Page 100 of The Best of Friends

“About two weeks. If you’ll give your card to my brother, he’ll write up the order.”

Aleksei nodded, then reached for her free hand. He kissed her knuckles, then excused himself.

A man from China and his translator were next, followed by a representative from the Sultan of Brunei, asking about her inventory of yellow diamonds. The fawning attention made her feel better about pretty much everything. She replaced her empty glass with a full one and went searching for David.

She found him finishing an order. When he’d shaken hands with both the businessman from China and his interpreter, she moved next to him.

“Still not speaking to me?” she asked in a teasing voice. “You can’t stay mad at me forever.”

“I’m not mad,” he said, barely looking at her. “I’m disappointed. There’s a difference.”

Her good mood deflated like a punctured balloon. “Wait a minute. What did I do except tell the truth?”

He slipped the order forms into a concealed drawer and locked it. “Because none of this could be your fault? Hide behind the truth, if it makes you feel better. We both know you were a complete bitch. Not a real surprise, you’ve always had the tendency, but your target was unexpected. I thought Jayne was your friend.”

“She is. We’ve been friends for years. You know that.”

“With friends like you, I can see why she’s moving away.”

Rebecca stared at him. “Jayne isn’t moving because of me. She’s moving because of Mom.”

“Keep telling yourself that. Maybe it will be true.”

“No, I’m not the reason. Jayne is probably a little pissed right now, but her being sensitive doesn’t change facts. She’s not someone you can be with, David, and you know it. The truth is, you’re the one playing with her heart, not me. Leading her on, making her think she can win you.”

“I’m not a prize to be won or lost,” he said, glaring at her. “Neither is she. We had a relationship, one you’ve done your best to ruin. I care about her, Rebecca. I’m in love with her.”

She swallowed. “You’ve never said that about anyone before.” Her chest tightened. Love? He couldn’t love Jayne. He had to see that.

“I’ve never been in love before.”

“She’s totally wrong for you.”

“Why? Because she’s not rich?”

“Partially.” Partially, because if they had each other, they wouldn’t need her.

“I’m rich enough for both of us.”

“Fine,” she grumbled. “There’s more. She doesn’t have any connections. She wouldn’t fit in with your friends.”

“She’d fit in fine with mine. You’re saying she wouldn’t fit in Elizabeth’s world of charity events and parties. She doesn’t know the right people. You think I give a damn about that? I don’t need her to introduce me to anyone. I have plenty of connections on my own. What I want is a woman I can respect. Someone who challenges me and sees me for who and what I am. I want someone to call me on my bullshit. Someone who makes me laugh. I want to be excited about growing old with her. Jayne is special. I would expect you to be telling me I don’t deserve her, but you’re not really her friend, are you? You’re just like Mom. Using Jayne because it’s convenient and makes you look good.”

His words were a punch in the gut, but not as devastating as the contempt she saw in his eyes. “It’s not like that,” she began.

“I expected it from Mom,” he said. “But not from you.”

He walked away from her. There was something about the way he moved, as if he couldn’t wait to put some distance between them. As if she was someone he didn’t like anymore.

Her eyes burned, but she refused to give in to tears. Not in public. She hurried to the restroom, wanting to check her reflection. She felt small and ugly and needed to know that none of that showed on the outside.

After reassuring herself, she returned to the party, but she found she couldn’t stay. A few more people stopped her, wanting to talk about her work or to place orders, but their words seemed flat and false. The lights overhead were too bright, and the burning in her stomach seemed as if it would never go away.

How could Jayne have let things get this far? She had to have known it would never work out, but she continued to see David, taking him from Rebecca, probably turning him against his own sister.

The music was too loud, the crowd too large. The need for escape, for air, pressed in on her. She set her drink on the glass display counter, bumping it against the hip of one of the Rivalsa girls, as people had taken to calling them. The busty blonde rolled in Rebecca’s direction, stretching out on the glass.

“Hey, you’re the designer,” she said, fingering the diamond bracelet around her wrist. “Great stuff.”

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