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“Surprised?” Lucy asked. She pulled Emory into an energetic hug.

“You have no concept of how much. Was this your idea?” she murmured in Lucy’s ear.

“Guilty.” Lucy pulled Sarah into a similar embrace. “This dress is beautiful on you, Sarah.”

“Thanks.” Sarah smiled but still looked a bit off balance.

“And about the party, I would have called to warn you, but I didn’t have your number. Plus, Emory informed me last we spoke that she’d be home to feed Walter before going anywhere tonight. I knew she’d also want to freshen up after the flight. If nothing else, that part was a sure thing.”

“That’s okay.” Sarah decided it wasn’t necessary to point out to Lucy that she could have easily called over to Immaculate Home if she were serious about getting in touch with her, or that the press release she’d sent out with the Global Newswire listed her name, phone number, and e-mail address under the contact information. Instead, she decided to look on the bright side of things and take advantage of this opportunity to get to know Emory’s friends. So this wasn’t what she had pla

“Speaking of freshening up,” Emory said uneasily, “I think I’ll head upstairs and get changed. Will you be okay?”

“Of course.”

Emory met her eyes apologetically and squeezed her hand once before heading further into the house and up the stairs.

“I laid out an outfit for you that I thought you’d like,” Lucy called after her. “And there’s a handsome someone up there who’s dying to say hi, but hurry back.” Emory shot a wary glance at Lucy as she ascended the stairs.

Lucy then turned to Sarah. “Come on, let me introduce you to some women you’re bound to spend lots of time with in the future. Most of these girls Emory went to school with. We sort of hang out in a group, but don’t let that intimidate you. Stick with me.”

Sarah smiled at Lucy gratefully and followed her across the room. She really did like Lucy, despite her audacious tendencies when it came to Emory.

After preliminary introductions were made and a few niceties exchanged, the redhead in the group turned to Sarah. While she was overly pleasant, confusion was written all over her face. “So are you and Emory an item?”

Lucy laughed out loud. “Geez, Mia, you know how to get to the point.”

“I’m sorry, was that bad? Sometimes I forget myself. It’s just that Emory hasn’t mentioned you. At all.”

“But we haven’t seen Emory much lately,” the woman named Barrett, chimed in. “That’s probably why.”

Sarah nodded politely and addressed Mia. “We’ve been seeing each other for a couple of months now. I’ve been anxious to meet you all.” That wasn’t exactly true. Emory hadn’t talked too much about her friends, a detail Sarah now found interesting.

Mia sipped from her glass and regarded her. “You have the slightest accent, am I wrong?”

A waiter whisked past with a tray full of white wine glasses. An actual waiter? Lucy snagged two and handed a glass to Sarah. “You may need it,” she whispered.

She accepted the drink and turned to Mia. “No, you’re not wrong. English is my second language, and sometimes, especially when I’m nervous, my accent peeks through.”

“Where are you from originally?” the blonde, Christi A

“How wonderful,” Christi A

Sarah glanced down at her outfit. “No. I wish it were.”

“Well, it’s very flattering. Who designed it?” Mia lifted the fabric delicately.

“Uh, I don’t know. I saw it at a department store in the mall.”

“Oh, fabulous,” Mia said brightly and exchanged glances with Christi A

Barrett rolled her eyes at the exchange and that was something. Sarah was pretty sure she wasn’t the type to get caught up in fashion. She wore dark jeans, boots, and a sleek black shirt. Sarah could tell Barrett was a lesbian, but she wasn’t as sure about Mia or Christi A

Upstairs, Emory surveyed her reflection in the mirror but wasn’t really looking. She was a

As Emory descended the stairs, the room broke into spontaneous applause, and Sarah happily joined in. Sarah looked on with pride, taking in Emory’s graceful transformation into guest of honor. She’d swept her hair up into a simple twist and wore a royal blue cocktail dress that hugged her just so. Now that might be a de la Renta, she thought to herself, still not really knowing.

“She looks gorgeous,” Mia said to their small group, “but then she always does.”

Sarah turned back to Lucy, intent on asking what she could do to help with the party, but discovered she was gone. She sca

“I hope everyone has a glass,” she stated, once a hush fell over the party, “because I plan to offer a toast to this beautiful woman next to me. You know her as Emory Owen. I know her as my savvy business partner and best friend. Thirty-three years ago, this firecracker entered the world, and it has never been the same since. She’s amazing, smart, stubborn, fu

Christi A

“I do,” Sarah said as politely as she could manage. “If you’ll excuse me, I should go find Emory.” But it had been hard to hear. She struggled with the fact that Emory had once been with someone like Lucy. Lucy of the sleek, straight brown hair. Lucy of the sexy legs that went on for days. Lucy of the rich and successful. It was a lot to compete with. Hell, she knew who she’d pick between the two of them. No contest.

With a shake of her head, she pushed the intrusive thoughts from her mind and focused on the task at hand. Unfortunately, finding Emory proved more difficult than she’d anticipated. There was an expansive receiving line of people blocking her path, all waiting to wish Emory a happy birthday. Rather than interrupt, she decided to wait it out. Taking a seat in one of the accent chairs across from the sectional, she made small talk with Emory’s attorney and his wife while she waited.