A Different Kind of Forever(59)

“Wow, aren’t we fancy schmancy? Can we get something for tomorrow on short notice?”

Diane flipped through the phone book. “It’s summertime and everyone is off somewhere else. I’ll call. I’ll let you know.”

When Sharon walked into Antonio’s Day Spa the next morning, Diane was waiting for her. Sharon looked at her closely as they sat down, plunging their feet into foaming water.

“Did you get your eyebrows done?” Sharon asked.

“Yes. And a bikini wax, mud treatment and a facial. I feel like I’ve been here since dawn.”

“Since when do you spring for all the extra treatments?” Sharon spoke cautiously. She knew that Diane, while financially comfortable, did not have a lot of extra money. And everything at Antonio’s was very expensive.

Diane looked guilty. “Well, with the girls gone and Michael feeding me, I felt I could splurge.”

Sharon nodded her head slowly. “Sure. But since when have you been getting facials? And mud? What the hell is that about?”

Diane took in a deep breath. “A couple of nights ago, Michael and I went to the movies, and afterwards, I went to the bathroom, and you know how those lines are, so I was in there for a while, and when I came out, this incredible girl was talking to Michael. Sharon, she was gorgeous, legs up to her neck, boobs out to there, swinging all this long hair around. I just looked at her and felt, well, old and run-down. So I figured I’d treat myself to a little sprucing up.”

“Shit.” Sharon said angrily. “You look fantastic, Diane.”

Diane looked at her friend. “I know I do. I think I look great for my age. But I’m still forty-five, you know? My boobs sag, I’ve got those great little lines around my eyes, my jaw line is soft and puffy, not to mention the gray hair.”

Sharon snorted. “Now wait. Your hair always looks terrific. I haven’t seen gray on your head in a long time.”

Diane made a face. “I’m not talking about the hair on my head,” she said wryly.

Sharon sighed. “Oh, that gray hair. Yeah, that really sucks.”

Diane shrugged her shoulders. “I’ve never been very self conscious about my appearance before, but now it seems important, you know?”

Sharon was watching her friend’s face. “What does Michael say about all this? I mean, I don’t know him all that well, but he seems very, I don’t know, unimpressed by the physical. Or material. He’s really down-to-earth, isn’t he?”

Diane chewed her lip. “He is. He would never say anything. He tells me I’m beautiful and sexy and gorgeous, no matter how I really look.”

Sharon sighed. “So, what gives?”

Diane watched as bright coral polish went on to her toes. “He told me he was in love with me.”

“But that’s great!” Sharon exclaimed.

“I know it is. It’s better than great. I’ve been walking around with this huge ridiculous grin on my face, feeling like a silly fifteen-year-old. And then I saw him with this woman and it just, I don’t know. It made me feel perfectly awful. I wanted to scratch her eyes out.”

“Jealous? My goodness. So you must be in love with him after all.”

“I don’t know, Sharon.”

Sharon looked at her closely. “What’s holding you back?”

“Well, for one thing, I just spent a small fortune trying to make myself look ten years younger because of him.”

“No, Diane, you did that because of you. He doesn’t care, remember?”

“I’m suddenly feeling very insecure about things. Does that make any sense?

Sharon raised her eyebrows. “You? Insecure? Jesus, Diane. That’s ridiculous.”

Diane shook her head miserably. “I know. It’s becoming serious and I’m a little freaked.”

“That’s understandable. I can’t imagine what it would be like to fall in love at our age, with all we know and have been through. It’s got to be huge.”

“It is. And I feel I’ve got more at stake than he does, but that’s not very fair, is it?”

“Maybe not fair, but true. You’ve got kids to think about, and he may be a smart guy, but he’s clueless when it comes to all that.”

“Exactly.”

“Still, I think the two of you are great together.”

“I do too. I just wish I were ten years younger.”