it to him not to give up on having anything for yourself. You and Jack broke records for marathon sex, I'm sure. And now you act like you'll never be a sexual creature ever again. I mean yesterday you wore mom jeans and a visor!"
"They weren't mom jeans," Althea huffed. "They were capris," she corrected.
"With the highest waist seen on anyone not fishing for lobster in Maine. Face it, they are gateway pants," Aubrey said.
"But I love those pants," she mumbled.
"They're like a dick vaccine, those pants!" Aubrey exclaimed.
"What's with the new fixations on my lady bits getting action? Is this like a sex -ervention or something?" Althea joked.
"Exactly! So glad you're finally getting it," Aubrey responded.
"Jenna, help me out here." As the most sensible of the three friends, Althea was sure she would take her side.
"Sorry, girl. I think Aubrey's right on this one. How about we start with one night. Baby steps."
"A hot one night stand," Aubrey added. "Like back in college."
"Uh, I don't know if my limited sexual experience in college before meeting Jack really qualifies, guys," Althea grimaced.
"Okay, then like Aubrey in college," Jenna responded with a smirk.
"Shut it, bitch!" Aubrey countered, but she was clearly laughing. "Come on Tea, baby, it'll be fun. We already cleared it with Carol to come over soon and take Johnny for you so you can have a girls’ night with us. We will dress you up as sexy as can be and take you out for a night of fun. If you meet a hottie to sweat up the sheets with for one night, awesome. If not, no biggie. I'll pay for the ice cream and lend you my favorite pajamas. No risk, no strings. You can't possibly feel like you're somehow tainting your love for Jack."
"What about my mom? She gets in tomorrow morning, I should focus on that."
"I can't think of anyone who would be more excited about you getting laid than Vivian."
Althea knew Aubrey was right on that point. Her mother, Doctor Vivian DuBois, lived by two mantras: " Never regret what you do, only what you don't do," and "It's better to ask for forgiveness than permission."
Vivian had adored Jack as much as anyone from the very beginning, but she also worried about Althea constantly, thinking that her apparent refusal to start a new romantic endeavor was detrimental to her health.
Her mother may be right. If anyone would know it was her. A flamboyant and brilliant behavioral scientist with an alphabet of letters after her name and a slate of paid speaking appearances so full they would make Oprah Winfrey reach for a Red Bull. She specialized in human relationships and no one knew more about life from the intellectual or passionate points of view than she did. Althea often wondered if she found it a personal failing that her own daughter had remained single for so long after losing her husband.
"Okay, but I was planning to maybe make more treats for the party. You know how Carol is about her crazy Pittsburgh cookie tables. How about next week?"
"Uh-uh, no more excuses," Jenna interrupted and raised her hand to stop her protestations. "Doctor's orders. I prescribe dressing you up like the sex kitten you are and taking you out on the town. No complaints, no second opinions."
Althea looked down at the candle in front of her. She wanted to be indignant with them, but the fact was, they were right.
How had she ended up here? She still felt like a child and yet she was a thirty -year-old woman with a child of her own, with nothing changing in her life year by year, except for the number of the candle on a cake.
She took a breath and said, "Okay."
"What?" The girls squealed in excitement.
"Are you serious, Tea? That's awesome!" Aubrey exclaimed.
"One request before I go to my sexecution?"
"Yes, prisoner," Jenna intoned seriously.
"Can we drink margaritas in lieu of my final meal?"
"Of course. We aren't animals," Aubrey said with a smirk. "C'mon, Jenna will blend the hooch while I gussy you up!"
"Well, I guess I can't argue
"They weren't mom jeans," Althea huffed. "They were capris," she corrected.
"With the highest waist seen on anyone not fishing for lobster in Maine. Face it, they are gateway pants," Aubrey said.
"But I love those pants," she mumbled.
"They're like a dick vaccine, those pants!" Aubrey exclaimed.
"What's with the new fixations on my lady bits getting action? Is this like a sex -ervention or something?" Althea joked.
"Exactly! So glad you're finally getting it," Aubrey responded.
"Jenna, help me out here." As the most sensible of the three friends, Althea was sure she would take her side.
"Sorry, girl. I think Aubrey's right on this one. How about we start with one night. Baby steps."
"A hot one night stand," Aubrey added. "Like back in college."
"Uh, I don't know if my limited sexual experience in college before meeting Jack really qualifies, guys," Althea grimaced.
"Okay, then like Aubrey in college," Jenna responded with a smirk.
"Shut it, bitch!" Aubrey countered, but she was clearly laughing. "Come on Tea, baby, it'll be fun. We already cleared it with Carol to come over soon and take Johnny for you so you can have a girls’ night with us. We will dress you up as sexy as can be and take you out for a night of fun. If you meet a hottie to sweat up the sheets with for one night, awesome. If not, no biggie. I'll pay for the ice cream and lend you my favorite pajamas. No risk, no strings. You can't possibly feel like you're somehow tainting your love for Jack."
"What about my mom? She gets in tomorrow morning, I should focus on that."
"I can't think of anyone who would be more excited about you getting laid than Vivian."
Althea knew Aubrey was right on that point. Her mother, Doctor Vivian DuBois, lived by two mantras: " Never regret what you do, only what you don't do," and "It's better to ask for forgiveness than permission."
Vivian had adored Jack as much as anyone from the very beginning, but she also worried about Althea constantly, thinking that her apparent refusal to start a new romantic endeavor was detrimental to her health.
Her mother may be right. If anyone would know it was her. A flamboyant and brilliant behavioral scientist with an alphabet of letters after her name and a slate of paid speaking appearances so full they would make Oprah Winfrey reach for a Red Bull. She specialized in human relationships and no one knew more about life from the intellectual or passionate points of view than she did. Althea often wondered if she found it a personal failing that her own daughter had remained single for so long after losing her husband.
"Okay, but I was planning to maybe make more treats for the party. You know how Carol is about her crazy Pittsburgh cookie tables. How about next week?"
"Uh-uh, no more excuses," Jenna interrupted and raised her hand to stop her protestations. "Doctor's orders. I prescribe dressing you up like the sex kitten you are and taking you out on the town. No complaints, no second opinions."
Althea looked down at the candle in front of her. She wanted to be indignant with them, but the fact was, they were right.
How had she ended up here? She still felt like a child and yet she was a thirty -year-old woman with a child of her own, with nothing changing in her life year by year, except for the number of the candle on a cake.
She took a breath and said, "Okay."
"What?" The girls squealed in excitement.
"Are you serious, Tea? That's awesome!" Aubrey exclaimed.
"One request before I go to my sexecution?"
"Yes, prisoner," Jenna intoned seriously.
"Can we drink margaritas in lieu of my final meal?"
"Of course. We aren't animals," Aubrey said with a smirk. "C'mon, Jenna will blend the hooch while I gussy you up!"
"Well, I guess I can't argue
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