Participant Page 18

  “You’re pretty hot yourself, you know,” Tessa says.

  “I am. I am hot,” I say.

  “Ha! I told you. I told you there would come a day when you saw yourself as hot and I was right,” Sabrina says excitedly. “I’m right about everything,” she says waving her knuckles in front of her face and blowing on them smugly.

  I smirk at her. “So anyway... In conclusion, I want to say thanks to all of you for coming over tonight and not telling me to go to hell when I asked if you would accompany me to this little soiree... okay... yeah that’s it. Cheers to new friends and new adventures.”

  “Cheers,” Sabrina and Tessa say at the same time as they raise their glasses, glancing at one another other in mild surprise. Haltingly, they clink their glasses together.

  Four wine glasses chime together, and I get the feeling that maybe Sabrina and Tessa won’t strangle each other. Perhaps the night hasn’t been ruined after all.

  Chapter 25

  Ten minutes later, our chariot arrives in the way of a flashy, black, BMW, sport utility vehicle complete with a driver in a matching black suit. He knocks on the door and we all shriek with excitement. The wine has finally gone to our heads and we’re ready to get this show on the road and let loose. We pile into the car where we find a chilled bottle of champagne waiting for us. It’s about a twenty minute drive to Sarah’s house and I’m feeling pretty good by the time the car pulls into the circular driveway in front.

  Floodlights illuminate the green expanse of the perfectly landscaped front lawn, and tall pillars stand on either side of massive, double doors. Bright lights in every flower box-adorned window welcome their guests inside.

  “I thought you said this was just a ‘little’ house warming slash engagement cocktail party,” Tessa says, gazing up at Sarah’s sizable home then around at the numerous cars parked along the long driveway.

  “Well, it is. It’s just that she happens to have a giant house and a lot of friends.”

  The driver comes around to open the doors. I scoot along the seat to let myself out, taking the last sip from my glass and leaving it in the cup holder. I straighten out my skirt and smooth down the front of my top. Time to go face the vultures. The neighborhood is so quiet, I can hear crickets chirping and the sound of our heels clomping against the uneven stones of the path leading to the front doors. Our footsteps echo into the night as the roar of the SUV driving away fades into the distance.

  I take the lead, jabbing the doorbell twice with my finger. When no one answers, I reach for the doorknocker but before I can get my hand on it, none other than Angela flings open the doors.

  “Hello, Angela,” I say, stepping into the grand front entry.

  She doesn’t even say hello. “Oh my gosh, Alexis! Is that you?” She says with exaggerated shock in her voice. “Oh. My. Gosh!” she says again with her mouth hanging open. “You look sooooooo good. I don’t believe it’s you.”

  I’m not sure whether to feel insulted or complimented. Her theatrics raise more than a few eyebrows and it’s quite embarrassing, so I say a quick thank you and begin introductions to shift the focus.

  “Angela, these are my friends, Talya, Sabrina and Tessa,” I say, pointing them out one by one. “Everyone, this is Angela. We work together.”

  “Nice to meet you all,” Angela says, taking in my impeccably dressed friends with interest. “Now, how do you all know each other?” she asks with curiosity.

  I freeze for a second and my eyes widen. I hadn’t thought to brief the girls on the fact that I didn’t want anyone to know about Chloe Dillon and that I haven’t told anyone except Sarah. I shake my head discreetly at Sabrina, catching her eye. Thank god she gets it. Just as Talya opens her mouth, presumably to out me, Sabrina jumps in. “Oh, just through mutual friends,”she says casually.

  Talya looks confused but Tessa immediately catches on as well and says, “I think it was Scott’s party right?”

  “I think so. Who can remember after all this time and all the parties we go to?” I say, shrugging my shoulders.

  Angela gives me a hard stare, but seems to accept our answer. “Right this way,” she cackles in her annoying, high falsetto voice and leads us down the hallway towards the rumble of loud talking over even louder music. “Gifts go there,” she says, pointing to the office on the left. “Oh, never mind, you didn’t bring one,” she says in a patronizing tone.

