Page 22 of Imperfections Seduced
“You were. You’re a terrible liar. His eyes were on you most of the night instead of his fiancée, where they should have been.”
“Were they? I didn’t notice.”
“You were too busy nursing that wine glass all night.”
“I was not! I was enjoying the atmosphere.”
“That and evading the questions about the ‘show stopper’ pendant.”
I roll my eyes and groan. “Yes, and you were no help. You were starting trouble.”
“I was not. I was tapping into my inner Veronica Mars. I was stirring up things, a little bit. How else was I supposed to find out what’s going on between Nick and your sister? Plus I love sticking it to Kate.”
I shake my head and cradle the phone against my shoulder and search through my bag for a piece of gum. Of course I can’t find it. I have to clean this bag out tonight. “What does your inner Veronica Mars think she found out?”
“Did you notice that Nick and Kate hardly talked to each other all night, and they were not affectionate toward each other at all?”
“I did. But lots of couples don’t like to show PDA—”
“Please, Cat, do you really believe that?” she scoffs. “The one time I saw your sister with her ex she was draped all over him like a cheap leopard cat suit from the eighties, and you’re telling me she doesn’t like to show PDA? Something is not right, and we’re definitely going to crack this case wide open. You just leave it to me.”
She sounds so sincere I have to laugh. “I did notice the lack of conversation between them.”
“Just the lack of conversation! How about the lack of emotion? My God, I would hate to be in that bedroom, it’s probably colder than a Frigidaire.”
I burst out laughing, seeing it in my head. “You’re right; something wasn’t right. Jay and Vanessa were showing more affection toward each other, and they’re separated.”
“It’s not like my cousin to be so distant around family and friends like that.”
I don’t want to talk about this anymore; she’s like a dog with a bone, she’s just going to keep digging. I’m going tohave to accept this…whatever it is…they have going on. If only I can get Ava to see it that way, too.
“As much as I would like to sit here and analyze every little thing that happened the other night, I can’t.”
“And why not? You have something better to do?”
“As a matter of fact, yes. I’m starving. I need food, and I need it now.”
“Nice try changing the subject on me. I’m going to have mercy on you and let you go.”
“How kind of you.” In my best French accent I say, “Merci.”
“De rien mon amie,” she replies in perfect French.
“It’s amazing to me how you can lose your southern accent at the drop of a hat and speak fluent French. I love the language, but I totally sucked at it in school.”
She promptly loses both French and southern accents. “I have to mix things up. You know what they say about variety, and men do like variety. Speaking of, Nick is fluent in French. Maybe you can ask him to give you some lessons in the language of love.”
This girl. “Goodbye, Ava.”
“Wait! My schedule is busy this week, but let’s do lunch. Call me.”
“On one condition.”
“What?”
“You stop with all the Nick and Kate stuff. No talk of Nick.” She lets out a breath of air almost like a deflated balloon.
“Fine, I won’t mention his name. Call me.”
