Page 44 of Cinderella Screwed Me Over
I waited for Ms. Covington to put down her menu to start talking business. “If you don’t mind catching me up a bit, what exactly do you want done?” I asked.
“I just got a fat settlement in my divorce and I want to redoeverything.” Barbara swung her hand through the air. “Kick that guy to the curb and use his money to start over again. Men always have expiration dates. I say get rid of them before things go sour.”
“That’s how Darby feels, too,” Nadine said.
Jake chose that moment to arrive at our table. His raised eyebrows made me think he’d overheard the previous comments.
I set my glass off to the side of my plate. “I wouldn’t say that. I simply think that people get too wrapped up in this unrealistic view of happy relationships that last forever.”
“They don’t last forever,” Barbara said. “That’s why you choose someone with money.Thatlasts longer.”
A knot formed in my gut. I looked at Jake, pleading with my eyes for him to not take this conversation the wrong way. I’d be mortified if he thought I cared about a guy’s money. Rich or poor didn’t have any sway on if I thought a relationship would work out.
“Sorry to interrupt.” He held up my keys. “Look familiar? They were on the floor of the office.”
The keys jangled together as I took them from him. “Yeah, I probably need those.”
Nadine looked at me, her eyes wide and questioning.
“You ladies let me know if you need anything.” Jake smiled at me, and the heat still filling his eyes sent a swirl of warmth through me.
“Sorry about that,” I said after he walked away, working to turn my thoughts back to the job at hand instead of when I could kiss Jake next. “Where were we?”
We talked color scheme and style, and by the end of the meal, Nadine and I had landed a new client.
A client who made me worry about how people saw me and my anti-relationship stance.
Chapter Fourteen
I got into Stephanie’s car and relaxed on the cushy passenger seat. It seemed like Steph and I hardly got to talk anymore, and I was excited to spend time with her.
Stephanie turned down her radio. “Dish before my phone rings.”
“Maybe you should just silence your phone,” I said as she pulled out of the parking garage and onto the street. At least Steph had e-mail capability on her phone. It was turning into our main form of communication. “If we were sinking and you could save me or your phone, which would you pick?”
“If I had my phone to call for help, I could save you, my phone,andmyself.”
I shook my head. “Too bad I went under and you can’t find me now. Hope you and your phone have a lovely life together.”
Steph reached out and took my hand. “I’ll never let you go,” she said, doing her best Kate Winslet inTitanicimpression.
I laughed. “Can you believe we watched that movie in the theater over and over?”
“What was it, like, three times?”
“I think it was four. And we cried every time.” I shot her a mock-stern look. “Tell anyone that, though, and I’ll have to disown you.”
Steph laughed, and then her phone’s ring broke through. She glanced at the display and sent it to voice mail. “I feel like I’m on the phone all day long, lately, and rarely talking to the people I want to. It’ll get better after the wedding, though.”
“But then you’ll be a busy wife. It’s okay. I’ve only got twenty years before I retire and move in with Drew.” I injected my words with sarcasm. “I’m sure it’ll fly right by.”
“Stop changing the subject. Tell me about seeing Jake today.”
“He took me back to his office and we kissed for a few minutes.” My lips tingled at the memory of those minutes. Damn, that guy could kiss. I told Steph about my new client and how Nadine had told her she and I had the same values, then threw my hand up to my chest. “I’mnot a gold digger. I have no desire to marry men and take their money. She even said to never marry poor, because when the relationship fails, you need to get something out of it.”
“She’s even more cynical than you,” Steph said. “And she’s found a way to make money off it.”
The air vent was blowing right in my eyes, so I turned it away from me. “As my recently shitty luck would have it, Jake came to bring me my keys at the same time Nadine said I felt the same way, so that was nice and uncomfortable.”
