Page 28 of It's About Time
Steven leans closer to me. “Glad to know I’m your first pick, though. Makes me feel secure in our relationship.”
“Trust me, Steven. Our relationship is one of the only ones I feel solid about, so that says a lot.”
He blows me a kiss and then retreats to the front office, leaving me and Laney alone. Laney nudges my shoulder with hers. “You know, the fact that Vinnie can’t keep your name out of his mouth has much more to do with him than it does you, right?”
“Oh, trust me. I tell myself that every time he threatens to disturb my peace. But this is different. I won’t be able to escape him for five days. His face will be on fucking promotional flyers and boards everywhere I turn. And his little brown noser of a girlfriend will be following him around the entire time.” I pinch the bridge of my nose. “It’s so sad because she really doesn’t possess any self-respect, Laney. The funny thing is, she’s actually pretty knowledgeable about cars. She and I had a conversation at a show a few years ago—before I knew she was his girlfriend, that is. I was impressed by how much she knows about cars, stuff that some of the men out there don’t know. But sadly, she doesn’t have the courage to try to make a name for herself, so she just latches onto the hot guy who’s having his moment and answers to his beck and call.”
“Then feel sorry for her, not jealous.”
I throw my head back in laughter. “Oh trust me, I’m not jealous at all. Vinnie is gonna chew her up and spit her out just the way he did me.”
“That’s her decision, though, Dilynne. You don’t have to save her from that.”
I meet Laney’s eyes. “But shouldn’t I? Shouldn’t I warn her about what he’s going to do to her?”
Laney squeezes her arm around my shoulders. “The way you want to protect people is one of the things that I love most about you, Dilynne Marie Clark. But some people aren’t going to want your help, remember?”
I narrow my eyes at her. “Is that supposed to be in reference to someone in particular?”
Laney releases me and then shrugs. “I think you know the answer to that question. And even when you tried to warn Elliot before he got engaged to Tori, he still wouldn’t listen. So I think what you should take from that is even if you were to warn this girl, she’s going to do what she wants to do anyway.”
Elliot Thorne—pain in my ass, one of my brother’s best friends, and yet another poor, unfortunate soul who trusted the wrong person and got his heart broken in the process.
And Laney is right. He didn’t want my help, but I still couldn’t resist giving him some sort of compassion in the wake of his fiancée leaving with her boss before their wedding.
Despite our differences, in that moment, I realized we shared some of the same scars.
“I swear, if I ever see that bitch again, Laney…”
Laney rubs my shoulder. “Just remember, you hate orange, Dilynne. A prison jumpsuit would not be a good look for you.”
Closing my eyes, I inhale deeply and blow out a breath. “You’re right. But talk about someone that the karma freight train needs to find sooner rather than later.”
“Oh, believe me, I know. But Elliot seems to be doing a little better lately, don’t you think?”
“Yes, but he’s still an asshole. Did I tell you what he did to me at your wedding?”
Laney’s brows draw together in confusion. “No, but between the honeymoon and everything that happened with Vienna, it’s no wonder you probably forgot.”
“Yeah, you’re right. Which reminds me, I think we should check on Vienna this week. I’ll text Elodie and maybe grab a cheesecake from Carolina’s bakery and we can all eat our feelings while we catch up.”
Laney rubs her stomach where soon there’ll be a tiny bump. “That sounds amazing. I should probably be worried that all this baby wants is chocolate right now, right?”
“Not at all. The baby already has good taste, that’s all.”
Laney laughs and then gives me a hug. “Okay, I need to get back to the salon. I have two more clients, then I’m going to go home and pass out. I swear, going back to work after vacation is the worst. And the first trimester exhaustion is real.”
“Yeah, but I bet going home to your husband isn’t awful, is it?”
Her smile is instant. “Not at all, my friend. Not at all.”
Chapter 9
Elliot
Ghosts of Weddings Past
“Colby? Can you bring me the files for the Smith case, please?”
