Page 44 of Let's Call a Truce
“We got the bills.” Dani held them up as I settled into line with them. Asia kept her eyes away from me. “And we saw you on the dance floor.”
“Saw what?” I cleared my throat.
“Over here calling me a bad friend for bringing him and then almost kissing him on the dance floor,” Asia grumbled as she kicked at a pebble on the ground.
Dani looked between us, then turned to Rosario. “Our mommies are fighting.”
“We’re not fighting,” I said.
Asia scoffed. “She’s a hypocriteanda liar.”
I knew I was in the wrong and came over with every intention of apologizing, but her response had my hackles raising. “I guess I owe you an apology,” I said to Asia, my tone coming out more aggressive than it sounded in my head.
Why are you like this, Juliana? Just say sorry.
“You guess?” she asked incredulously.
I groaned. “No, I don’t guess. I—”
“Juliana, I love you, but I’m trying really hard not to say something that’s gonna make this worse.” She glanced at the large garland of singles we had worked on together. “Let’s do the dance and then take a beat.”
I bit my tongue as we turned away from each other. Dani and Rosario awkwardly blabbed on about this wedding drama or that. My heart was pounding in my chest from my argument with Asia and what happened on the dance floor.
I almost let him kiss me again. Iwantedhim to kiss me again. The warmth of his hand on my cheek and the reassuring pressure from the other on my hip seemed seared on my body. I blindly stepped forward as the line moved on, fretting about, or perhaps fantasizing about, what would have happened if the DJ had been a few seconds later.
The four of us joined Christopher on the dance floor, looping the garland around his neck. He laughed, spinning and dipping us all in turn before we slipped away to let him move on to the next person. With a wedding this large, the money dance could go all night long.
The second we finished, Asia walked away to join Ben where he waited in the men’s line.
Dani clapped me on the shoulder. “Let’s get you a drink, friend.”
We were at the bar for less than a minute when Victoria cornered me. “How are things going with Marcus?”
I forced a smile. “Oh, Lola, he’s nice, but I don’t think we are the right fit.”
“How disappointing.” Her eyes went unfocused, like she was flipping through her internal Rolodex for her next attempt. An idea dawned on her.
“Is this because of the handsome man you were with on the dance floor?”
Dani and Rosario covered their laughter with a cough behind me. I shot them a glare over my shoulder.
“No.” As the word left my mouth, I realized I was, in fact, lying to Lola. “There is nothing between Ben and me. We just know each other from work.”
“Well, that’s a shame. Is he single?”
My heart beat wildly as I pictured the long list of bachelorettes forming in her mind.
“Are you looking for a date?” I asked with a cheeky smile. Victoria’s laughter exploded through the space, drawing glances from the people around us.
“If only I was. But I think I’m too old to keep up with a man like that, all height and muscles and dark, tempting eyes.” She finished with a sigh, and I was certain she would go for Ben if she thought there was even the slightest of chances.
“To answer your question, Victoria, he is single, though I don’t think you could call him emotionally unattached.” Dani nudged me with her elbow, and I pushed her back with much less subtlety.
“Hm. Perhaps someone here can catch his eye and free up that heart of his.” Her wicked smile said Ben wouldn’t escape this wedding unscathed, either.
We watched her walk over to the bride’s money line, where Ben was a sitting duck as he waited for his turn with Gabriela. He looked at Asia and then back to Victoria, confusion etchedon every line of his face as she jumped into question after question. I couldn’t help but laugh, happy to know she was splitting her attention tonight. Maybe Marcus would be the only bachelor I’d have to hide from.
My joy quickly turned to annoyance. She relentlessly pushed woman after woman in front of Ben, encouraging him to dance, talk, and flirt. Even from across the venue, I saw every woman fluffing and fretting, eager to make a good impression on the man who had become the catch of the wedding. It was like he had his own money-dance line, women stacked up around the dance floor waiting for their turn. But instead of pinning cash to his suit, they were pinning their numbers and hotel key cards. It was enough to turn my stomach.
