Lucky Charm: A Contemporary Romance Novel

by Marie Astor

4.4 stars – 25 Reviews

Kindle Price: $2.99

Chapter 1

As she headed for the tiny boutique shop on the corner of Lexington Avenue and Sixtieth Street, Annabel felt the palms of her hands prickle with perspiration. Her breath quickened with excitement and, could it also be, a bit of fear? Today she would be trying on her wedding dress for the first time.

“Annabel, you look stunning!” Lilly gushed when Annabel finally emerged from the dressing room.

“Wow,” Annabel whispered at her own reflection in the mirror, thinking that the person in there could not possibly be her. “It is so beautiful, Lilly! It’s the most amazing dress I’ve ever seen.”

“Thank you.” A quick smile of satisfaction lit up Lilly’s face. “You know, it’s the least I could do, you being my best friend and all. Now, turn around.” Lilly waved her hand imperiously. “Let’s see if we need to make any adjustments.” Lilly was tall and lanky – at five nine, she wore a size four and could have easily been a model, but instead she chose to be a designer, quipping that she preferred calling the shots instead of being a mannequin.

“Ouch!” Annabel felt one of Lilly’s pins poke her waist.

“Sorry! Did I get you?”

“A little.”

“How much weight did you lose?” demanded Lilly. “If you had told me that you were planning to go on a diet, I would have waited with the dress – now I have to take it all in.”

“I didn’t go on diet,” retorted Annabel. “I just haven’t had much of an appetite lately.”

“It’s not like you have any weight to lose – you’re skinnier than my models,” Lilly mumbled, holding the pin between her lips as she continued to adjust the fabric. “What was that you said about not having appetite?” Lilly straitened up to survey the alterations after she had placed several more pins into the dress. “Is everything OK between you and Jeremy?”

“Oh, it’s nothing – just stress at work.” Annabel shrugged, sensing Lilly’s inquiring stare, she added, “and all the wedding staff has been kind of nerve-wracking – I don’t mean to sound like a Bridezilla, but the planning is exhausting. Meredith has been helping me, but there is still a lot to be done.”

“What about Jeremy? He should be pitching in.”

“Tell me about it! I can’t even get him to look at the guest list. But in his defense he’s been really busy with his book – Athena and he are working round the clock.”

“He sure has been spending a lot of time with that hot book agent of his.” Lilly raised an eyebrow.

“It’s nothing like that – they’re working together. According to Athena, a book deal should be coming through any day, and she’s saying that it’s going to be really big.”

“OK, OK. I’m sorry – you know that I have issues with trusting men.” Lilly smiled apologetically, busying herself with another round of fabric adjustments.

“Don’t worry about it.” That was one of the things about Lilly -she never pulled any punches.

“Well, it seems my work here is done,” announced Lilly. “That is unless you decide to lose any more weight in the next month, which you’d better not, since I won’t be doing this all over again.”

“I won’t, I promise.” Annabel smiled – at times Lilly was worse than her own mother. “You’ll be glad to know that I’m going to meet Meredith for cake tasting at Veniero’s. Do you want to come?”

“I wish I could, but I’m swamped here as it is – I am scrambling like mad for this Paris trip.”

“What Paris trip? You never told me anything about it.”

“Well, I didn’t want to jinx it and it’s only become official this morning,” Lilly admitted guiltily. “I’ll be going to Paris in three months to present my collection in a fashion contest for new designers – you had to apply to be considered and I’ve been holding my fingers crossed for the past six months. I could get some real orders there, Ann – this could be it!” Lilly whispered, her eyes lighting up.

“Lilly, this is terrific news! I’m so happy for you – I know that you’ll blow them away!”

“I hope so.” Lilly twisted her hands nervously. “I’ve been wracking my brain since this morning what to pick for the contest.”

“I can relate to that – all your dresses are beautiful.”

“Oh, stop it! You’re flattering me when I need brutal honesty!” Lilly waved her hand, blushing with pleasure. “Is that your cell phone ringing? Let me guess, is it Meredith?”

