not cheap!”
I
smiled and ran my finger across the soft petal of some wildly yellow flower I’d
never seen in my life.
“So,
good morning,” Julianne said as she parked herself on the edge of my desk. “How
was the little double date thing I arranged on Saturday?”
Her
face was lit up like the Fourth of July and her eyebrows were wiggling. I’d
never seen her so excited. I couldn’t let her down.
“It
went well,” I said with a fake smile. “It was fun.”
“Great,
great,” she said as she slapped her knee with her hand. “I knew you four would
hit it off.”
I
nodded and smiled, not wanting to say anything more. The details were better
left unsaid at this point.
“You
know,” she said. “Ayla doesn’t have a lot of girlfriends. She never really has,
and I just don’t understand it.”
Ayla’s
bitchy face popped into my head, and it took everything I had not to tell
Julianne that I probably had a good idea as to why that was.
“Would
you ever want to hang out with her?” Julianne asked. “I know it’s weird. I’m
her stepmom and trying to make friends for her, but her wedding’s coming up and
I just know she could use someone to talk to.”
“Doesn’t
she have bridesmaids?” I asked.
“All
cousins,” Julianne said in a flat tone. “Every last one. Pretty sure they all
can’t stand her, too. They’ve always been jealous of her for some reason.”
“That’s
too bad,” I said, feigning sympathy.
“Anyway,
would you care if I set something up for you and Ayla? Coffee or something?”
she asked with wide, hopeful eyes.
“No,
not at all,” I said. How could I say no to my boss?
“Wonderful,”
she said. “I’m glad to hear that! I just really want her to have a good friend.
Especially since she’s getting married, you know? Antoine’s
going to be her entire world. That’s just not healthy.”
She
took a sip of her coffee before standing up to leave.
“Julianne,”
I said as I tried to catch her before she wandered off. “I have a weird
question for you.”
“Sure,”
she said with one hand on her hip. Her blue eyes stared into mine through her
thick-rimmed glasses.
“Do
you know Kevin?” I asked. “My date? You said at the banquet that he looked
familiar.”
She
pinched her face and looked up at the ceiling, deep in thought.
“You
know, he did look really familiar to me,” she said. “But it’s so hard to say.”
“Oh,
okay,” I replied. I tried to hide the disappointment in my voice. I was hoping
she’d be the key to unlock the secret. “You don’t think he dated Ayla, do you?”
Julianne
laughed. “There’s a very real chance. She’s dated a lot of men. I don’t think
I’ve met most of them. Some I’ve only met once or twice. I can’t keep track of
them all. Maybe that’s why he looked so familiar?”
If
Julianne was right, it would’ve made perfect sense.
“Antoine’s
the only guy that’s ever really stuck around,” Julianne said with a fond smile
at the mention of his name. “He’s been her longest relationship, if that says
anything.”
“How
long have they been dating?” I asked, playing dumb.
“Less
than a year,” Julianne laughed. “That’s all I know. I hope that whatever she
did to scare away all the other guys, she doesn’t do the same thing to
Antoine!”
Julianne
tapped the back of my chair. “I better get to work.” She turned on her heels
and walked down the hall.
Again,
a pang of jealousy coursed through my body. Antoine was marrying into that
family whether I liked it or not, and they loved him. They loved him more than
my parents ever loved him, and my parents were crazy about him. He was really
lucky, and given his current circumstances, it was no wonder he had no
intentions of ever having anything to do with me again.
CHAPTER 12
I
smiled and ran my finger across the soft petal of some wildly yellow flower I’d
never seen in my life.
“So,
good morning,” Julianne said as she parked herself on the edge of my desk. “How
was the little double date thing I arranged on Saturday?”
Her
face was lit up like the Fourth of July and her eyebrows were wiggling. I’d
never seen her so excited. I couldn’t let her down.
“It
went well,” I said with a fake smile. “It was fun.”
“Great,
great,” she said as she slapped her knee with her hand. “I knew you four would
hit it off.”
I
nodded and smiled, not wanting to say anything more. The details were better
left unsaid at this point.
“You
know,” she said. “Ayla doesn’t have a lot of girlfriends. She never really has,
and I just don’t understand it.”
Ayla’s
bitchy face popped into my head, and it took everything I had not to tell
Julianne that I probably had a good idea as to why that was.
“Would
you ever want to hang out with her?” Julianne asked. “I know it’s weird. I’m
her stepmom and trying to make friends for her, but her wedding’s coming up and
I just know she could use someone to talk to.”
“Doesn’t
she have bridesmaids?” I asked.
“All
cousins,” Julianne said in a flat tone. “Every last one. Pretty sure they all
can’t stand her, too. They’ve always been jealous of her for some reason.”
“That’s
too bad,” I said, feigning sympathy.
“Anyway,
would you care if I set something up for you and Ayla? Coffee or something?”
she asked with wide, hopeful eyes.
“No,
not at all,” I said. How could I say no to my boss?
“Wonderful,”
she said. “I’m glad to hear that! I just really want her to have a good friend.
Especially since she’s getting married, you know? Antoine’s
going to be her entire world. That’s just not healthy.”
She
took a sip of her coffee before standing up to leave.
“Julianne,”
I said as I tried to catch her before she wandered off. “I have a weird
question for you.”
“Sure,”
she said with one hand on her hip. Her blue eyes stared into mine through her
thick-rimmed glasses.
“Do
you know Kevin?” I asked. “My date? You said at the banquet that he looked
familiar.”
She
pinched her face and looked up at the ceiling, deep in thought.
“You
know, he did look really familiar to me,” she said. “But it’s so hard to say.”
“Oh,
okay,” I replied. I tried to hide the disappointment in my voice. I was hoping
she’d be the key to unlock the secret. “You don’t think he dated Ayla, do you?”
Julianne
laughed. “There’s a very real chance. She’s dated a lot of men. I don’t think
I’ve met most of them. Some I’ve only met once or twice. I can’t keep track of
them all. Maybe that’s why he looked so familiar?”
If
Julianne was right, it would’ve made perfect sense.
“Antoine’s
the only guy that’s ever really stuck around,” Julianne said with a fond smile
at the mention of his name. “He’s been her longest relationship, if that says
anything.”
“How
long have they been dating?” I asked, playing dumb.
“Less
than a year,” Julianne laughed. “That’s all I know. I hope that whatever she
did to scare away all the other guys, she doesn’t do the same thing to
Antoine!”
Julianne
tapped the back of my chair. “I better get to work.” She turned on her heels
and walked down the hall.
Again,
a pang of jealousy coursed through my body. Antoine was marrying into that
family whether I liked it or not, and they loved him. They loved him more than
my parents ever loved him, and my parents were crazy about him. He was really
lucky, and given his current circumstances, it was no wonder he had no
intentions of ever having anything to do with me again.
CHAPTER 12
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