“I guess I could make the drive to my parents’, but I’ll be seeing them next week.”
“Or you could do the next best thing.”
“What’s that?” Her doorbell rang. “Hang on, Janae. Someone’s at my door.” Karen walked down the short hallway leading to her front door and peered through the peephole but didn’t see anyone. The bell rang again, but she couldn’t see the person. Irritated, she snatched the door open. Her mouth dropped.
“The next best thing would be for your best friend to fly up and spend your birthday with you,” Janae said, spreading her arms wide.
Karen screamed, and the two women laughed and hugged and cried. “Come in. Oh, my God! I can’t believe you’re here. I’m so happy to see you. Where’s Terrence?” she asked, leading Janae into the living room and offering her a seat on the couch. She started to ask how Janae got in but remembered Janae had the gate code.
“He’s at home. He sends birthday greetings.”
“How long are you staying?”
“Just until this afternoon.”
“I wish you were staying longer.”
Janae nodded. “Me, too. Now, you need to change clothes. We’re going out.”
“Where?”
“Don’t worry about it, Ms. Nosy. We’re going to celebrate. Just dress casually.”
Karen changed into jeans and a navy scoop-neck tee. She slid her feet into black ballet flats, picked up her purse and met Janae in the living room. “I’m ready. Did you rent a car?”
“Something like that,” Janae said with a secret smile.
She followed Janae out to the parking area and stood speechless when she saw a limousine. “I don’t believe it,” she whispered.
Janae grinned. “Terrence thought your day should be special, and I agree.”
Karen shook her head. “I’m so glad I dragged you to that concert.”
“So am I.”
On the way, Janae told Karen about her appointment with the art gallery director.
“How did it go?”
“She said she was excited about my work. She has a show coming up in December with the theme Great Escapes, and I have some pieces that would fit.”
“Oh, my goodness!” Karen screamed. “That is fantastic. I knew she would love them. So, how does it feel?”
“Exciting, amazing, overwhelming. I’m scared to death.”
“I’m so proud of you, Janae. You know I’m coming. How many pieces is she allowing?”
“Since I’m a new artist—five, with another five available just in case. If they sell well, she’ll let me do more for the next series.”
“Make sure you email me the dates and times.”
“I will. The first showing is sometime around mid-December.”
“I’ll come down early so we can go shopping. Gotta have you looking good.”
“Oh, no,” Janae groaned.
Karen laughed. “Hey, you know me. Any excuse to shop. Ooh, Audrey might want to come, too.”
“Great. I’m telling you now, whatever we don’t have in two hours, we’re not buying. So you’d better think power-shopping.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know.”
The driver stopped in front of Burke Williams Day Spa a short while later. “We always said we would come here one day,” Karen said.
Janae nodded. “Yes, we did. Let’s go get pampered.”
The driver opened the back door and assisted them out of the car. “I’ll be waiting for you ladies. Enjoy.”
They thanked him and entered the spa. The receptionist greeted them, then gave them a locker key and a tour. The spa was decorated in an old-world Moroccan theme with deep, rich earth tones, columns and arches. Karen and Janae changed into thick robes and spa sandals. They relaxed by the fireplace in the lounge, sipping warm tea and nibbling on fresh fruit while waiting for their treatments to begin. They privately enjoyed a massage and facial, then met up in the nail-care room for a manicure and pedicure. Afterward, they changed and sat in the lounge.
“This is the best birthday present ever,” Karen said with a satisfied sigh, leaning her head against the back of the sofa. “I’m so relaxed I could fall asleep right here.”
“I hear you. I needed that massage. I ordered lunch from a local restaurant, and it should be delivered shortly.”
“You thought of everything. Thank you so much for this. I was feeling sorry for myself this morning.”