Page 4 of Sassy & Sixty
"How did you do that?" Rosie asked, impressed.
Emma shrugged, giving Elvis a scratch behind the ears. "The secret to a man's heart is through his stomach. Turns out it works for dogs too." She glanced at Rosie's leopard print blouse and red shoes, a twinkle in her eye. "Love the outfit, by the way. It's nice to see someone embracing a bit of colour around here."
Rosie felt herself relax for the first time since leaving the house. "Thanks. I wasn't sure if it was too much, to be honest."
"Nonsense," Emma scoffed. "If you've got it, flaunt it. That's what I always say. Come on, why don't you join me and my friend Lisa? We were just about to have our morning coffee on that bench over there."
Rosie hesitated for a moment, then nodded. Why not? It wasn't as if she had a packed social calendar these days.
As they approached the bench, Rosie saw another woman about their age, elegantly dressed in a crisp white shirt and tailored trousers. She was tapping away on a sleek laptop, a furrow of concentration between her brows.
"Oi, Lisa!" Emma called out. "Pack that away, will you? We've got company."
Lisa looked up, pushing a pair of reading glasses onto her head. Her eyes widened slightly as she took in Rosie's outfit, but she smiled warmly. "Well, hello there. I do hope Emma hasn't been terrorising you. She has that effect on unsuspecting park-goers."
"Oi!" Emma protested good-naturedly, plopping down on the bench. "I'll have you know I just saved Rosie here from a nasty fall. Elvis was making a break for it."
"Elvis?" Lisa raised an eyebrow, looking around. "I don't see any... oh!" She laughed as the Cavapoo in question stuck his head out from behind Rosie's legs. "Hello, handsome."
As Rosie sat down, introducing herself properly, she felt a curious sense of ease settle over her. There was something refreshing about these women - Emma with her mischievous grin, Lisa with her polished appearance but kind eyes.
"So, Rosie," Lisa said, closing her laptop with a decisive click. "What brings you to our little corner of the park by the river? I don't think we've seen you here before."
Rosie launched into the tale of how she'd ended up as Elvis's reluctant dog walker, finding herself embellishing the story of yesterday's misadventures as Emma and Lisa dissolved into peals of laughter.
"Oh my," Lisa wiped a tear from her eye. "I haven't laughed like that in ages. Bless you, Rosie. We needed that."
"Speak for yourself," Emma chuckled. "I laugh all the time. Usually at Lisa when she's trying to be serious."
Lisa rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Someone has to be the adult here."
As the laughter subsided, Rosie found herself studying her new acquaintances. Despite their obvious differences, there was an easy camaraderie between them that made her feel a pang of... was it loneliness?
"So, do you two come here often?" Rosie asked, immediately cringing at how much it sounded like a pick-up line.
Emma snorted. "Every damn day. It's either this or staring at the four walls of my empty house. Divorced," she added, catching Rosie's questioning look. "You?"
"The same," Rosie nodded. "Well, separated. It's... complicated."
"Isn't it always?" Lisa sighed. "I'm in the same boat. William - that's my ex - he decided that after thirty years of marriage, he'd rather trade me in for a younger model. Apparently, I was getting too 'set in my ways'."
"Men," Emma scoffed. "Can't live with 'em, can't bury 'em in the back garden without awkward questions from the neighbours."
Rosie found herself laughing again, a weight she hadn't realised she'd been carrying starting to lift. "It's not easy, is it? Starting over at our age."
"Tell me about it," Emma groaned. "Do you know, I actually considered online dating the other day? Can you imagine? Me, trying to sum up sixty years of life in a little box, competing with women half my age who don't need industrial-strength support knickers."
Lisa nearly choked on her coffee. "Emma! You didn't!"
"I didn't," Emma admitted. "Came to my senses before I clicked 'submit'. But still, a woman has needs, you know?"
"Oh, I know," Rosie surprised herself by saying. "The other day, I caught myself eyeing up the young man delivering my groceries. I mean, really eyeing him up. I was mortified."
"Why?" Emma asked, genuinely puzzled. "Nothing wrong with window shopping, love. It's not like you tried to lure him in with promises of freshly baked cookies or anything."
"Although," Lisa mused, a wicked glint in her eye, "that's not a bad idea. I do make excellent chocolate chip cookies."
The three women looked at each other for a beat before bursting into laughter again.
