamming the trunk door closed. “I routinely toss tools and whatever I need for apartment repairs into this baby and it can take it all.”
Willow shrugged. “Right. It’s just…it’s odd to see a princess driving a rust bucket.”
Tamara laughed as she got into the driver’s seat. “I’ll admit, it’s a bit of a snub at my father. But it also suits me.”
They drove to the apartment Tamara had reserved for her and Tamara already had the ingredients for their martinis on the counter. But before they could start drinking, a knock sounded on the door.
“Who is that?” Tamara speculated.
Willow looked away, hiding her eyes and Tamara suspected that something was going on. But…?
Willow shrugged and pushed her suitcase through the door into the bedroom. “I don’t know. You answer it and I’ll finish up this batch of drinks.”
Tamara shrugged, but walked over to the door. As soon as she pulled it open, Lana stepped in and they all screamed with excitement. “What are you doing here?” Tamara yelped, pulling the third of their trio into her arms. “Oh, you look fabulous! Married life obviously agrees with you!”
“Yes, it does!” Lana replied, pulling off her coat and taking the martini glass that Willow handed to her. “So what’s this I hear about you falling in love with your fiancé?” she asked. Tamara glared at Willow, who grinned, lifting her eyebrows as they waited for Tamara to answer the question.
“Don’t even give me that glare!” Willow laughed, handing Tamara a martini filled with pink liquid. “You are completely head over heels with that man, which is why you’re so lost now that he’s not around. And not returning your calls.”
Lana stopped her drink halfway to her mouth. “Wait, Willow only mentioned that you were in love with the guy. I thought…” she looked from one to the other. “I thought we were celebrating.”
Tamara blinked, shaking her head. “Nope. No celebration. This is all to work him out of my heart and mind.”
Willow cringed. “He left here asking her to set a wedding date. But when she called him, he wasn’t available. Nor has he called back.”
“So…why hasn’t she called him again? Or texted him?” Lana asked. She frowned at Tamara. “I thought you were the tough one of our group. You’re not fighting for what you want? For your man?”
She shrugged and took a long sip of the cocktail. “I can’t fight for a man I can’t reach. Sort of a one sided battle, don’t you think?”
The other two stared at her. Willow was the first to nod her head. “She has a point.”
For the next several hours, they talked about men and brainstormed ways to get back at Jurid for abandoning Tamara. They speculated as to why he would come all the way to Athens to celebrate with Christoph, then fly to London to court Tamara – both Willow and Lana declared that there was no other way to describe what Jurid had done other than courting her – and once they were on their third round of the delicious, potent cocktails, they started brainstorming various ways to torture him. Of course, all of those ideas revolved around him coming back to London, prostrating him at Tamara’s feet and…well, they didn’t get much further than that because they burst into alcohol induced laughter at the image of the strong, powerful leader prostrating himself.
In the end, they curled up on the sofa that night, binge watching cheesy movies and eating too much pizza. Just like they used to do in high school and college. Memories, they laughed! As much as their lives changed, some things still remained the same.
Chapter 12
“Call him!”
Tamara looked over the span of the small table in the cute, warm coffee shop at Mike, blinking at his exclamation. “I’m sorry?” she asked, assuming she hadn’t heard him correctly.
“Call him!” he reiterated firmly.
Willow popped around the corner, out of breath and smiling happily. “Goodness, this place was hard to find!” she gasped as she dropped into the other seat. “What’s going on?” she asked, looking at Mike, then at Tamara. Turning back to Mike, she asked, “She hasn’t called him yet?”
“No! And she’s been moping around, driving me nuts!”
Willow laughed, shaking her head. “She’s a bit stubborn, isn’t she?”
Tamara watched her friends. “I’m right here, you know. I can hear you,” she snapped.
Willow chuckled as the waiter walked over to their table. “Black coffee please,” she said with an encouraging smile, then turned back to Mike and Tamara, unaware of the waiter tripping over a chair as he stared at her. “Yes, we’re talking about you, pretending as if you aren’t around because your mind is obviously elsewhere.”