Page 42 of Last First Date
She stomps her foot. "Bullshit, Abernathy. There is no way you put on a tuxedo and came here just because you wanted to apologize to me for all those mean things you said the other morning. Why don't you cut the crap and tell me what's really going on?"
I can't though. She's with Kotner and apparently happy about it, and I have to be a good enough man to admit defeat here, even if I'd like nothing more than to shove her against the nearest wall and show her why I'm a better man for her than that limp-dicked fancy rich boy.
But it’s Darcy. She’s made it quite clear that her relationship with her mother comes first, and we all know I’m not good enough for the Millicent von Albrechts of the world. I owe it to her to not complicate her life any further. She seemed fine all snuggled up next to Prince Charming, so I need to back off and give her what she really wants—the chance to make her mother happy. I need to rescue her again, but this time, I’m rescuing her from myself.
I shake my head. "That's all I've got tonight, Darcy. An apology, a dance, and a beer. I'm sorry that I can't give you everything else you're looking for, but I'm glad you found it."
"Fuck you, Abernathy." She spins on her heel and stomps off through the sea of guests, leaving me with a half-empty beer and the little tiny pieces of my heart.
Daniels appears at my shoulder. "Well, that didn't go according to plan."
I sigh, and drink some more. "No shit, Sherlock."
He takes my beer from me and puts it down on the table. "Quit drinking and listen up. Plan A was a bust, but that doesn't mean you should let the girl of your dreams just walk away from you, even if you are a dumbass rookie."
"No, Daniels. You listen to me. I have to keep my mouth shut precisely because I saw her slipping off for a little hallway make out session with another guy. Especially when another guy is exactly who her precious mother wants for her."
Daniels shakes his head. "You're an idiot. Of course you have to tell her. If you don't give her all the information, how can she make the right decision?"
I grab my beer and finish it. "Because she is making the right decision. She wants to make her mother happy, and I owe it to her to let her do that. I need to get out of the way of her happiness."
"Stupid," he grumbles, then reaches over for Darcy's abandoned, half-full beer.
I smack his hand away. "That one's mine too. Go get your own." It's not my beer, obviously. But I figure it's as close as I'm going to come to tasting Darcy's mouth.
"Christ, you're pathetic." Daniels grumbles as he heads over to the bar to get his own drink.
"You don't know the half of it," I agree as I lift her bottle to my mouth.
Darcy
Asshole. Thomas Abernathy is a fucking asshole deluxe, and I can't help wanting to punch him right in his oversized dick.
How dare he stand there and talk down to me. Acting like he knows what's best for me and then making it out like I'm some sort of gold digger.
Please. I'm not his usual one-night stand type of girl, no matter how desperately he's been trying to set me up to feel like I'm one this entire time.
The sting of his words has left me seething. Ready to fight with someone. And since I've already sent Hesse Kotner home for the evening, that only leaves two available targets for my wrath and I just walked away from one of them.
The stupid one who knew exactly what kind of beer I like.I’d have sworn he wanted to kiss me when we were dancing together, and instead he gave me another crappy speech about how happy he is for me.
To hell with him.
I'm a woman of high standards. Or at least I used to be, when it came to dating and kissing type stuff. That's why I've been so very single for such a long time that my own mother has resorted to matchmaking.
And speaking of my mother, I need to find her somewhere in this throng of people and have a real face-to-face discussion with her before Hesse Center corners her about what an absolute shitshow this date turned out to be.
I guess I should feel bad. But I don't. Everything about the entire set up with him has always felt off to me, like we were both trying too hard to fit with one another. And I don’t want to have to try to enjoy myself. It shouldn’t be that much work to be on a date with someone.
Hesse Kotner is, at heart, a snob. He’s always wearing clothes that are too expensive and the way he carries on with the people around him—it’s obvious that he’s just trying to see how much money they have in comparison to his own fat bank balance and then basing his decisions about how to act with them solely on how much money they have. He toadies up to people who have more than he does, and ignores the ones that he thinks are beneath him.
I can see why that aggressive type of social climbing would appeal to my mother and her set, but it's the very opposite of who I am and I'm not willing to dress up and play pretend any more. I like who I am and I'm done apologizing for it. Right after I apologize to my mother, that is.
As expected, Millicent von Albrecht stands right at the center of a group of the fancier-dressed socialites of the area. Because she's Millicent von Albrecht, and this is her natural habitat. Social wealth and power is her favorite form of currency, and she's certainly not above spending it on being made over like a queen at high power and high dollar gatherings like this. She loves to see and be seen, and most importantly, she loves to be at the center of things as they happen.
The whole thing makes me want to take a shower or at least wash my hands, but I can't help who my mother is any more than she can change who I really am.
I shoulder my way through the small crowd of spangles and jewelry, pushing to get closer to her. She's telling some sort of story about the upcoming mayoral election and the senator who's running against Reed. Huh. I still can't figure out why anyone would want the job that Reed loves so much and is already quite good at, but whatever. Men, money, and politics are just three more things that I'm likely to never quite understand.
