Page 8 of It's a Widow Thing

Lela laughed. “Well, that’s why I’m calling. We’d like to invite Chelsea Mayhem to be one of our retailers. You only have the one location, right?”

Sabrina’s pulse started thundering. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. “Yes. Here on 28thStreet. We’re primarily an online business. I have a small fulfillment center out in New Jersey.”

“If this is something you’re interested in, I think that could work really well. This would give you a second location and it would be a lot of exposure for your brand,” Lela said.

Sabrina looked at Lucy, who was nodding furiously and mouthingyes yes yes.

“I am so flattered. We would love to be a part of this. We’re in,” Sabrina answered.

“Wonderful. We’re still lining up the full slate of participating retailers, but we’re having a groundbreaking party in a few weeks for the partners, select press, and some VIPs. The space is an empty shell and not much to look at, but we’ll have open bar and food and you’ll be able to see what we’re planning.”

“Sounds amazing. We are so in,” Sabrina said with zero hesitation. She’d been wanting to open a second location but it had been a slog to find the perfect space. This could be the answer to her prayers.

“That’s such great news. I’m really excited.”

“We are, too.” Once again, Sabrina felt as though her words were wholly inadequate. This was a big deal. Huge.

“So, I have to ask you a question. And I hope this isn’t weird,” Lela said.

“Yes, of course.”

“Are you a Duran Duran fan? Because the name of your company, Chelsea Mayhem, is from one of their songs, isn’t it?”

Funny, but Lela was only the second person to make this connection, and the first person was Lucy. “It is. It’s from the songGirl Panic. They were one of my favorite bands when I was in high school.Ordinary Worldcame out when I was a sophomore.” Beauty had been an escape for Sabrina at that time in her life, but music had been, too. Later in life, after Andrew was gone, that song took on new meaning. It was essentially about trying to step out of one reality and into another.

“Oh, my God. What a coincidence. I mean, I was several years out of college when that song came out, but they’re one of my favorite bands, too. I even have a cat named Rio.”

Sabrina laughed. “Wow. Now that is a coincidence. Our spring line is actually called Girl Panic. So I guess the whole thing comes full circle, huh?”

“The band has had such a long career. That’s how we can be ten years apart in age and still both love them.”

“Well, I think that’s awesome.” Sabrina couldn’t help but feel absolutely over the moon about all of this. What a way to start her week, especially after that nerve-inducing conversation with Michael.

“We’ll have to talk all about it when you come to the ground-breaking party,” Lela said. “In the meantime, I’ll get our legal department to send over a deal memo so we can hash out the details. We’ll also be sending over information on square footage and the line requirements. You might have to beef up some of your product offerings, but you have more than a year.”

“Yes. Absolutely.” Sabrina was prepared to agree to anything.

Once they’d said their goodbyes, Lucy ended the call with an exaggerated punch of the button on the phone. She immediately squealed, sprang out of her seat and shuffled around to the other side of Sabrina’s desk to lean down and wrap her up in a hug. “This project sounds crazy good.” She stepped back, her eyes wild with enthusiasm. “I mean, Times Square? With all of the big-name beauty and fashion stores? It could be a giant step forward for us.”

Sabrina smiled and nodded, but was then hit by a bizarre feeling that came out of left field. She found herself looking forward to sharing this news with… Michael. And this used to be the sort of thing she was eager to tell Andrew. This shift made absolutely zero sense, since she didn’ttrulyknow Michael, and plus, they’d only kissed. She’d experienced countless inexplicable reactions since Andrew had passed away, but this was a new one.

She eased back in her chair, feeling immensely thankful for Lucy while still wondering why Michael was so stuck in her head. She was normally so locked in at work, and she’d just had a phone call of paramount importance, and yet, here she was thinking about him.Maybe I shouldn’t have kissed him back. I opened Pandora’s box.Why did he have to be so effortlessly sexy? So godforsaken adorable. And sweet too, despite what his super-smooth exterior—and their apartment building’s rumor mill—might suggest. The way he’d softly placed his hand on her leg when they kissed, caressed that curve of her body…well, it had only lasted an instant, but if she closed her eyes she could still feel what his presence had done to her. It had left her body ablaze and her psyche gasping for air. She hadn’t experienced a moment of heightened sensations like that in what felt like forever.

Lucy gathered her technicolor tresses, flipping them over her shoulder. “Everything okay? You seem less excited now.” She walked back and collected her notebook and laptop.

“I’m incredibly excited. I just have something else on my mind that won’t go away.” Sabrina stared at the ceiling for a moment, drawing in a deep breath.

“Tell me.” Of course Lucy had figured out that something was bothering her. She’d been there through Andrew’s illness, the stunningly swift loss, and the aftermath. She knew Sabrina’s troubled road like the back of her hand.

“Two years has been long enough to wait, right?” She looked Lucy in the eye. “You know. For me to see a man. For real. Not just some go to dinner with a random guy someone decided to set me up with?”

Lucy’s sweet smile held an edge of pity. “Is it the guy from your building? The elevator? The guy who sometimes steals your newspaper so he can do the crossword?”

Sabrina couldn’t help but smile. That really had happened. If that had been his way of flirting, it worked. “Yes. Michael. Michael Wright. He’s a big shot Wall Street guy.”

“Hold on.That’sthe guy?” Lucy slapped Sabrina’s desk. “That’s the guy you’ve been flirting with in the elevator? His mother is a U.S. Senator.”

“Yeah. I know. She’s apparently pretty powerful.” She and Michael hadn’t only tossed around innuendo on the elevator. A few bits of substance had worked their way in there, at least from Michael’s side of things. But Sabrina had shared nothing about her own backstory, other than how long she’d lived in the building and what she did for a living.