  I immediately kick myself for not bringing a gift even though it specifically said no gifts on the invite. Like a tour guide, Angela continues to lead us into the house.

  “The dinner buffet is set up outside, but we have some appetizers and drinks here in the kitchen and in the living room over there. Oh, I better get more chips out,” she says with an air of importance while eyeing the almost empty bowl of Bar B Q chips. The doorbell rings again.

  “Ahh... better get that first,” she says spinning around. “Make yourselves at home, ladies,” she calls over her shoulder and rushes off towards the front door.

  “Guys,” I say, quietly grabbing a glass of wine for myself, “I really don’t want anyone to know about Chloe Dillon. Especially Angela. She’ll just figure out a way to make me feel stupid because of it. Thanks for catching on,” I say to Sabrina.

  “I can usually spot a trouble maker a mile away,” she says, casting a sideways glance at Tessa that doesn’t go unnoticed.

  Tessa catches it and looks away.

  “I don’t understand,” Talya says, confused. “Why would someone you work with want to make you feel stupid?”

  “You’re too nice to understand such things, Talya, but some people are just mean.” I let out a big sigh. I can hear Angela heading our way with the newest arrivals. “Let’s go find Sarah. And some real food,” I say, grabbing some tortilla chips and shoving a few in my mouth.

  Sarah’s home looks totally different than it did the last time I was here. The boxes and clutter from before have been replaced with expensive furniture and stunning decor.

  “Ooh, I love this!” Tessa says, pointing out the gallery wall above the fireplace.

  The living room is full of people standing around with drinks and plates in their hands, chatting and socializing, but I don’t see Sarah anywhere. I lead us towards the French doors at the rear of the house that open up to the back yard.

  The patio boasts a full outdoor kitchen made of colorful stonework and several round tables set up beneath bright blue and white striped umbrellas. Ahhh...the food! I can smell it. I make a beeline for a long table lined with silver serving trays, but stop short when I hear someone call out.

  “Alexis!”

  I turn around to see Sarah walking towards us. She grabs Jason’s hand, plucking him away from a group of people and bringing him along with her.

  “Love your outfit!” she says, giving me a hug. The look on her face makes it clear that my uncharacteristically cool outfit surprises her, but I love it that she doesn’t make a big deal over it like Angela did. “I’m so glad you came and brought your friends. I’ve heard so much about you all. Thanks for coming.”

  Sarah looks so pretty in a form fitting, burgundy, above the knee dress that shows off her curvy figure and lush cleavage.

  Jason introduces himself. A preppy sweater vest over a button up top nicely set off his clean cut, classic good looks.

  “Would you all like a tour?” Sarah asks.

  Jason pipes up. “Sarah, they just got here. Let them eat.”

  “Oh yeah!” She laughs. “Dig in. We’ll do the tour later.”

  She didn’t have to ask me twice. I grabbed my plate first and started loading it up. My diet has been more miss than hit.

  “Over here.” Tessa says, spotting a just vacated belly table for us to gather around.

  “So, what’s the deal with that Angela chick?” Tessa asks.

  I glance behind me to make sure she’s not anywhere near us. “She’s a holier than thou phony who faked a pregnancy to steal her well to do husband away from his first w
ife.”

  “Whoa!” Talya says.

  “Interesting. So how did you end up on her shit list?” Tessa asks.

  “I don’t know. She was the star adjuster before I got there. I’ve stolen some of her thunder and for some odd reason, she believes we’re in competition with each other for Sarah’s friendship. As if Sarah can’t have more than one friend. When Sarah got engaged to a contracting mogul, she became obsessed with her, but I’m not the kind of person she wants to be friends with.”

  “If she’s so rich, why does she work at Silver?” Sabrina asks.

  “She’s rich, but not that rich. They have a certain lifestyle to maintain, and her husband’s real estate business hasn’t taken off to that level yet, but she expects it to.”

  “So do you know anyone else here?” Sabrina asks.

  “Well, I know Michelle over there. She’s basically Angela’s whipping post. Angela’s husband is her husband’s boss.” I glance around the room for anyone else I recognize. “That guy works at Silver too. I guess that’s probably his wife. Apparently, they’re on the verge of divorce, according to Sarah.”