Annabel fumbled in her purse, groping for her cell phone. “Hi Meredith, yes, I’m on my way – I’ll see you there in five.” She hung up the phone, looking at her watch. “I’ve got to run – you know how Meredith gets about people being late. Are you sure you can’t come?” Annabel offered one last time.

“I wish I could, but there’s just too much to do. Have an extra pastry for me.”

“See you later. Thanks again for the dress – it’s a dream come true!”

As usual on a Saturday afternoon, Lexington Avenue was bustling with shoppers. Annabel checked her watch – she was supposed to meet her cousin Meredith at two o’clock and it was already one thirty. With traffic it could easily be a twenty-minute ride to the Village, which was where Veniero’s was located, but if she got a cab right away, she would just about make it.

I wonder if they will ever build that Second Avenue subway line, Annabel thought at she stood on the crowded sidewalk, hoping for a miracle. Out of the corner of her eye she could spot two women laden with shopping bags trying to hail a cab one block up, but maybe, just maybe, she would get lucky after all. Suddenly, a cab pulled over to the curb, and Annabel lunged toward it. Through the car window she could see the man inside paying his fare, and she strategically positioned herself by the door – it was not uncommon in Manhattan to have a cab snatched right from under your nose.

“Eleventh Street and First Avenue, please.” Annabel hastily shut the door. As the cabbie drove on, Annabel caught the resentful glances of the two women she had spotted earlier. Oh, well, she thought, you lose some, you gain some: this was the only good thing that had happened to her all week and as far as she was concerned, she had earned it.

Chapter 2

By the time the cab finally pulled in front of Veniero’s, Annabel could spot Meredith pacing the pavement in front of the bakery.

“Annabel! There you are!” Meredith exclaimed as soon as Annabel’s foot reached the curb.

“Sorry I’m late, the traffic was horrible. Have you been waiting long?”

“Only about five minutes – I left extra early since I wasn’t sure how long it would take to find parking. You are so lucky to live in the City – don’t ever move to the suburbs.” Meredith sighed wistfully. “I can’t believe I let Doug talk me into this move – every time I want to come out to the City, I feel like it’s a major production. I might as well live somewhere in Kansas.”

“But you have such a beautiful house – you’ve got a pool and everything, and I’m sure the kids must love it.” Annabel grasped for straws to cheer Meredith up. Recently Meredith and her husband, Doug, left their house in Hoboken that was within an easy reach of Manhattan and moved to a much bigger house on the outskirts of New Jersey that was over two hour’s drive from the City. The move was Doug’s idea and he justified it to Meredith by saying that he wanted to live in a family-oriented town. They had barely signed the closing papers on the new house when Doug purchased a studio apartment in the Manhattan, claiming that he needed a place to crash in when he had late meetings with clients; business must have been real good, since lately, Meredith’s husband had been staying in his City pad six nights a week.

“My ten-year old is having a blast, but Jamie and Sandy couldn’t care less – they miss their friends and they hate being so far away from the City. But enough about that – we are here to taste wedding cakes,” Meredith added brightly, “and I intend to try every bite!”

There was always a line for a table at Veniero’s, but because they had a tasting appointment, Annabel and Meredith were seated immediately. A few minutes later eight different varieties of wedding cake slices were put before them.

“Remember the cake at my wedding?” Meredith mused as she lifted a forkful of cake to her mouth.

Annabel nodded. Despite the time distance, or maybe because of it, the details of Meredith’s wedding were crystal in her mind. Back then Meredith still had her figure and she looked picture perfect next to Doug, a handsome football quarterback whom she fell in love with in her senior year at Rutgers when Doug single-handedly won the opening game for the home team.

