Page 141 of Perfect Satisfaction

She immediately whips out her cell phone. “Can I record that?”

“Shut up.” I laugh.

“No. Listen. Arek, have you told hereverything?” The emphasis Liza places on the word makes me jerk.

“Liza, I. Love. My. Wife.”

“Hallelujah. And?”

“And she loves me too.” The wonder of that is rich in my voice.

“But is there trust? Do you trust her? Does she trust you?”

Affronted, I glare over at my lunch companion. “I should hope so.”

“If your Sula were here right now with another man, you wouldn’t question it?”

My hand clenches on the tablecloth before it relaxes. I joke to hide my discomfort because as much as I love my wife, it would drive me insane to see her with another man when what we have is still so fragile. “Knowing Sula, it would be a business lunch.”

She leans forward and places her hand on mine. “Arek, you are not getting my point.”

I jerk my hand away and glare at Liza. “You’re my friend. Nothing happened between us. Ever.”

She rolls her eyes. “I know that. You know that. But you advocate the very industry that’s built on a foundation of what-ifs. You don’t deal in facts, you deal in supposition. That’s what your wife has to wade through to find the truth if you haven’t shared it with her.”

I ponder Liza’s words as our first course arrives. Knowing I’ll give what she said more thought later, I share, “I took her to meet Gramps.”

Liza’s eyes sparkle. “Tell me everything. How is my handsome future husband?”

I bellow out a laugh. “Only you could be in love with one of the most eligible men on the planet and want to marry my grandfather.”

Haughtily, she reminds me, “Edward doesn’t require me to know what fork to use.”

For a moment neither of us can eat, we’re cracking up.

Just like the old days.

Two old friends.

After work, I head home. For the first time in months, there are no lights on.

The place feels empty.

A quick search and I find Sula’s not anywhere.

I pull out my phone to see if I missed any texts. I have.

The first is from Sula.Hey. Having a quick girls night with Angie. Back later.

“That’s it? No ‘I love you?’” I’m about to type back, but a second, insistent text comes through from Hastings.Check these links. You’re blowing up on social media.

Quickly, I respond,What did we post today?

Not we. YOU!

With a sick feeling, I click on the first link. OnSexy andSocial’s blog is a picture of Liza leaning forward at lunch, her hand on top of mine.

The second photo, the one where I greet Liza with an enormous hug, has the caption,Are these two former lovers reuniting? We wonder what billionaire Joshua Basset has to say as rumors are rife with the very recent reconciliation between him and the famed supermodel.