Page 26 of Rivals Next Door

Elena’s eyes narrowed to suspicious slits. She put the shoe she was trying on back in its box and looked around the high-end boutique. We had relative privacy in our corner, so we could talk.

“Is this a trick question? You know, like one of those things that crazy friends do to low-key find out what their friends think of them?”

My eyebrows snapped together as I stared at her. “You have a suspicious mind.”

“I’m an investigative journalist,” she replied.

My lips quirked into a smile. “This isn’t a test. Seriously, how do you see me? Am I boring and forgettable?”

She sighed and shook her head. “Alright, we’re doing this then… You’re a bit of a prude, but you are definitely memorable, sweetie. You’re Olivia fucking Brentwood.”

I rolled my eyes. She’d been announcing my name like that ever since we met years ago. Elena was doing a feature on my father when we ran into each other in the hallway at BioTech.

She’d looked at me and said, “Oh, my God, you’re Olivia fucking Brentwood. I’ve been looking into you for a while. If you ask me, you’re the one I should be writing about, but the men insist on getting all the credit.” She’d rolled her eyes so dramatically that I thought she’d lose an eyeball. “And we ladies must appease their egos, right?”

I’d stared at her for a moment, taken aback by the loquacious stranger, but then I laughed because she was spot-on. After that, I relaxed and chatted with her a little. I liked her on sight and after an impromptu lunch date, we’d been inseparable ever since.

For someone like me who could never be sure if someone was pretending to be my friend because of my last name, it was nice to have at least one genuine companion. I could always depend on Elena to be honest… sometimes, brutally so.

“You think I’m a prude?”

She inspected me in my demure and dull pants suit and nude pumps. “I’ve been telling you for years that you need to let your hair out of that tight-ass bun.”

After a beat of silence, I laughed. “You have.”

Elena smiled but then it faded, and a concerned frown appeared. “What’s this about?”

Heat crept into my cheeks, and I averted my gaze to inspect the row of shoes lined out on a shelf. As the prude that Elena accurately accused me of being, I was at the demure pumps section.

“Uh…” As much as I tried to forget what Alex said the other day, I couldn’t, and I felt pathetic. A grown woman seeking validation because a man said something mean… Elena would be so disappointed.

“I think I know what’s happening here,” Elena said. “You’re feeling a little less confident after you lost your chance at an investor.”

I blinked. Oh, yeah. I might have lost my one chance to hold on to my company… My friend’s reminder made me want to sink into the floor because that’s not what I’d been thinking about for the last two days. Instead, I’d been driving myself mad with thoughts about my ex.

I was too embarrassed to respond verbally, so I lifted a shoulder and Elena ran with it.

“Don’t let that bring you down,” she said. “You’re one of the most determined people I know. You’ll find another investor.” She sighed. “And you’ve left your mark on the business and science world, Livy, so don’t worry about not being memorable. That’s just ridiculous.”

I stared at her, feeling a mixture of embarrassment and amusement. Well… I guess I’d just shut up and let her think my question came from my lack of confidence about my business prowess and not a guy…

“Thanks, Elena.”

She smiled.

“So…” I had to change the subject fast. “Remind me why we’re shopping again?”

“You mean other than to feed my substance addiction for expensive footwear?”

I chuckled. “You’re shameless.”

Elena lifted a shoulder and reached for a pair of peacock blue slingbacks. She wrinkled her nose and put them back. “We’re shopping because I need a new outfit for my third date with Christian.”

“Christian… Christian…” My eyeballs rolled around. “Would that be the news anchor or the underwear model?”

“The news anchor.”

I grinned. Elena and her underwear model were an unlikely pair. However, she said she only consorted with him because he had a big dick. My best friend was crazy, and I lived vicariously through her.

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