Meredith’s father, Uncle Roby, owned one of the largest construction businesses in New Jersey and had spared no expense for his only daughter’s wedding: it was a splendid affair with giant flower pieces, a guest list of over four hundred people that included the state governor, and a cake that was over two feet in diameter. There was a live band, and not some measly quartet, but a proper orchestra of twelve with violins and cellos and even a harp. But most impressive of all, or at least it had seemed most impressive to Annabel, was the wedding dress that Meredith wore: an intricate creation of white silk and lace, it was the kind of dress that every girl dreams of wearing one day. Clad in her lavender babydoll dress and her Mary Janes, the then ten-year old Annabel gasped with awe when she saw Meredith walk down the isle and vowed that one day she too would be princess for a day.

“Could we see the menu as well?” Meredith called out to one of the passing waiters. “While we’re here, I might as well scope out the enemy camp,” Meredith whispered. “Not that I could ever compete with something like this,” she added.

“I take it you’re going ahead with those pastry classes?” Annabel asked.

“Full steam ahead. I have a good mind to apply to the Culinary Institute – they have a one-year program for pastry chefs. Who knows, one day I might open my own bakery.”

“Sounds like you’re really getting into it,” Annabel noted carefully. For the past five years Meredith had been changing hobbies non-stop: first it was a pottery class, then a knitting class, a sewing class, a jewelry making class, and the list went on. Each time she threw herself into the task, proclaiming that she had finally found her true calling only to lose her zeal just as quickly. Her latest passion was baking and she had been taking pastry-making classes at the local community center for the past three months – a record commitment for Meredith.

“I know that I haven’t exactly been a model of commitment, but I think that this is really it. I love everything about making pastries and I think I’m really good at it too. The other day we had a bake sale for the local school and my table sold out first,” Meredith added proudly. “The only thing I hate about it is my growing waist – I wish I could keep myself from indulging in my own creations. I’ve been experimenting with more complex recipes lately, as I’m sure you can tell. The other day I made a batch of hazelnut éclairs – simply to die for!”

Annabel could not help noticing that Meredith did look strikingly rounder – it had only been three weeks since Annabel had last seen her cousin, but Meredith looked like she had put on a good ten pounds, and Annabel wondered if Meredith’s weight gain had more to do with Doug than with the pastry class, but she knew better than to ask. “Oh, wow, this cake is really good!” Annabel hastened to steer the conversation into a more neutral zone. “I think vanilla butter cream might be the winner.”

“It is good,” confirmed Meredith. “The chocolate one is too sweet and I never liked Tiramisu. So, I agree, vanilla is the way to go, unless of course you’d like to try something more exotic.”

“Like what?” Annabel asked cautiously.

“Well, I’ve been working on this recipe – it’s a combination of butter cream, marzipan paste and apricot. It’s strictly top secret!” Meredith whispered, looking around suspiciously. “I guess what I’m saying is that I’d like to bake you a wedding cake – I think I could do a way better job than these guys.”

“I don’t know what to say,” Annabel stammered and indeed she did not. The wedding was four months away, and that left plenty of time for Meredith to abandon her passion for pastry making.

“You don’t have to give me your answer now. Why don’t you come out to my house sometime soon for a tasting and then you can decide.”

“Sounds good,” Annabel agreed, relieved to have the pressure off for now.

“So, have you finalized the guest list?” asked Meredith once they left Veniero’s.

“Not yet,” Annabel did her best not to sound disappointed. “Jeremy has been real busy lately. He’s away at a writer’s convention somewhere Upstate, but when he gets home tomorrow, I’m going to finally get him to sit down and make a decision.”

“Oh, I see.” Meredith smiled understandingly.

“And we still have to decide on the actual invitations.”

“There are a couple of stationary shops in the area – I’ve looked them up before I left. Do you want to have a look?”

“Meredith you are too sweet for words – what would I do without you?” Annabel could not help but be touched: sure, Meredith could be over the top at times, but she never left any details to chance.

“Trust me, I’ve been through this before – when Doug and I were planning our wedding, he refused to lift a finger.”

“How far is this place? Do you think we could walk? It’s such a nice day.”

