Delilah's Tears

Chapter Fourteen

"Holy spitballs, Del." Meghan's eyes are saucers. "I've missed this babe. You're gonna knock 'em dead."

A wave of panic swipes at me. "It's too much. I'll change. The black dress is better. More conservative." Meghan's hand stops me mid-spin.

"No damned way. This is great. Let's go. Get your clutch." She doesn't let go, afraid I'll run off and barricade myself in the bathroom. Yeah, I probably would. I lock the door and toss the key in my purse, quickly rechecking it for my ID, money, credit card, and phone. Check, check, check, and check.

Bless her heart, Meghan starts us out with a quick dinner at Dino's. It's a small place that lot of people hit before moving on to nightclubs to ensure they're not drinking on empty stomachs. Everyone's dressed similar to us—upscale, trendy. We order a few plates of tapas to share and white wines. My stomach jumps around and I can't tell if I'm nervous, excited or scared. A little of all three, I suppose. Best get in the mood.

"Love that outfit, Meggers." She one hottie tonight, having decided on a fire engine red dress that's quite a bit skimpier than mine. Compared to some of the other outfits I'm seeing here, hers is still leaning toward modest. She grins at me and pops a huge black olive onto her tongue.

"Thanks. New. Been waiting for an excuse to wear it." She's stunning. More than one guy has cast glances in her direction. "So, tell me. What's up buttercup? Why the panicked call?" She wraps a piece of smoked ham around a cube of Manchego cheese and sticks it in her mouth. I have to laugh because Meghan can get away with literally stuffing her face, maintaining an aura of cool doing so. I'd resemble a pig at a trough.

"Mixed emotions about so many things. I miss John, of course. Like crazy. It's getting a little easier, though. Having JD around helped."

She stares at me as if she has a big secret. It makes me uneasy. "Of course he helped. That man is a walking wildfire of sexy testosterone encased in a body made of carved granite." She fans her face. "I'm tellin' ya, that guy has gotta have women lined up around the block for a chance at him. If he weren't yours, I'd be in that line, too."

I'm sure my face falls to the floor. The picture of one of the vapid women in this restaurant hanging on him turns my stomach. Meghan catches my reaction and grasps my hand. "Aw, shit. Don't do that, Del."

Fortified by a gulp of wine, words tumble out. "That's the thing Megs. As much as I miss John, as big as that hole is in my heart, JD patched part of it up. Thinking about him with one of these sluts makes me sick. He's got this big bed in his apartment. I can't even peek inside that bedroom without imaging him rolling around on it with a big-boobed bottle blonde. Which is stupid. He has a right to fuck whomever he wants. He's not mine. So, why am I being so possessive, so—jealous? He went on a date a few weeks back and I about lost it."

"Ooh. That had to have been tough. What about after? Any other dates?"

I shake my head, and this time only sip my wine. "He didn't say and I didn't ask. I don't think so, though. He was around a lot after that. Of course, he's been in his place for a few weeks now, so..." I can't finish the sentence. Without my daily presence to hinder him, he could be busy testing out the spring in his mattress every night. I push that visual away hard and fast.

"Sweetie, I get where you're coming from. You have emotions bouncing around like pinballs. I don't have any great advice, other than move on. Go have fun. You don't have to date anyone until you're ready. And, James is gonna be there for you no matter what."

I nod as we figure out the check. In a way, talking to Meghan has lifted a bit of the angst off me. Not enough, but it's a start, I guess.

After a quick visit to the ladies' room to paint on a layer of red matte lipstick, we call for an Uber and head out for Girls' Night Part Two.