“You don’t understand,” I tell Lauren, while wiping peas out of my hair with a wet wipe. “Girls are always hitting on him—it’s so annoying!”
“He can’t help that,” Lauren points out. She’s huffing slightly from her efforts in stirring her ingredients together. “Guys stare at you and hit on you all the time. Do you take any of them up on their offers.”
I sigh loudly. “No, but it’s not the same thing! I’m mean to all them. Plus—guys never hit on me when I’m with Zane! I feel like the sad little wife of a celebrity. Our balance of power is very uneven. I don’t like being the insecure one in the relationship. And, yeah, I know I’m probably in the wrong here, but still…it pisses me off!”
“Ugh, can you check the spice rack to see if we have cinnamon?” Lauren pushes a lock of wispy blonde hair back with her forearm. “I guess what it comes down to is, do you trust him?”
I consider this. Do I trust Zane? I told him a lot about myself, things that I’ve never shared with anyone but Lauren. I also know that if I needed him, he’d be there for me. But…did I trust him not to break my heart?
I just don’t know.
I check the spice rack for cinnamon, but don’t find any. “Nada,” I tell Lauren.
She looks confused. “Are you talking about the trust thing, or the cinnamon.”
“Yes,” I say. I go over to Baby Brianna and pick her up. “Come on, baby. Let’s get you cleaned up.” She grins toothlessly up at me, and I hug her to me, pea-covered face and all.
“Are you going to call him?” Lauren wants to know.
“Nope,” I reply. “But I’ll probably see him tomorrow if he comes to the dinner party Mom is having.”
“What are you going to say to him?”
I look down at my beautiful glittering bracelet. Brianna is currently using it as a teething ring. “I don’t know,” I sigh. “I just don’t know.”
So Mom invited Jane and a few other friends over for dinner tonight. I heard her on the phone asking Zane to come, but she caught me eavesdropping before I could hear his answer.
I don’t think he’ll come all the way down here for some silly dinner party. Why would he? And he hates me, so…there you go. He’s not coming.
Still, I take extra care getting dressed that night. I’m wearing a clingy pink blouse and these tight black pants that I know make my legs look like they go on forever. I wish I could wear my bracelet, but I can’t in front of Mom. I can just imagine how that conversation would go.
I’m just putting my hair up in a ponytail when she pokes her head in my room to let me know the guests are arriving.
Okay. I can do this. If Zane comes tonight, I will be cool and calm and offer him an adult apology—nothing too gushy. Then the ball will be in his court.
Cool and calm. Okay.
I go downstairs to greet the guests. I give Jane a hug, and she fidgets nervously. She’s still feeling guilty about the whole deceiving Mom thing, and I worry that one day she’s going to blurt out the truth. I think about drawing a line across my throat in silent warning, but it seems a bit much. I smile politely at the other guests, not really seeing them.
“I wish Bill could be here today,” Mom is saying to her friends. “But you’ll get to meet his son, Zane. He should be here any minute.”
As if on cue, the doorbell chimes. Mom asks me to get it, and I stare at her vacantly. She has to ask again before I finally get moving.
Here we go. I put a neutral smile on my face before opening the door.
Zane stands on the other side.
And he’s not alone.
Chapter 20
Standing next to Zane is a pretty dark haired girl, probably about his age. She is short and just a bit on the chubby side, but with eyes the color of emeralds. Her green sweater and long velvet skirt make her seem romantic and kind of witchy. I can just tell she's the type of cool laidback chick guys find sexy.
“Hi, Violet,” the jerk says with his half-smile. “Can we come in?”
“Oh, why not?” I mutter, moving aside. I slam the door shut behind them.
“So, you’re Violet,” Zane’s new girlfriend says with a knowing smile at him.
“I guess so.”
Mom comes into the room and goes straight to the hugging, of course. “Zane! I’m so glad you could make it!”
“Thanks for having me.” Zane straightens and gestures to the girl. “Lily, this is the old friend I was telling you about, Jenna. Jen, this is Lily, my father’s soon to be wife.”
"Thanks for letting me tag along," Jenna—Jen—says sweetly, shaking Mom's hand.