Free Yearning For Her Curves: (A BWWM Interracial Romance) by Nora Stone Page A

and smiled.
     
    “So?” she asked.  Char and I shared a look.
     
    “How are you feeling, Isobel?  We’ve been so busy that we haven’t been hanging out as much as we used to.”  I asked, watching her face carefully.
     
    “I’ve been okay.  I’ve been having a hard time, so I went to my doctor and got a recommendation for a therapist.  That’s been helping a lot,” she said.  I gave her a surprised look.
     
    “Really?”  I asked.  She nodded.
     
    “I felt so bad talking to you guys about it, like I was dumping on you when you’ve got enough going on in your lives.  But talking to the therapist, I don’t feel guilty, so I can actually unload.  I think it’s really helping.”
     
    “I think so too, Izzy.  You look almost back to your happy, bubbly self,” Char said.
     
    “Mmhm.  I have a tougher time at night than during the day, but it’s still way better,” she said with a smile that lit up her entire face.
     
    “You can come out to the house, if you need to crash somewhere where you’re not alone, you know,” Char said.  Izzy nodded.
     
    “I know, and thank you.  But I’ve got to get past this.  If it gets to be too heavy, I promise I will come out there with a bag packed.”
     
    “Well!  That was easier than I thought it was going to be,” I said without even thinking about it.
     
    “Wait, was this about talking to me?  This spa day?”  Izzy asked.  Char and I glanced at each other, and Char blushed a bit.
     
    “We were worried about you.  We were afraid that you were falling into depression, but we weren’t sure how you’d take us bringing it up to you.” 
     
    “So we decided to bring you here, and maybe get you all relaxed so that we ran less chance of you getting angry with us,” I finished.
     
    “I wouldn’t have been angry.  Thank you guys, so much,” she said, reaching across the table and taking our hands in hers.
     
    “Really?”  Char asked.  Isobel hesitated.
     
    “Okay, I might have been angry, but I wouldn’t have really meant it,” she said.  The three of us laughed.
     
    “We just want you to be okay again,” I said.  Isobel gave my hand a squeeze.
     
    “I know.  I’m getting there, I promise.  I’ll be back to my old self in no time,” she said.
     
    And that was that.  We ordered our food and laughed all the way through the meal.  The wine was gone by the time we were ready to move on to the sauna, which was the first stop in our day, and we were all laughing and talking about all the good times that we’d had together.  Almost back to normal.  Almost.
     
    ~~~
     
    “How do you get your hair to do that?”  The girl working on Charlotte’s hair asked.  Char glanced over her shoulder.
     
    “Do what?” 
     
    “It’s over halfway down your back, but it’s not breaking off or splitting ends or anything.  My hair hits my shoulders and all hell breaks loose,” the girl said.  Char grinned.
     
    “I used to have a problem with it, but I found this great conditioner that I have to order online because it’s made in South Korea, but it is amazing.  I’ll show you,” she said, pulling her phone from her pocket and beginning to type away on it.
     
    “Is it expensive?” she asked.  Char shook her head.
     
    “Nope, but I always buy at least three bottles, otherwise the shipping isn’t worth it.  But, three bottles will last you forever.”
     
     

Chapter 16
     
    Joey and Patrick’s flight to their season’s first away game was leaving way earlier than any of us wanted to be awake.  We’d gone out to Joey and Charlotte’s the night before for dinner and told them the news.  They were almost more excited than we had been that night, and we enjoyed every minute of it.  By the time we wound down, it was so late that they suggested that we stay there for the night.  Luckily, Patrick always packed his bag a few days beforehand and put it in his trunk, so he was prepared for the flight the next