Page 42 of The Boss and the Wedding Mess
Meanwhile, I’m frying the vegan ground meat, chopping an onion, and mixing it in with the carrots before gradually adding the rest.
We chat a bit more—about the dreary London weather, current movies and shows—while layering the lasagna and sliding it into the oven. Afterward, we pour tea and make ourselves comfortable on the couch.
"How did you meet Alex?" I ask.
"In school. My parents are from France, and we moved to London when I was eleven. I already spoke fluent English, so school wasn’t hard. It was this elite private school with uniforms—really fancy. I liked that." She looks dreamy and nostalgic. I sip my tea as she goes on. "At first, I was the total outsider. The new girl. The weird one from enemy France."
"It’s crazy that there’s still resentment after all these years," I say. "The war was ages ago."
"Yeah..." She sighs, then continues, "Alex was in my class, but I never really noticed him. Three years later, I still had no friends and was being bullied, he eventually caught on. The mean girls in my class were always cruel in secret, so no one ever noticed. Not even Alex. He thought they were my friends. For a while, I did too, until I realized they were just mocking me." She smiles. "Then one day Alex caught them hitting me."
"What?" I'm horrified. Even girls can be really nasty and disgusting. And at a young age!
"I always thought if I endured it long enough, they’d eventually lose interest. But it only got worse. Alex saw it and put them in their place. He gave them such a scolding they never dared touch me again." Stephanie beams and looks at me, delighted. "He was my hero. That’s how we became best friends."
"Alex, the noble knight. And then he even set you up. Has he known Marc for that long too?"
"Yeah, but only since college. They were taking the same course. I went to a different university because I wasn’t interested in economics. He and Marc did a lot together. Eventually, we always hung out as a trio. At first, I wasn't really interested in Marc, but he fell in love with me from our first meeting."
"And when did you finally give him a chance?"
"The spark happened only six months ago. He had started dating other women, and I saw how poorly they treated him. Alex was in the U.S. at the time, so I tried to be a better friend to Marc. So I cheered him up. Told him what a fantastic guy he was, and that a woman would be stupid not to appreciate him. He asked me if I was stupid too. That’s when it clicked. I always thought he just had a crush, but it was real love from the very beginning. How could I not want to marry him?"
"Wow. He held on for a long time." I let out a deep breath. "And then I ruined your wedding."
Now I feel even worse than before.
"I think from today on we can laugh about it. At least it makes for an exciting story to tell our kids someday."
"True." We giggle and keep chatting until the lasagna is ready and we can try it. And I have to admit—it tastes almost exactly like the real thing. If I didn’t know better, I’d never guess the meat and cheese weren’t made from cow’s milk.
Stephanie and I talk a little longer before she glances at the clock.
“It’s already nine. I really need to head home—our flight leaves tomorrow evening.”
“Where to?”
“Two weeks in Zanzibar.”
“Wow, that sounds amazing. Do you like flying?”
“We’re taking my father’s jet. That definitely makes it easier.”
“I hope with a lockable sleeping area?” I tease as I walk her to the door.
“Oh, yeah…” She laughs, then suddenly pulls me into her arms. “London, it was so lovely meeting you. I hope we can do this again when I’m back?”
“Absolutely.” Maybe I’ve just found a new friend. That would be wonderful.
When I'm alone again, I call Nessa. I’d texted her earlier that I couldn’t talk, but she still tried.
“Hey,” I greet her, stretching out my legs.
“Finally,” she says, almost desperate. “Is she gone?”
“Yeah. It went really well, actually. She asked me a million questions, but Stephanie’s genuinely very sweet. We clicked well.”
“So, she’s not mad anymore?”