“Sure, why not? I could use some exercise.” Meredith chuckled, looping her arm through Annabel’s.

It was a balmy day in early April – a rare gift in New York since usually the weather seemed to shift abruptly from winter to stifling summer heat. As they walked down the narrow Village streets, Annabel could not help wishing that she were with Jeremy instead of Meredith. Not that she was ungrateful for Meredith’s help, but it would have been nice if Jeremy had shown a bit more enthusiasm about the wedding.

“This is the place,” announced Meredith, pointing to a tiny stationary shop on the corner. “They don’t look like much from the outside, but they had really good reviews on the Net – I think the owner would be willing to give you a good price since they are relatively new and are still trying to get their foot in the door.”

“Good afternoon and welcome to Claire’s Cards!” A bright-eyed sales girl who looked to be barely out of high school greeted them. “I’ll be right with you. In the meantime, please take a look at our sample catalogue.” The girl slid a bulging folder across the counter and returned her attention to the couple in their early twenties she had been helping.

Would it have been that difficult for Jeremy to come along? Annabel wondered, glancing in the direction of the bubbly couple as they cooed over their invitation choice.

“Wow, look at this, Annabel – don’t you just love Precious Moments?” Meredith held up an invitation card with a drawing of two Precious Moments figurines dressed as bride and groom. “Or you could always go with something more mainstream.”

“No, it’s pretty.” Annabel nodded absent-mindedly, willing herself to focus her attention on the task at hand. “I think Jeremy will like it. I’ll get several different ones for him to choose from. What do you think about these two, Meredith? Meredith?”

Annabel looked up and saw Meredith standing frozen-still, staring at the window. When she followed the direction of her cousin’s gaze, Annabel could barely believe her own eyes: Doug was walking down the street opposite the store, but he was not alone – his arm was wrapped around a skinny blond in tight leather pants. Leather pants – really? To Annabel’s mind, it was tacky to wear leather pants unless you were a rock star. As if to prove otherwise, Doug planted a passionate kiss the blond’s full lips just as they turned the street corner.

“I’m sorry – what were you saying, Annabel?” Meredith smiled brightly.

One look at her cousin’s face made it clear that Meredith did not want to talk about what they had both just witnessed. “I think these three look really nice as well,” stammered Annabel, randomly pointing at several invitations.

“Yes, they look lovely – excellent choice.” Meredith nodded, her eyes watery despite the frozen smile that was still plastered on her face.

“All right, very sorry about the wait, how can I help you?” The chirpy salesgirl turned to Annabel and Meredith.

“Actually, we were just leaving,” Annabel started.

“Aren’t you going to get those samples, Ann?” Meredith asked brightly.

“Yes, of course. I’d like to buy samples of these, please.” Annabel hastily showed her choices to the sales girl.

“Right away.” The salesgirl must have sensed the tension because she quickly wrapped up the purchase and handed it back to Annabel. “Thank you and I hope to see again soon.”

“I’m sorry Annabel, but I don’t think I’m going to be up for any more shopping today,” said Meredith once they were standing outside the store. “Could we do this some other time?”

“Of course. Are you sure you’re OK to drive home?” Annabel asked, careful not to say too much. “Do you want me to drive you?”

“No, no, I’m fine. I just have a bit of a headache – nothing a long bath and an aspirin won’t fix. I’ll call you about that cake, OK?”

“Sure, we’ll talk later.” As she watched Meredith walk away, Annabel was overcome with silent indignation. How dare Doug treat her cousin that way? And why did Meredith turn a blind eye to her husband’s infidelity, preferring to stuff her face with sweets to numb the pain of her failing marriage instead of facing the truth?

