Then she handed back his phone.
Julian wiped his cheeks.
He showed her messages.
“Are you okay?” I asked Taylor.
“No,” she answered. “But I will be.”
Then, Julian glanced at the restaurant. “I can’t believe I bought that man anniversary shoes!”
Denise blinked. “Anniversary shoes?”
“Nine months together! I wanted to look special.”
My Husband Insisted We Didn’t Need a Plumber for Our Basement Leak and Promised to Fix It Himself – So I Called One While He Was at Work, and What He Found Inside the Pipe Made My Blood Run Cold
Wife Posed as Her Husband’s Online Therapist Until a Confession Sent Her to a Lawyer
A Woman Found a Note in Her Husband’s Pants While Doing Laundry – She Almost Put It Aside Until She Read, ‘I Hope You’ll Understand Me When You Read This to the End,’ and by the Time She Finished, Her Hands Were Shaking
“I will be.”
Taylor stared at him.
Then, unexpectedly, she laughed! “I’m sorry. Today was my anniversary too.”
Julian looked horrified. “Oh, sweetheart!”
He opened his arms.
Taylor hesitated before accepting his hug.
And I stood there, wondering how a manicure had turned into the strangest anniversary celebration imaginable.
He opened his arms.
Over the next few weeks, Taylor hired a divorce lawyer.
Danny moved into an apartment.
He admitted he’d struggled to be honest about his sexuality for years.
Taylor listened without judging him.
Danny moved.
But she told him, “You could’ve trusted me with the truth. Instead, you made me believe I wasn’t worth loving.”
Danny apologized.
Taylor accepted his apology, but she didn’t take him back.
Julian dumped Danny that same Saturday.
Danny later sent him roses.
Danny apologized.
“Roses!?” Julian complained over the phone. “Raven, the man lied for nine months and thought 12 flowers would fix it. At least bring a whole garden!”
I laughed so hard Marcus came to check on me.
Then, one Friday afternoon, Taylor walked into my salon…
…With Julian!
Julian complained.
I stared. “Please tell me I’m hallucinating!”
Taylor grinned. “We have appointments.”
Julian lifted his hand. “Matching manicures, darling. We’re celebrating!”
“Celebrating what?”
Taylor smiled. “Getting rid of the same headache.”
I burst out laughing.
“We have appointments.”
Three months later, Taylor was doing better.
She’d started traveling with Denise and reconnecting with friends.
Julian had become one of her closest friends.
They even had dinner together every Friday!
She’d started traveling.
Then one afternoon, Danny walked into my salon, looking for a gift certificate for a business associate’s wife.
Taylor and Julian were sitting in the waiting area!
Danny froze.
Julian lowered his sunglasses. “Well, well, well. Look what the divorce dragged in.”
Taylor covered her mouth.
Danny froze.
I smiled. “Welcome to Raven’s Nails, Danny. Are you here for a manicure or a full confession?”
He looked between us. “I’ll come back another time.”
“Excellent choice,” Julian said. “Your timing’s never been your strong suit.”
Danny left.
The moment the door closed, Taylor burst out laughing!
He looked between us.
Julian stood and bowed dramatically. “Ladies, I believe the trash has taken itself out!”
I nearly fell off my stool!
That evening, I told Marcus everything.
He shook his head. “You realize most people just go to work and paint nails, right?”
I smiled. “Most people don’t have my clients.”
I nearly fell!
Later, Taylor sent me a photo of herself and Julian enjoying dinner.
Both were smiling.
I’d wanted Taylor to learn the truth because I couldn’t stand watching her blame herself for Danny’s distance.
I never expected her to find a friend in the person Danny had been seeing.
Both were smiling.
Taylor lost her marriage.
Julian didn’t get the dream boyfriend.
But neither had to keep believing Danny’s lies.
And Taylor, who’d once sat in my chair, asking if she was still beautiful, finally looked in the mirror and smiled without waiting for her husband to notice.
Taylor lost.
As for me?
I’m still doing nails.
But whenever a client starts bragging about a married boyfriend, I move the polish bottle away from the edge of the table.
Because apparently, being a nail technician comes with more drama than anyone warned me about.
As for me?
