Page 131 of No Such Thing as Serendipity

More serendipity?What were the odds this song would play after I’d been jamming to hair bands the entire drive?

“You’re being a dumbass,” I said to myself. Still, I sat and listened to the entire song. I wished I could rewind it and play it over and over.

No.I would only be in Madison for two more weeks—less. The last thing I needed to be thinking about was an eternal fucking flame.

The song had dampened my mood, but it didn’t extinguish it. As I walked down the path between the villas, I chuckled.Extinguish. Flame.Good one.

When I entered the square, I was relieved no one sat on our porch. Hopefully, they were out somewhere, so I’d have the house to myself. It might give me time to take a nap. Guilt washed over me. Robyn was working while I curled up for a snooze.

I waved at a group of women sitting outside Harmony House. There were thirteen of us who’d stayed on, five from our villa.

When I pushed open the door, I heard laughter coming from the kitchen. So much for my quiet time. I braced myself for the ribbing I’d receive.

“Honeys, I’m home,” I called out.

“It’s about time you straggled in,” Emma said. “We’re working on dinner.”

“It’s only four o’clock,” I said as I entered.

All four of my housemates were there. Katlynn and Helena huddled together at the table, cutting up potatoes and other vegetables while Emma and Annie appeared to be making a pie.

“What’s gotten into you guys?” I asked. Since we’d been at the resort, we’d ordered out or cooked simple meals. “This looks like a production.”

“We’re making vegetable soup and apple pie,” Emma said.

I laughed. “That might be the most wholesome meal ever.”

Annie held up the apple she was about to peel. “What can we say? We’re changed women.” She smirked. “Speaking of changed women, do I sense something different about you?”

The others laughed, while heat crawled up my neck to my cheeks.

“You guys are mean. You’re embarrassing her,” Helena said.

I was only a few feet from Helena, so I put my hand on her shoulder. “Thanks. I knew someone would have my back.”

“Now dish,” Helena said. “Tell us all about it.”

I groaned and slapped my hand against my chest. “You’ve wounded me. I thought I had an ally.”

After I’d satisfied their curiosity with as little detail as possible, I slipped into my room to shower. I glanced at my bed, thinking a nap might do me good, but my gaze landed on my cellphone I’d left lying in the middle.

Edginess grew inside of me as I scowled it. I’d narrowed my interest to two firms, and we’d exchanged several emails. Both were eager to schedule a meeting to pitch me, but I’d yet to respond.

I turned away from the phone. They could wait. I wanted a shower.

I’d taken a long, hot shower, letting the water wash over me. The entire time, I thought of Robyn. Not just our time in bed, but the sweeter moments. The conversation we had while her head rested on my shoulder. All the silly things we laughed about while we talked. When she’d reached across the table and given me a bite of her sandwich. The way she looked at me when we parted this afternoon.

Refreshed from my shower and in clean clothes, I emerged from my bedroom. By then, the soup simmered in a large pot on the stove. The earthy smell of the vegetables combined witha mixture of herbs I couldn’t identify. Whatever they were made my mouth water. Annie and Emma were the only ones left in the kitchen.

“Hey, where’d everyone go?” I asked.

“The store,” Emma answered. “They wanted fresh bread to go with the soup, so they ran into town.”

I slipped into the chair, joining Emma and Annie at the kitchen table. “That soup smells amazing.”

“Wait until we put the apple pie in the oven,” Annie said.

I smiled at the thought. “Uh, Em, I need your opinion on something,” I said.