And then there was something else that was making her uneasy – a thought that had been nagging her all day. What guarantee was there that she would not end up just like Meredith with her rosy dreams shattered, living vicariously the romances of others? But then Annabel knew that she had nothing to worry about: unlike Meredith and Doug who tied the knot right after college graduation, Annabel and Jeremy took things slow. They too met in college, and although their romance had started in the make-believe world of dormitories and idealistic dreams, it held strong through the realities of job hunting and paying rent. They’ve been living together for six years and knew each other’s quirks – not only were they lovers, they were best friends. Marriage would not alter anything between them – nothing would change, except her last name.

When Annabel got home, it was after six o’clock at night. Not having planned anything for the evening, she had walked the last twenty blocks to the rent controlled alcove studio apartment on York Avenue she and Jeremy called home. At the time, a walk seemed like a good idea, but now it felt like a foolish one as Annabel kicked off her shoes, massaging her tired feet.

She looked around the tiny apartment and wished Jeremy were there. It was Jeremy who had found the apartment six years ago, through a friend of his who was upgrading to more pristine digs. The walk-up building was nothing to write home about, but it was rent controlled and about the only option they could afford on Annabel’s starting salary for a job that she had taken because of Jeremy.

Right after graduation Annabel was offered an editorial assistant job at a major publishing house that she turned down in lieu of a better pay at the advertising agency where she still worked now, so that she could support the two of them while Jeremy wrote his novel. It had been their agreement: first she would support him, and as soon as he would publish his novel, Jeremy would return the favor. Writing advertising copy had not exactly been her life’s ambition, but it paid the bills. Over the years she had published short stories in various magazines, but her work at the agency did not leave her much time or inspiration to write anything longer than ten pages. Well, now that things were looking up for Jeremy, this was bound to change.

The answering machine light was on, and she pressed the play button. “Ann, it’s me – just calling to say hi. It’s pretty much your typical boring seminar, only this time I’m one of the panelists instead of the wannabes, so that makes it a nice change.” At the sound of self-contentment in Jeremy’s voice, Annabel suppressed a pang of annoyance: despite his non-stop complaining about the chores of being a panel speaker, she knew that Jeremy reveled in the attention. “Anyways, it looks like this thing is going to run late, so I’ll call you tomorrow. Love you, babe.”

The answering machine turned off with a click, and Annabel reached for the phone to dial Jeremy. Normally, she would not have bothered to call since Jeremy did say he would be busy, but after the Doug incident, she wanted to hear her fiance’s voice. Not that she had anything to be suspicious about – she just needed to hear that she and Jeremy were all right.

The dial tone kept ringing and Annabel was about to hang up when she finally heard Jeremy’s voice in the receiver.

“Hi, Hon, is everything all right?”

Was she imagining things or did Jeremy sound out of breath? “Hey, everything is fine – I just wanted to hear your voice. Did I catch you at a bad time?”

“No, no it’s nothing like that. I was just getting ready to go downstairs. This seminar is relentless – we are having a presentation at dinner and then there’s a cocktail mixer afterwards.”

“I’m glad you’re having a good time,” Annabel murmured, suddenly feeling down for no apparent reason.

“Hey, what’s wrong? You sound funny…”

“Everything is fine; I just miss you, that’s all.”

“I miss you too, babe. You know I’m doing this for us, right? I’ll be home tomorrow afternoon – it’ll be there before you know it.” There was a muffled noise on the other side of the line. “Look, Hon, I’m sorry, but I’ve got to run. I’ll call you tomorrow. Love ya.”

“Bye Jeremy, I love you too.” From the clicking sound in the receiver, Annabel realized that Jeremy had already hung up.

Chapter 3

Annabel woke up bright and early the next morning, determined to make the most out of her Sunday. As she poured milk into her bowl of cereal, she mentally organized her day: first, she would clean the apartment, and afterwards she would catch up on some of the wedding minutia -she still had to decide on the party favors and centerpieces.

It had been a while since the last clean up – Jeremy was never one to volunteer and they could not very well afford a cleaning lady. Normally, she would make Jeremy pitch in, but this time she decided to cut him some slack for being stuck at the conference.

