Page 96 of Let's Call a Truce
“Well, let’s get going!” I forced a bright smile on my face and half dragged James out of the building.
The venue was beautiful, with large chandeliers and an art-deco design that made it easy to imagine the Kennedys celebrating here in their heyday. The event was large, an attempt to make a lot of donors feel special and remind them why they love Billings.
James led us to our table, offering to grab me a drink before everything got under way. I took advantage of the privacy to have a word with Eduardo.
“President Munchen told me she talked to you about the offer she made me.”
He smiled, but his eyes were sad. “Let’s not talk about it now. It’s a big conversation to have, and we should save it for once we’re back in Orlando. Enjoy tonight and don’t worry about me.”
He patted me on the shoulder before moving off to talk to someone from his school years. I was left alone, waiting for James to come back with my drink.
“You really do look beautiful.” I turned around to find Stephanie with her sickeningly sweet smile. “Your dress shows off how… curvaceous you are.”
The pause was just long enough to make it clear “curvaceous” was not a compliment.
“I couldn’t wear something like that with how petite I am. But it’s no surprise that professor of yours can’t stop watching you. I’m betting you are going to have some fun on this vacation.”
She acted like we were best friends, gossiping about boys and clothing, but I heard the words spoken beneath.Go focus on your professor and stay away from my husband.Mean girls were nothing new, and I had no interest in playing her game. I was a grown-ass woman, not some timid little girl on the playground she could bully. Careful not to draw stares, I stepped closer.
“You clearly know my history with Ben. But I told him I have no interest in getting between his family. This might surprise you, but I love your daughter and would never hurt her.”
I left the words “unlike you” unspoken, but she heard them just the same.
“I am not interested in trading hidden barbs and undermining each other. Our daughters are best friends, and I work with your ex-husband. So it’s your choice. We can be pleasant to one another or we can tolerate each other just enough to trade off kids for playdates. Either way, count me out for the mean-girl bullshit you’re trying to pull tonight, and maybe refocus your energy on winning back the trust and respect of the man you shit all over when you abandoned him and his daughter.”
I mirrored back her fake smile from earlier, spinning on my heel.
“You don’t need him,” she called out.
I turned back to her, finding a desperate glint in her eye even as she kept her chin high. I didn’t know exactly how she meant it. Maybe she felt lost and thought he was the way back to herself. Hell, maybe she really loved him. The part of me conditioned to be kind no matter what it cost me urged me to ask if she was okay. To find a way to make peace.
But her words repeated in my head.
You don’t needhim.
Notthem.
Whatever anger or self-loathing or insecurity fueled her decisions didn’t excuse the way she treated others. It didn’t make the way she’d forever damaged a little girl I loved okay. And it wasn’t my job to cure someone’s misery at the expense of my own happiness.
“And you haven’t earned them,” I said.
I left before she could respond, deciding to join James at the bar. I needed that drink sooner rather than later. This was going to be a long fucking night.
Chapter 31
“Ohhhh, you’re evil, my friend.”
I spun around to find Quinn behind me and pulled her into a quick hug. “Thank god you’re here. I need an ally tonight.”
“I’ve got you. And this is the sexiest battle armor I’ve ever seen.” She gestured for me to spin, and I did with a little laugh. “Yeah, that’s definitely going to torture Ben and piss off your nemesis.”
I couldn’t stop my smile. “Thanks, but that’s not the only reason I need you here. Things have been… unexpected since I left you at lunch. That meeting James picked me up for? President Munchen offered me a job.”
“What?” she screeched, grabbing my hand with both of hers. “What’s the offer? Please tell me you’re moving to Boston.”
“A job in the business school teaching classes on professionalism. She dropped it on me right before I had to sit through dinner with my current boss and my potential new boss all together, so that’s not stressful at all.”
“Are you going to take it?”
