Ramsay(21)

Turning, I offered the hors d'oeuvres I was carrying to the people  standing behind me and froze when I saw it was the man named Fionn and  Brogan's sister, Eileen. Eileen stared at me with a slightly shocked  look on her face and Fionn smiled slightly. I lifted my chin. "Sweet  potato rounds with herbed ricotta and walnuts?"

"Don't mind if I do," Fionn said, loading up a napkin with the small  appetizers and popping one into his mouth as he winked at me. I almost  smiled, but didn't. He was Brogan's and Eileen's friend. I had to assume  he was enjoying my public disgrace at least to some extent.

"No, thank you," Eileen said, the tension in the air palpable. I  swallowed, making a small curtsy before I turned and walked away. A  curtsy? Really, Lydia? What the hell was that? A curtsy! My God.

"It can't be," a loud female voice said. "Lydia De Havilland?  Seriously?" I halted and turned slowly back in the direction of Fionn  and Eileen. Standing several yards away from them were Lindsey and  company. "Oh my God," Lindsey breathed, bringing her hand to her chest  and stifling a laugh.

I smiled a tight smile as they moved toward me. Holding the tray up, I tilted my head, and asked, "Appetizer?"

Lindsey burst out laughing even harder, looking gleefully happy with  this turn of events. She put her hands on her hips and did a full circle  around me, looking me up and down before she burst out laughing again.  "My, my, how the mighty have fallen," she said, barely disguised delight  in her voice.

I smiled again as if this situation didn't faze me in the least, but I  felt the hot blush in my cheeks that was surely giving me away. It felt  like every guest in the yard had suddenly turned to look at me.

I simply smiled. "I hope you have a wonderful time," I said, turning and  trying to hurry away. But my heel stuck in the grass and I tripped  slightly, causing the girls behind me to giggle maniacally.  Straightening myself, I took a deep breath and continued inside.

The vultures had descended, and now I was going to be consumed.                       
       
           



       

After that, I wasn't left alone for a moment. You would have thought I  was the only one working the party, not that I was one of a dozen  servers. Just when I'd delivered a requested glass of champagne to  Lindsey, Daphne dropped her napkin and needed another. Then Bridget  Baker wanted more of "those delicious little thingamabobs," and no  sooner had I brought out a sample tray of every appetizer we'd passed  through the crowd, Crystal Adler needed me to fetch a wet cloth so I  could help her wipe an invisible stain off her Louis Vuitton clutch. I  kept a smile plastered on my face, acting as if I were pleased as punch  to meet their every need, not allowing them to see me sweat.

I caught sight of Brogan several times, standing to the side, his jaw  clenched as he watched me being run around relentlessly. His date still  hung on his arm, obviously trying to get his attention with her chatter,  but he didn't seem to notice her at all. Apparently he was having too  much fun watching me. I held my head higher, increasing the size of my  smile. My cheek muscles wobbled with the effort of holding it in place.

On my way back into the house, I almost collided with the man named Fionn. "Oh, sorry," I said, scooting past him.

He leaned close to me as we passed and murmured softly, "Good on ya,  Lydia," and winked. I wasn't sure what he meant, but in any case, I  hardly had time to try to figure it out because someone else had me  running to do her bidding.

I came back out with a tray of mini desserts and the seltzer water with a  twist of lime Maya Richards had asked me to pick up for her at the bar,  breezing past Fionn who was again standing with Eileen.

I delivered the seltzer water to Maya who proceeded to spill it on the  lawn. "Oh phooey!" she exclaimed. "Clutzy me. Fetch me another one,  would you, Lydia?" She smiled sweetly.

I resisted the urge to claw her eyes out and instead took a deep breath  and said brightly, "No problem, ma'am. I'll get another one for you  right away." Maya turned away and began speaking to the woman next to  her as if I suddenly didn't exist.

I inclined the dessert tray toward Lindsey who looked annoyed. I  supposed I wasn't giving her the show she was hoping for. Tears perhaps,  or maybe a complete and total emotional breakdown, clawing at my face,  dropping to my knees and declaring that as God as my witness, I'd never  work in catering again. "Something sweet?" I asked, giving her my most  innocent smile.