As Annabel began to attack the dusty corners of their cramped studio with the vacuum cleaner that her mother had given her as a housewarming present, she was struck by how much dust had accumulated in such a small space and made a mental note to be more on top of things – it was easy to get complacent and before long you ended up living in a dustbin without even realizing it.

Talk about being complacent, Annabel thought, suddenly catching her own reflection in the mirror: she was wearing sweats with sagging knees and her old college t-shirt. Granted, she was cleaning, but she had to admit that she had been guilty of wearing similar attire around Jeremy – something she never did when they first started dating. Were she and Jeremy in a rut without her realizing?

It was hard to believe that it had been six years since they graduated college together – there was no denying that their relationship had changed over the years. Jeremy was busy with his book and she was busy at work; so, inevitably, they got sucked into a routine. But then wasn’t that the natural progression of things? Besides, there was comfort in a routine, a reassuring stability. Of course there were also drawbacks. The changes felt more palpable as of late. They did not have sex as often as they used to when they first met, but then who did? Annabel frowned, trying to remember when she had last worn lingerie, but drew a blank – that was not a good sign. Perhaps it was time to shake things up a bit. She would surprise Jeremy tonight. She remembered seeing a lingerie shop a few blocks away – right after she would finish vacuuming, she would run over there and pick up something special for tonight.

Annabel had been so intent on vacuuming that she barely heard the doorbell ring and it was not until she heard loud pounding that she rushed to open the front door.

“Hey Lilly!” Annabel made a conscious effort not to sound disappointed – for a brief moment she had hoped that Jeremy had arrived early.

“Is this a bad time?” Lilly asked, walking inside without waiting for Annabel’s answer.

“No, no it’s fine – I was just doing some cleaning. The place is a mess.”

“I think I’m in love,” Lilly announced as she plopped herself on the couch, stretching dreamily.

“You are? Whom with?” This was surprising news, especially given the fact that for the past ten years Lilly had maintained that all men were cheating, lying scoundrels and she would never entrust her heart to any of them.

“A man I met last night.”

“Spill.” Annabel threw aside the vacuum cleaner and took a seat next to Lilly.

“Last night, I was at this night club event that my friend Alex was hosting – by the way, I sent you the invite, but you said you couldn’t make it,” Lilly added accusingly.

“I was busy.” Annabel looked away – Lilly was always sending her invites to lounge and nightclub openings, but it just was not her scene.

“So there I was, drinking my drink, shooting the breeze with Alex, when this hot, gorgeous guy comes up and asks me if he could buy me a drink. And when I say gorgeous, I mean gorgeous – an Oliver Martinez look-alike: dark brown eyes, jet-black hair, tan skin, six feet tall, and best of all – he is French. I mean, this guy could make ice sizzle! I have to stop here – I’m beginning to sound like a porno ad!” Lilly giggled. “So, we start dancing and talking and before long he tells me that he’s been in New York for a year on assignment for his job, but of course as my luck would have it, his term is ending, and he’ll be going back to Paris in a little over a month.”

“What’s his name?”

“Simon, Simon Barnette – even his name sounds perfect! Too bad that he’s leaving so soon.”

“Well, you’ll be going to Paris in three months.”

“Yeah, but who knows what will happen then.” Lilly waved her hand dismissively.

It was just like Lilly to fall in love with someone who would be moving halfway across the world in a month- this way she could be sure to have an expiration date on her feelings. “Well, if the two of you really like each other, you could make it work. You know, long distance relationships do happen and sometimes they even turn into marriages.”

“No thanks – the last thing I need is to sit around worrying if he’s screwing someone else in Paris. I’d rather have my fun when I can and be done with it – no collateral damage.” The romantic Lilly had vanished as quickly as she had appeared.

