Secret Designs(22)

She scowled at herself for letting that last sentence slip into her consciousness. With a shake of her head and a deep inhale, she walked out of the restroom and proceeded to the living room, where Jasmine and Linda were waiting for her.





*******



"Mum, Rosie and I are — Oh, hi, Ari. What are you doing here?"

Ari involuntarily swallowed as she turned to face a clearly surprised Dylan with a smug-looking, Pretty Miss Rosie hanging off his arm.

"Hi. I'm taking your mum's measurements," she answered in a neutral tone. In truth, she wanted to wail.

"I can see that. But why?"

"She's making my outfits for your sister's and your brother's weddings," Linda answered. "She's also designing Jaz's wedding dress and bridesmaid dresses."

"Oh," Dylan responded, looking lost.

"How exciting for you girls," Rosalie gushed. "Well, Dylan and I are going now to meet up with a couple of his friends, so I'll see you all again sometime soon. Linda, thanks again for inviting me to dinner."

"Oh, it's my pleasure," Linda answered, looking absolutely delighted. "I'll walk you two to the door."

Ari felt sick...heartsick. She pretended to make notes in her notebook, desperate for something else to do than watch Dylan walk out the door with another woman.

"Uh...bye, girls," she heard Dylan say.

She raised her hand for a brief wave and dared a glance at his direction. He was looking at her with an unreadable expression. Hastily, she went back to her task of doodling on her page.

Don't worry, Dylan. I get the picture.

"Ari," Jasmine said quietly. "Do you want a drink or something?"

She gave Jasmine a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "No, thanks, I'll be fine."

"I'm sorry."

"For what?" she asked in surprise.

"For that," Jasmine replied with a tilt of her chin toward the front door.

She pressed her lips to hide her distress.

"It's quite obvious something else went on between the two of you than just a one-night stand," Jasmine said sympathetically. "Didn't work out, huh?"

Her lips tugged in a semblance of a smile as she shook her head ruefully. "That's the way the cookie crumbles," she said resignedly.

"If it's any consolation," Jasmine continued, "I don't think there's anything serious between him and Rosalie. Kane would have told me about it if there were."

"It's really none of my business. It was only two nights of casual sex for us," she said bravely.

No need for Jasmine to know about the "friends with benefits" discussion she had with Dylan that wasn't going to happen anymore. Broadcasting that would just make her feel like a reject all over again.





*******



"We'll really miss you, Ari," Selina cried.

"I'll miss all of you, too," Ari responded as she hugged her now ex-officemate. "Thank you so much for organising this, Selina. It's so good of you guys to give up your Sunday afternoon to have lunch with me."

"Hey, we were really sad that we didn't get to say goodbye to you last Friday. You picked a bad time to have a migraine. We had a blast from midday and nobody returned to work in the afternoon. Considering the circumstances, the managers turned a blind eye."

"I'm sorry I missed it. But at least my good friends are here."

"So what's the next chapter for you, Ari?" a male voice said from her other side.

Ari turned her attention to Henry, the good-looking guy from marketing. "Continue banging on doors for a job," she said with a chuckle. "I'm lucky a friend of mine's getting married. She's commissioned me to make her bridal party dresses. That'll keep me busy for a while, until I find another company who'll hire me."

"If you need any help, I'm here for you, Ari," Henry said with a look that conveyed sincerity.

She smiled. "Thank you, Henry. I appreciate that."

"Actually, I was wondering if you could do me a favour," Henry asked hesitantly.

"Sure."

"My brother is getting married, too. He wanted to impress his fiancée so he took it upon himself to volunteer for some tasks involving the wedding. One of them is to hire his and the groomsmen's attires. But he's also smart. As his best man, he's passed the job on to me. I have absolutely no idea what to do."

"What exactly do you need help with? Research a place where you can hire tuxedos or suits?"

"I don't even know what we should be wearing," Henry replied, looking totally bewildered.

Ari laughed. "So you need help with everything, in other words."

"Yes, please," he responded pleadingly.

"Okay, no problem."

"Thank you! You're a lifesaver," Henry said, kissing her on the cheek.