Glaring at me, she took a small dish of chocolate mousse off my tray,  picking up the tiny spoon and dishing a bite into her mouth. "Mmm," she  murmured, a glint of something evil coming into her eyes. I'd seen that  look before. Right before she'd decimated someone socially in the  cafeteria. But before I could figure out what she might have in mind, a  huge spray of chocolate mousse hit me square in the face, splatters of  it raining all over my hair and down the front of my shirt. "Oh  goodness!" Lindsey gasped. "This silly little spoon just slipped. I'm so  embarrassed!"

I heard an intake of breath and everything seemed to grow quiet all  around me. Had the band stopped playing? A glob of mousse that was stuck  to my eyelashes fell onto my cheek and started sliding down my face  slowly. Lindsey dropped her bowl back on my tray and snorted into a  napkin. As I stood there, it seemed that the entire party had stopped  and everyone was staring at me. Vomit rose in my throat as humiliation  and loneliness engulfed me. I didn't have a single friend here, not one.  I'd tried so hard to hold on to my composure, but standing there with  food purposefully splattered on my face was the final straw. I couldn't  do this. It hurt too much. Horrified, I glanced around at all the  staring eyes, some mildly sympathetic, others amused.

Sucking in a huge breath, tears filled my eyes and I turned and ran  toward the house as fast as my feet would carry me. Out of the corner of  my eye I saw Brogan start after me, and so I kept moving, dropping the  tray on the table in the foyer and running up the stairs to the  bathroom. I slammed the door behind me and stood against it, breathing  heavily, tears streaming down my face and mixing with the chocolate.

I heard voices outside the bathroom and hurried over to the sink, using a  washcloth to wipe my face clean. For a moment I simply stared. The  black eye makeup I'd applied so carefully earlier now streaked down my  face, my white shirt splattered with chocolate, my hair droopy and  wilted from all my running around. Dropping the washcloth, I put my  hands over my face and allowed the tears to fall freely. I was an utter  mess. The mirror image of my life.

"Lydia?" I heard a female voice say from the other side of the door. I  took a deep breath, figuring it was Therese wanting to fire me. That was  good because I was happy to be fired. But when I swung the door open,  Eileen was standing there.                       
       
           



       

I sighed, turning away. "If you're wanting to slap me again, you're  going to have to stand in line this time." I walked back to the sink and  picked up the wet washcloth and started to dab at the chocolate stains  on my white blouse. After three or four dabs, I threw the washcloth back  in the sink. These stains would never come out.

Eileen came to stand next to me, and we stared at each other in the  mirror for a few seconds, her gorgeous and perfect, me splattered,  smeared, and defeated. Eileen tilted her head, giving me a small smile.  "Ya need to get back out there," she finally said.

I gave one small laugh. "No way. I'm throwing in the towel. I call uncle. Maybe that Bob guy you mentioned. I call Uncle Bob."

She turned toward me, grabbing my upper arms so I was forced to face her  as well. "No way are ya gona give those shite-flingin' primate bunch of  bitches the satisfaction of gettin' the last word." She glanced at my  stained shirt.

"It was mousse." I sighed.

She waved her hand as if one thing was basically the same as another.  "Mousse-flingin' socialite bunch of bitches. Whatever. Both require the  same basic brain maneuverings-those being slow and basic."

I almost laughed, but the shame I felt left it stifled in my clogged  throat. "I used to be the leader of those bitches," I admitted softly.

She nodded. "Right. Which is why ya have insider information on exactly  what would annoy the shite outta them the most. Now, what is it?"

I stared at her. "I . . . I don't know. They think I consider myself better than them."

She cocked her head. "I think ya might be, as much as that fact shocks  me." She regarded me for a moment. "That's why ya have to get back out  there and let them know they didn't get the best of ya, and they never  will no matter how much shite they hurl your way." She looked me over.  "Ya always were prettier than any of them, too. That's another reason  they hate ya, I'd guess. Shallow as all hell, mostly because they have  nothin' else except the superficial goin' for them."