Annabel understood the root of Lilly’s caution and decided to hold her tongue for now. Lilly Clayton’s father divorced her mother when Lilly was eighteen, shortly after making a fortune from an IPO of his online pet supplies store – the store that ex Mrs. Clayton helped him start after Mr. Clayton got laid off from his engineering job. The divorce papers became final right before high school graduation, and Lilly used to joke that they were her father’s graduation present. Presently, Mr. Clayton was married to a wife who was only two years older than Lilly – a circumstance that Lilly used continuously to substantiate her conviction that all men were cheating, lying scoundrels. With the exception of a random email, she refused to communicate with her father – a decision that did not preclude her for allowing him to pay her rent and send her a generous monthly allowance while she struggled to get her fashion business off the ground.

“But I did have a really good time last night,” Lilly added sheepishly.

“Are you going to see him again?”

“Tonight.” Lilly nodded excitedly. “Normally I would never do anything like that – it just reeks of neediness, but he’s leaving in a month, so who cares.”

Obviously you do, Annabel thought, but she knew better than to argue with Lilly, so she conceded. “Yes, who cares?”

“So, what are you doing for the rest of the day? Do you want to grab some lunch, or maybe go for a walk? I feel like I could use some air.”

“Yes, sure. I have a few errands I need to run, but I’m up for lunch,” Annabel agreed, guessing that what Lilly really wanted was to dish about her new love interest.

“Can I help?”

“I wanted to go shopping…” Annabel stalled, deliberating whether she should disclose her plans – inviting Lilly along would most definitely result in an extravagant shopping spree.

“Shopping for what?” Lilly prodded.

At times Annabel thought that if Lilly had not become a designer, she would have made an excellent detective. “Lingerie. I wanted to get something special for when Jeremy gets home tonight. You’re welcome to come with me if you’d like.”

“Count me in. I could use a few new things myself.”

Annabel raised an eyebrow, wondering what Lilly had in mind: she had once seen Lilly’s arsenal of lacy undergarments and it had every possible thing imaginable.

“Let me just get out of these sweats and then we’ll go.”

“Sounds good to me.” Lilly grabbed the remote control, turning on the TV. “Hey, don’t you have cable?”

“Sorry, we don’t – Jeremy thinks it’s too commercial.”

“Oh, right, I forgot – Jeremy is too artistic for HBO,” Lilly muttered.

“What are you having?” asked Lilly after they took a seat at their usual booth in the neighborhood diner. They had lunch at the same diner at least once a week; still, Lilly never failed to examine the menu thoroughly every time, as though expecting something new to appear.

“I think I’ll have a tuna melt with cole slaw and extra pickles.”

“I’ll go for Greek salad.”

Annabel eyed Lilly inquisitively: it was not like her to order such a light fare – the girl could eat steak every day and not gain an ounce.

“I know, I know.” Lilly nodded. “Pretty lame choice – I’d go for a burger, but Simon is taking me out to dinner tonight and I’m planning to wear this really tight dress, so I don’t want to get bloated. And truth be told, I’m not even that hungry.”

“This must be love.” Annabel watched Lilly with amusement – in all the years the two of them had been friends, she had never seen Lilly alter her diet because of a guy.

“God, I hope not! Because if this is what love is, I think I was better off without it. All I can think of is seeing him tonight – what am I, fifteen?”

“There is no age limit on falling in love,” remarked Annabel. She had to admit that it was entertaining to watch Lilly in the throes of a crush – she had never seen her friend so completely gaga over a guy, and Lilly had always had her pick of men. “That’s how I felt about Jeremy when we first met.”

“I guess I owe you an apology for ridiculing you all these years.”

Annabel sighed.

“What’s wrong?” Lilly frowned.

“Nothing, I was just thinking.”

“What is it? Something is wrong, isn’t it? And here I am, babbling away.”

“Promise not to tell anyone?”

“Cross my heart and hope to die.” Lilly rolled her eyes. “But seriously, have I ever betrayed a secret?”

“OK, OK, I’m sorry. Yesterday, when I met with Meredith, I saw Doug.”

“And?”

“And he was not alone – he had his arm around this blond bimbo – she looked like she was barely eighteen.”

