Free Reinventing Rachel by Alison Strobel

wanted someone to be with—enter Marc. I wasn’t looking for Mr. Long-Term. I’m not ready to settle down yet.”
    Rachel pondered this. “Huh.”
    Daphne grinned. “It’s different from the way you think about relationships, I know. But think of it this way: Aren’t you going to miss having someone hold you, hold your hand, kiss you? Someone to just hang out with when you’re bored? Someone you look forward to seeing, and someone who’s looking forward to seeing you? It might be easier to do without if you’ve never experienced it before, but if you’re used to it and then suddenly it’s gone …”
    “Yeah,” Rachel said. “That makes sense.”
    Daphne leaned in, swirling her straw in her water. “And think about your situation. After being in a relationship like you and Patrick had, that was so committed and had so much expectation, would you really want to jump into another hard-core relationship right away? You might need to detox, give yourself time to get him out of your system … with no pressure about long term, no worrying about whether or not you’re ready to commit like that again. So it’s a two-fold benefit: You get someone to snuggle and someone to de-Patrick-ize you so you’re primed and ready for Mr. Right.”
    Rachel quirked a half-smile. “It seems logical, but I feel like it shouldn’t be.”
    “That’s years of courtship indoctrination talking.”
    “Ha, you’re probably right.”
    Rachel waved away the conversation. “Anyway, I have big news to share.” She mimicked Daphne’s secret-sharing posture from the night before. “I think I want to move to Chicago.”
    Daphne let out a squeal that turned heads at the neighboring tables. “Yes! I knew you’d come around.” Her eyes sparkled and she bobbed in her seat like a preschooler hyped up on sugar. “I am so excited. When do you think you can come out?”
    Rachel couldn’t help but be swept up by Daphne’s excitement. “I don’t know—I haven’t thought that far ahead yet.” She laughed. “I’m still too caught up with the idea of just … getting away, getting out of the bubble I’ve been in my whole life.”
    “It’s going to be a heck of a shock, you know.”
    “Yeah, I know. But you’ll help me, right?”
    Daphne’s eyes gleamed. “Oh baby, you know I will.”
    They hashed out details as they ate their diner lunches, and by the time they paid the bill, Rachel was fully committed to the move and itching to start packing. She was tired of the routine her life had become, tired of self-sacrifice and getting walked all over. “Do unto others” was a good mantra, but it didn’t work as well when all the people around you lived by, “Look out for number one.” And she was looking forward to adopting a new motto. She had never put herself first before. It was time to pay herself some well-deserved attention.
    After lunch the two women ventured out to the Forum Shops. Daphne was looking for what she called a consolation prize: a purchase that would let her say, “I might not be dating Marc anymore, but at least I have this!” From what Rachel could tell, “this” could apparently be anything—the more expensive the better. Dissatisfied with the merchandise they’d seen so far, they were about to leave when Daphne spotted the Corella Boutique. Rachel followed Daphne as she waltzed in and began looking in earnest at a mannequin clothed in jewelry and not much else. After a moment’s deliberation, Daphne looked to the lone saleswoman and asked, “Is this a 34B?”
    Rachel spun from the display of earrings she’d been inspecting. Daphne was pointing to the boustier that served as the mannequin’s only clothing. It appeared to be made entirely of black crystals. Rachel could easily picture how stunning it would look against Daphne’s alabaster skin, but she didn’t relish the gawking it would draw when she wore it—and Rachel knew Daphne would definitely wear it. Most likely that night when they went