been great since my visit to your uncle’s law office. Hey, why don’t we get together? We can have a drink at some happening spot. Listen to some good music, maybe even dance a little. Liven up our Tuesday night.”
For a moment I seriously consider Annelise’s offer. “It’s not that I don’t want to, but I’d be really bad company.”
“No you won’t,” Annelise protests.
“Yes,” I insist. “I’m in one of those moods. I’m gonna stay in and stuff my face with junk food. Rain check?”
“Of course,” Annelise agrees.
When I end the call, I sit on my bed and inhale several deep breaths. I try to center myself, to de-stress.
But after five minutes, I don’t feel any better. I feel glum, listless.
Kind of like I’ve lost my groove.
Part Two
Gettin’ our groove back
Five
Annelise
After talking to Claudia, something clicked. The reality that not only did I need to do something to uplift my friends and my sister, but that I could.
Dominic and I are getting along well, and I’m in love. For me, life is good. But it’s hard to share my excitement about him with my friends and sister when they’re all suffering from broken hearts.
Life can change in an instant, and in my case, it definitely did. First, for the worst—when I learned Charles was cheating on me. Then, for the better—when I learned I would be getting the money I deserved from my house. And even though only five days have passed since the house has been listed, there are already two serious offers, which has driven the price up beyond what I was asking.
The point is, I have money. Well, very soon I will. And I’mgoing to use some of it to surprise Samera, Claudia and Lishelle with exactly what they need.
A vacation.
It’s high time that my friends and I go away. Get out of Atlanta and do a girlfriend trip. Someplace fun, like Mexico. Or maybe the Bahamas. Or Vegas.
The very idea of planning this—especially as a surprise— has me giddy. I head to the kitchen to grab the phone book and start looking up travel agents. But as my fingers skim the heavy book, I decide against making calls.
I’m going to head out to the mall and walk into an actual travel agency, have a live travel counselor give me glossy brochures and lots of suggestions.
Dominic is at work, so I jot a note and leave it on the kitchen table in case he gets home before I do. Then I grab my purse and head out the door, determined to change the course of the future.
If Stella could get her groove back on the sun-drenched beaches of Jamaica, why can’t we?
By the next week, I have everything all planned. I’ve booked a surprise getaway to Las Vegas at the beautiful Venetian Hotel. I’ve splurged, but I figure my friends and sister are worth it. And considering my house just sold for over $800,000, I can afford the expense, which I charged to my credit card until my cash comes in.
My sister isn’t working, and neither is Claudia, so I know they can leave with only a moment’s notice, but I had to call Lishelle’s television station and secretly book her some time off. Thankfully, her station manager agreed, stating that Lishelle could use some R&R. And Lishelle won’t be able to give me any excuses about why she can’t go.
I’m excited. Not only did I book the trip to Vegas for this Thursday, two days from now, I got us tickets for the Thunder from Down Under our first night there—a popular touring show from Australia featuring the hottest male strippers. It’ll be a fun way to start the trip, to help us let loose. I’ve got a few other ideas in mind as well—some sinful ideas along the line of “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” In a way, I can’t believe the scandalous ideas I’ve come up with, considering I grew up as a prude, but those days are behind me.
I wasn’t kidding when I told Lishelle and Claudia that they need a palate cleanser to get over Glenn and Adam. They need to get laid. And I can’t think of a better place than Las Vegas to help make that happen.
I’m beaming as I hold the telephone receiver to my ear.
“Hello?” my sister says.
“Sam, hi.”
“Annelise?”
“Yes, it’s me.”
“You sound incredibly happy. Of course. Dom.”
“And you sound…like you need a break.”
“I had a break in Costa Rica. I came home feeling worse.”
“How does Las Vegas sound?”
“Like an expense I can’t afford right now. I’ve got a bit of savings in the bank but until I find another job, I’ve got to be frugal with my money.”
“You don’t have to worry about the money. I’m paying.”
“Like you can afford that.”
I take a moment to fill Samera in on the great news that I’ll get even more money than I expected from the house. “See, so you have no excuses.”
Samera hesitates before saying, “I don’t think I’d be much fun.”
“You’re going,” I inform her. “I’ve already booked your flight.”
“Annie!”
“I did. I had a feeling I’d have to. Non-refundable. So, you can’t say no.”
Samera moans. “Annie, you shouldn’t have.”
“But I did. Hey, you’re the one who insisted on going to Costa Rica with me. Said we needed to bond as sisters. That trip was the best thing we ever did. Vegas…we’ll bond even more.”
“You sure know how to drive a hard bargain.”
“We leave bright and early on Thursday.”
“Thursday!” Samera exclaims.
“Actually, we don’t have an early-morning flight. We’re booked on Delta, scheduled to leave at close to 1:00 p.m. We’ll arrive in Vegas around two in the afternoon—”
“This Thursday?” Samera interjects. “As in two days from now?”
“That’s the date. July twenty-sixth.”
“You’re serious about this.”
“Absolutely. Start packing!”
Next I call Claudia, who resists the idea at first, until I tell her that the trip is paid for—and that Lishelle is going, too. I don’t mention that my sister is also going, because the truth is, Claudia doesn’t know her well, and I don’t want to give her a reason to turn me down. After about five minutes of arm twisting, Claudia agrees to the impromptu getaway, though she sounds somewhat reluctant.
I expect the most resistance from Lishelle, and when I call her at the station, she cuts my suggestion off midsentence.
“I can’t. Gotta work.”
“Actually, you don’t have to—”
“You know I always work weekdays. I can’t book off Thursday and Friday last minute. I’m free Saturday and Sunday, which would barely give me time to fly to Vegas and back.”
“Lishelle?”
“Yes?”
“You didn’t let me finish. You don’t