“No way, get out of town! You always talk about him sneaking around, but to catch him in the act! Did Meredith kick his pathetic ass?”

“That’s the thing – she was there with me, and I know that she saw the whole thing, but she acted like nothing happened.”

“What do you mean she acted like nothing happened? Maybe she didn’t see him?”

“She saw him all right; her face got all pale, but she would not say a word about it. She just said she had to go home because she had a headache. I didn’t press her because I could tell that she wanted to be alone.”

“Well, I hope that she gives him a good thrashing. I’ve got to say, given the fact that her father got him started in the business, Doug should be way nicer to her.”

“Is that why you think Doug married her, because of her father’s connections?”

“I don’t know and I don’t want to judge.”

This was a first one for Lilly.

“It sure does look like it, but for the life of me, I can’t understand why Meredith keeps putting up with it.”

“Maybe because she loves him.”

“Maybe, but still… Is that why you are so upset?”

“Yes and no. I don’t know, lately I’ve been worrying – what if Jeremy and I will end like that too? I’m sure Doug was not always cheating on Meredith, not when they first met.”

“Do you have any reason to think that Jeremy might be cheating?”

“I swear Lilly, you should seek employment with the FBI as an interrogator. No, I don’t have any reason to believe that – it’s just that lately things kind of cooled down, and I’m worried that it might be my fault. I’ve been so busy at work and then planning this wedding… I’m just afraid of getting into a rut. That’s why I wanted to buy something lacy to spruce things up a bit, you know.”

“Oh, that – I wouldn’t worry about that – I’m surprised it took that long for you to bring it up. I mean, the two of you have been together for what, six years?”

“Seven if you count college.”

“Exactly. I once dated a guy for only six months and we almost stopped having sex entirely, so I dumped his ass.”

Annabel could not help flinching – Lilly was never one to hold back about the details.

“And you’re right about wanting to spruce things up – it’s the only way to keep a guy interested – men love with their eyes. I know exactly what you need and just the place to get it.”

After lunch Lilly insisted that they head to Bloomingdale’s, flatly rejecting Annabel’s idea of checking out the neighborhood lingerie shop as amateurish.

“So, what did you have in mind?” inquired Lilly as she picked out a lacy black bra and a matching black silk thong for herself.

“Oh, I don’t know, something pretty, but not too crazy. I kind of like this.” Annabel picked out a pale blue slip with lace trimming.

“It’s pretty, to sleep in,” Lilly conceded. “But if you want to get Jeremy all hot and bothered, I would go with this.” She thrust a black garter belt with red lace trimming at Annabel. “And this.”

She handed Annabel a matching corset and thong.

“Don’t you think it’s a bit much? It looks like something a stripper would wear – I don’t think I could carry off something like this.”

“I thought you wanted to surprise Jeremy. Try it on.” Lilly pushed Annabel into the fitting room.

“Are you ready to come out yet?” Lilly called out several minutes later. “And don’t even try telling me that it did not fit – I know your size.”

“I can’t get it to close,” Annabel panted – getting into this contraption required more work than she realized. Finally, she hooked the last clasp and cautiously parted the dressing room curtain.

“Let me see,” demanded Lilly, shoving the curtain open. “Wow, this getup makes me hot and bothered. Poor Jeremy – he might have a heart attack.”

“Do you really think it looks good?”

“That mousy slip you picked looked good. This little number looks hot. You should definitely buy it and I’m not taking ‘no’ for an answer.”

“How much is this thing anyway?” Annabel fumbled with the price tag and gasped. “This is crazy – you could buy a suit for this price.”

“A suit won’t get you laid,” Lilly observed flatly. “Do you have a pair of black stilettos?”

Annabel nodded – the word ‘stiletto’ was not in her vocabulary, but she did own a pair of black pumps and thought that they should do just fine.

“Perfect. Wear black stilettos with this tonight and Jeremy will be all over you.”

Click here to download LUCKY CHARM: A CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE NOVEL by Marie Astor >>