Carol had insisted on taking Jamie to the Blakely Café, even though the food was pricey and the wait was slow.

"Really, I would have been happy at Arby’s," Jamie insisted.

"Not on your birthday," Carol said, smirking. "I want to spoil you at least once a year. You work so hard."

Jamie smiled, wishing her husband wanted to "spoil" her like her friend. No, she thought, I won’t let whatever’s going on ruin a perfectly nice lunch with Carol. She resolved to just enjoy the meal.

"So, what are you doing tonight?" Carol asked after their food had arrived.

Jamie thought for a moment before answering. "You know, I really have no idea."

Actually, with Alex in Washington, she didn’t have plans for the night. Her mother would probably call from Hawaii, and her brother from Oregon. But otherwise, she would have to be alone on her birthday, microwaving a TV dinner and watching reruns. That was just too sad for her to even comprehend.

"Well," began Carol, a devilish hint lingering in her eye, "I won two tickets from a radio station for one of those harbor cruises tonight. Maybe you’d like to be my date for the evening?"

Jamie smiled. "Carol, you’re too good to me," she said. "But I will take you up on that offer on one condition."

"Name it."

"That you don’t run off with the man of your dreams and leave your poor friend to cry about how her own husband forgot the day she was born."

"Deal." Carol squealed. "This is going to be so much fun!"

♥♥♥♥♥♥

It was difficult for Jamie not to call Alex when she got home from work. But he’s the one who forgot, she told herself. He should be the one calling me. Instead, she got ready for the harbor cruise she would take with Carol.

Carol arrived early, which was very odd for her time-challenged friend. Also odd was the fact that Carol was wearing a flowing dress instead of the usual jeans and blouse she wore away from work. 

When Carol saw Jamie wearing her comfortable khakis and a black sleeveless shirt, she shook her head. "Oh, no," she said. "You are not wearing that. Go put on that nice dress Alex bought you for the Governor’s ball."

Carol looked anxious. "Please? People get really dressed up for these things. Besides, I think dressing up is kind of fun."

"Fine," Jamie grumbled, running upstairs to her closet. "Why do I have to make other people happy on my birthday?"

When Jamie and Carol arrived at the dock, it was empty. "Must be early," Carol said. "I’ll just go freshen up while we wait."

Before Jamie knew it, she was alone. 

Her Day of Birth - 3 >>>(Continue)