Once they were gone and my crying had dried up, the mood in the room shifted. After I freshened up by cleaning the mess of my makeup from my face, we all sat at the table as though we could just resume a sense of normalcy. Nothing felt normal and nothing felt right.

Nothing at all. I found myself having an internal pity party, wishing my life could have been any shade of normal. I would have taken the most boring life in existence over the life that Court had thrusted me into. And while I didn’t ask Lori what she was thinking, I could see from the look on her face that she was equally miserable. She would probably agree that normalcy and mundaneness would have been better than anything we were going through.

It seemed like we were at the table forever before we started eating. The food was as good as ever and was a bit of a welcome distraction and comfort. My crepes were stuffed with a chocolate spread and it transported me back to my time as a teenager, when I would have a horrible day and would sneak a few candy bars one way or another, and eat them in private. It had been the definition of a guilty pleasure. No, a guilty comfort.

I continued to guzzle coffee, knowing that if I stopped I would surely pass out from my exhaustion from a restless night and a morning spent crying. While it probably would have been good for me, I didn’t want to leave Lori.

Once the plates were cleared and we all moved into the den to sit, the overbearing grief settled back in. Roman didn’t bother to interrupt or anything of the sort. Based on what he had said following my dad’s arrest, I knew that he understood it was a grieving process. We just needed time to ourselves, even if we wanted to be around one another. Roman only stepped away once to take a call from Ed, which I could hear bits and pieces to, but not everything.

It wasn’t until Kristin found her way into the den that anything of substance was said. "Who died?" she asked bluntly, picking up on the woeful energy of the room.

"Our dad was arrested this morning. Ed and Marcus dragged him out," I informed her. "It’s been a weird morning."

Her eyes studied me and moved over to my sister before nodding her head. I was sure that, from the outside looking in, we should have been jumping for joy or popping open champagne bottles; but it also didn’t take a genius to realize that your parent being arrested by the FBI would have some complicated feelings associated with it.

Kristin moved to sit next to Lori and wrapped her arm around her shoulder. I was thankful for it. While I had wanted to comfort my sister myself, I felt glued to Roman’s side for the time being. That if I were to move from him, I would once again shatter into a million little pieces. Lori too looked thankful for the comfort and leaned her head on her shoulder.

"I’m always down to have a little cry if anyone needs one," Kristin announced with a bit of humor to her voice. The room erupted in a little bout of weak laughter, and we all wore appreciative smiles to match; though they faded soon after.

There we remained in a comfortable and comforting silence until another set of footsteps sounded from somewhere nearby. I gazed to the door to see the ever-fabulous Lauren standing in the archway. Just like Kristin, Lauren asked what was going on, but that time Roman explained for us and I was thankful.

I watched as Lauren shifted her weight to one side and crossed her arms, her fingers drumming against her skin. "While I appreciate the heart going into this little pouting session you’re all having," she began, "it won’t do anything to make you guys feel better."

"They are allowed to have time to process what’s going on, Lauren," Roman told her matter-of-factly.

"They most certainly are," Lauren nodded. "But that doesn’t have to mean slouching on the couch and feeling sorry for yourselves."

"What is it exactly you want us to do?" Lori asked.

"I’m so glad you asked," she grinned. "I say we have a spa day. And before any of you protest and whine about leaving the house, I am going to suggest we have it here. Doesn’t that sound like good fun?"

We all looked amongst ourselves. While I couldn’t say that I was really in the mood to pamper myself, it did sound like a good idea to do anything but sit there. Lauren had a point. Sitting with our thoughts for so long would only make us wallow in our emotions.

"I’m up for it if you are," I called to Lori.

Lori looked at Lauren and after a moment, nodded. Lauren clapped her hands and grinned. "Oh, good. Now, Roman, be a dear and scurry off. Go work or something. This should be a girls’ day."

"I would protest and make a speech about how men need self-care days as well, but I do have work to catch up on," Roman sighed. I looked up at him and patted his arm, silently letting him know it was alright and he could go if he needed to.

"All of you, go get out of your day clothes. Put on something comfortable!" Lauren insisted.

Like that, we were corralled upstairs. I loaned my sister a pajama set for the day, and put on a set of a satin button-down pajama shirt and matching shorts myself.

We tied our hair up and put on some socks before heading back downstairs. By the time we were joining them in the family room, Kristin and Lauren had already changed, and Kristin was requesting wine and a list of snacks from Geoffrey.

In a bizarre blur, a mourning room had shifted into an ultimate girls’ day spot. Lauren had a servant deliver supplies for face masks, manicures, and pedicures, a complete hairstyling station, a stack of chick flicks, and too many pillows and fuzzy blankets to count.

I committed everything to memory. As sad as it was to say, I was fairly certain that before me was my very first slumber party. Well, I knew it wasn’t a proper sleepover, but it was everything I had heard of them being. I had to remember to thank Lauren sincerely later on. For, right then, I wanted to enjoy and get my mind off my horrible father.

The day kicked off with everyone painting one another’s nails while we sipped on rosé and chatted. Lauren and Kristin had a natural knack for gossiping and getting a conversation going. It was totally mesmerizing. While I liked to think I was a natural talker, I was nothing compared to those two. They were spitfires in comparison.

"When was the last time you had a spa day?" Lauren asked as she painted my nails.

"Oh, I’m not sure," I said. "I think Lori and I had a little spa day for one of our birthdays... it’s been years."

"You didn’t get the TLC treatment for the wedding?" Kristin asked.

I shrugged modestly. "I got ready for it, but nothing too crazy."

"Every girl needs a spa day," Lauren said as Lori took her turn to paint Kristin’s nails. "I dare say once a week, but maybe that’s just me."

"That would probably be nice," I chuckled, though I couldn’t see it happening so frequently. That would be a little too indulgent for me. Once in a while would be nice though. Especially at times like this.

The second bottle of wine was being opened when there was a knock on the door. We looked up to see people with massage tables coming in. "Mr. Roman Thaddeus sent us," one explained when Lauren asked.

He was such a good and giving man.

We all eagerly got ready for the massages and laid down on the tables they set up with sheets covering our backsides. The masseuses lit incense, put on tranquil music, plugged in salt lamps, and got to work. I was relieved and invigorated with the sensations. This, in fact, was something I could get weekly. There was so much built up tension in my shoulders and back, and not to mention the soreness I still felt from that morning, it was so appreciated. I knew that Roman had arranged this just for me and I was so smitten by the thought.

I don’t know what I did right in life to be rescued and loved by a man like him.

And yet, as the massage went on, it was a little too quiet. Soon, my mind began to wander and I thought back to the call Roman had with Ed. I wasn’t able to pick up on everything that was said, but one thing was pretty clear to me.

The raid was happening that very day. As the masseuse rubbed me down, I couldn’t help but wonder what was happening to the agents at that moment.