The next morning she allowed herself to sleep in since it was a Saturday. She finally crawled out of bed at eight o'clock compared to her usual six o'clock. After a long, hot shower she poured herself a bowl of cereal and turned on the morning news. Ah, she loved Saturdays. She was rinsing her empty cereal bowl in the kitchen sink when her cell phone rang. She looked at the screen before opening it and was glad to see it was her friend Sarah.“Good morning, Sarah,” she greeted cheerfully.
“Hi, Elizabeth. How are you today?” Sarah answered with her usual exuberance.
“I am doing well. You know how much I enjoy my leisurely Saturday mornings.”
“Oh, yeah,” Sarah agreed. “I am right there with you on that one! However, now that we've had our relaxation, how about some activity?”
Elizabeth groaned a bit inwardly. She never knew what kind of activity Sarah might want to do next. Plus, she had been looking forward to an entire day to take it easy. “Well, that would depend on what the said activity is,” she said.
Sarah laughed at her friend's reluctance. “I was hoping you would accompany me to the mall. You know it has been a few weeks since we went, and I feel Christmas closing in on me already. I really need to get started shopping.”
“Alright, Sarah,” it was Elizabeth's turn to laugh. “I suppose I could handle a few hours at the mall with my favorite shopping buddy.”
“Okay, I'll be there in a jiffy to pick you up,” Sarah said and then hung up.
Elizabeth shook her head as she set the phone down. Sarah was such a little whirlwind at times, but then she thought that was probably good for her as she could be a bit too laid back and quiet. She had met Sarah the first time she visited her church after moving to the city. Elizabeth had been feeling a bit lost as she had entered the large sanctuary and had been thinking about the fact that she did not know a single soul there. She had slipped into a pew near the back, and Sarah must have seen the lost look on her face and taken pity on her. She had come and sat beside her and had held out her hand as a warm smile lit up her pixie face.
“Good morning,” she had greeted. “My name is Sarah Maxwell. Allow me to welcome you to First Baptist.”
Elizabeth had taken the offered hand. “Hello, Sarah,” she had not been able to help but smile in return. “It's nice to meet you. I am Elizabeth Golden.” The two women had hit it off immediately.
Elizabeth smiled now as she remembered that first meeting as she changed out of her lounging clothes into something more suitable for going out. She put on her favorite pair of blue jeans and a plum sweater before sweeping her hair up in a ponytail and dabbing on some lip gloss. As she slipped in her little gold hoop earrings, her mind went back to the night before and the necklace that Gregory, or rather his mother, had loaned to her. A shiver ran up her back as she remembered the feeling of his hands at the nape of her neck as he fastened it. Before she could get too far into her memories, she heard the buzz signaling that someone was at the door below wanting her attention.
She pushed the button on the intercom. “Hello,” she said. She was glad she had been able to get ready quickly as Sarah had been true to her promise to be there in a jiffy.
“Hi, Elizabeth. Are you ready?”
“You know I am, Sarah,” she laughed. “You keep trying to catch me unprepared, but you may as well give up. I'll be right down.” She grabbed her purse and jacket and headed out the door humming as she went. The problems of the past day seemed to fade into oblivion as she focused instead on the fun of going out with her friend. She decided to take the stairs this morning rather than wait for the elevator. It was frequently busy on Saturdays as people went out and came back in at all different hours. Besides, she remembered that large bowl of ice cream she had eaten last night along with a rather large dinner. It certainly would not hurt to burn a few extra calories. She went briskly down the six flights of stairs and stepped cheerfully into the lobby. She could see Sarah waiting for her and breezed through the door. “Hey,” she greeted her with a genuine smile.
