However, after confessing the one thing that was eating away at her heart, those well-earned titles didn't seem to hold weight against the feelings that suddenly racked her body.
She was crying. Actually crying. Nicole moved in quickly like a good friend goddess and cradled Jennifer's upper body. Although Jennifer's cries were silent, the tears were many.
"Don't ruin your makeup," Nicole whispered urgently. That made Jennifer laugh. "Your mascara will run," her friend reminded.
That was the prompting Jennifer needed. She tried to pull herself together and reached for a napkin to dab into the corners of her eyes. She hated it when her mascara ran. It was so difficult to put on. Nailing the "Smoky Eye" look was a feat she felt accomplished for, but in less than a minute, she had ruined it all.
"I have some makeup wipes," Jennifer muttered. She reached for her purse to retrieve the moist wipes. Nicole looked around.
"I sure hope that bozo doesn't show up now, of all the times."
"Bozo?" Jennifer sniffed.
Nicole nodded with attitude. "Yeah, that's right, I said it. Bozo."
Frowning, Jennifer raised her head and looked around at the other patrons sharing the outdoor lounge with them. No one seemed aware of her second or two of breakdown.
"You've worked with this guy for five years, Jenn. This is the same guy you were fawning over before I left right?" Jennifer chuckled and nodded sheepishly.
"Was I really that obvious?" Nicole's response was a facial expression that made Jennifer laugh, easing the pain she felt in her chest.
"Anyway, you got a picture of this Andrew guy?" Nicole wet her lips. "I want to see Superman."
With a giggle, Jennifer slipped her fingers into her purse and retrieved her phone. Her face paled when she saw she had missed a call. There was also another new email. Swiping at her screen, she frowned, eyebrows bunching together with concern.
"What is it?" Nicole asked, waiting patiently at Jennifer's side.
Erasing the notifications, Jennifer forced a smile and shook her head. She added on a few extra blinks for good measure.
"It's nothing. I have a shot of the two of us," she reached for her phone's photo album. "He took me on a horse ride downtown for lunch one day," she was grinning. "That was fun. A little gross, seeing those horses use the bathroom, but," she grinned. Andrew took care of that sight for her and kissed her instead.
"It was a great lunch," Jennifer turned the phone to Nicole to let her see the selfie they had taken as they huddled in the carriage. They had taken several different shots, being playful and acting like two teenagers in a photo booth. The next image was Andrew kissing her cheek.
"Oh man," Nicole whispered. "These guys are hot!"
Jennifer giggled, "I know right?" They cackled together. Nicole straightened herself and eyed Jennifer cautiously.
"Why?" She asked softly. With a falling smile, Jennifer frowned.
"Why what?" She half chuckled at the question.
"Well," Nicole hesitated; her eyes darted around the lounge. After a moment, she sighed. "That's just not you," she said softly.
"Oh," Jennifer pressed her lips together and directed her focus to her purse. Inside, her fingers found her compact mirror. She pulled it out and checked her reflection. She had a naturally clear complexion and rarely used concealers or heavy creams. Blessed is what most women called her. Others said she didn't even need makeup, but she still used it on hot days for the SPF protection.
"I'm sorry. I'm not judging," Nicole added quickly. "I've been there, worse than a kiss too. You know that."
Jennifer smiled. "Yes. I was there for you then too," she responded with a soft sigh, and then shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know why. He's just been so," she chuckled and forced her eyes to widen. "I've always had a thing for him and today," she tried to explain herself again. She found she couldn't. There were no words for flirting back, for batting her lashing or touching James at every opportunity.
His touch felt good. The way he watched her, the way he smiled at her. She loved it and wanted more. That's why she kept giving him the go ahead. It was something she had wanted for years. Did that make her a bad girl?
"Does he know how you felt about him?" Nicole asked after a few seconds of silence had elapsed. Jennifer shrugged and brought out a light powder. Something to make her tone a little more even since she had wiped the drama from her eyes. With a short brush, she dusted around her nose and across her cheeks.
"I don't think so."
Nicole scoffed. "He knew."
"What?" Jennifer lowered the brush to meet her friend's gaze. "What makes you so sure?"
"If you had a crush on him for the past five years-"
"Three. It got really bad after Dick and I broke up."
Rolling her eyes, Nicole continued where she left off, "the past five years," she stressed, and then pointed a finger at Jennifer, "You may have been with Dick for those first two years, but you were hurting for him bad then too, I remember," Nicole stated thickly.
Jennifer ignored Nicole's jab and remained silent. Nicole continued, "Anyway, my point is that I'm sure your boss man knew. Hot or not-he ain't stupid." After a moment, she paused, "Is he the millionaire?"
The question nearly made Jennifer's sadness go away. She laughed hard and clutched at her stomach. When she could breathe again, she put her brush and compact mirror away and caught her breath.
"Yes," she chuckled, "yes, he's the millionaire."
"Is he still a millionaire?"
"I sure hope so," a dark, tempting voice that sounded behind them. A deep chuckle accompanied the words, and the women jumped, at the sound.
"I'm sorry ladies, I didn't mean to scare you," James rounded the loveseat and sat across from them lazily. He relaxed into an arm chair comfortably and smiled easily.
"I figured you've had more than enough time to catch up," he chuckled, "Plus I'm feeling pretty good and I'm no longer starving. I wanted to meet your friend at a time while I could still talk."
Nicole smirked. "Lush much?" She challenged in a flat tone. Jennifer pushed her friend in her side, a prod that Nicole ignored.
James shrugged. "Well, my usual crowd tends to force you to push your limits," he grinned at Nicole, who only narrowed her eyes at him.
"So you're a millionaire?"
James paused at the question. He glanced at Jennifer, and then looked to Nicole. "Is that problem?"
She smiled, and shook her head politely. "Not at all," she swallowed and reached for her glass. "So does that mean you have millions? Like a literal million dollars in your bank? Or on you? Do you even carry cash?"
Her questioning made James laugh heartily. He relaxed and wet his lips, casting another glance in Jennifer's direction. She knew her friend was only stealing the show to keep the air light. She loved Nicole for that. She was the protector in their group.
When a man broke their hearts, she made sure stupid actions and drunk thoughts never put them in a position to allow it to happen again. She was effortlessly doing what Jennifer really needed a girlfriend to do: cockblock. She breathed a sigh of relief. Nicole was doing an exquisite job, a master at the art.
"Okay," James leaned on his knees and used his hands to gesticulate for emphasis, "so I'm a millionaire," he stressed. "That doesn't mean I have millions in my accounts. It means I'm worth millions."
Nicole nodded. "And what does it mean to be worth that kind of cheddar?"
He reeked of sexy like it was a special cologne he had bottled and shipped from an exotic foreign island. He lazily let his head slump to the side.
"My stock portfolio, company investments, acquisitions, they're worth millions. In my personal accounts I never keep more than the max insured by FDIC."
After a moment, Nicole asked, "What's the max?"
"$250,000."
Her mouth dropped and Nicole whipped her head to Jennifer. "Is he serious?"
Jennifer watched James. He was soaking up the attention with the smug and poise his type were known for. Hesitantly, Jennifer nodded.
"Yes."
Nicole's eyes spoke for her, and the look made Jennifer and James double over with laughter. Nicole rolled her eyes with flair and flipped her hair back with sass.
"Whatever," she said confidently. "That's a lot of money."
"Jennifer told me you were in a rehearsal earlier," James segued smoothly. "Are you on Broadway?"
Suddenly, the flashy sass and hard demeanor vanished and Nicole gushed. She giggled and nodded enthusiastically.
"Which one?" James questioned.
"Aladdin," Nicole responded eagerly.