  “Who’s that?” Sabrina asks pointing to a really tall, attractive guy. The first thing I notice about him is how good his jeans fit. They aren’t three sizes too big like Will used to wear them. The second thing I notice is how incredibly white and perfect his teeth are and how much they stand out against his smooth brown skin. As if he feels my eyes boring a hole into the side of his head, he turns towards us.

  “Stop looking,” I say between clenched teeth.

  “Well, do you know him?” Tessa asks.

  “No,” I say, shaking my head.

  “Well, something tells me that you want to,” Sabrina says, smiling with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

  “No,” I say, vigorously shaking my head. “I really don’t think he’s my type.”

  We head inside the house, tossing our empty plates as we go, and I’m acutely aware of heads swiveling our way. Even the ladies turn their heads to look when we pass. We grab wine from the kitchen then Sabrina says, “Let’s split up.” She hooks her arm in Talya’s and heads back outside.

  The pairings couldn’t have worked out better. Sabrina hates Tessa, and out of the four of us, Talya and I are shyest, so I’m not sure how far the two of us would have gotten if working the room on our own. We wander into the living room where Tessa introduces herself to the first cluster of people we encounter. I tell myself that I’ll speak and engage and have fun without automatically assuming everyone is going to look down on me. This party won’t be a repeat of Sabrina’s rooftop deck.

  “I’m Tessa,” she says confidently and sticks her hand out to the person across from her.

  “I’m Alexis. You can call me Lexi,” I say with a tentative smile.

  “I’m Brandy,” says a painfully thin woman with a sheath of thick brown hair draped over her shoulders in loose waves most people don’t have the hair to recreate. The male in the group is John, a longtime friend of Jason’s, who works in executive marketing and logistics. Whatever that means. What is it with these job titles that scream of importance but leave you with little idea as to what the person actually does? Clearly dazzled when Tessa tells them she works for a TV station, they immediately exchange Instagram handles. I’m hoping they won’t be interested in finding out anything about me.

  “So, what do you do?” Brandy asks, turning to me.

  My cheeks burn. “I...um. I...” I can barely get the words out, until Tessa gives me a polite nudge behind my back. “I’m a Claims Adjuster for Silver Insurance,” I say simply. She waits.

  “Oh, and are you still in school...” she trails off, presumably waiting for me to say more, except I really don’t have anything else to say. I work. Why can’t that be it? Why do people assume that there has to be some kind of doing or achieving going on at all times just because I’m in my twenties?

  “No more school for me,” I say curtly.

  Brandy and John smile blankly.

  “She works with Sarah,” Tessa adds.

  “Well, do you enjoy it?” John asks.

  “Not really,” I say. “In fact, I hate it. My passion is actually acting,” I continue, surprising myself and Tessa.

  “Ooh, how interesting,” Brandy says with an approving glimmer in her eyes.

  “And what about you?” I ask nimbly keeping the conversation flowing, but directing the attention back to Brandy. “Your job sounds fascinating.”

  “Oh, it really is,” she says excitedly. She gets paid to create words for companies, runs her own blog and freelances on other websites. I’m baffled by how one ends up in the position of getting paid to do that. I can create words. Can someone pay me for it?

  I break away from Tessa to run to the bathroom, which is down a long marble hallway off the living room. I take advantage of this moment to step out of the high heels, letting the ice cold floors soothe the balls of my feet while I pad over to the toilet and collapse just in time for my full bladder to release. I glance at my reflection in the mirror while I douse my hands in liquid soap, taking note of the power of make up and a stylish outfit to conceal what I might be lacking in confidence. A nice smile goes a long way, and, okay maybe I’m not an entrepreneur or climbing the corporate ladder, but that doesn’t make me a less worthy human, so I need to stop acting like it does. “Fake it ‘til you make it,” I say out loud to my face smiling back at me in the mirror. Except maybe I’m not faking it anymore. I dry my hands on the fancy, powder blue, embroidered hand towels and help myself to some fragrant hand lotion before opening the door and running face first into White Teeth.

  “I’m so sorry,” I sputter in surprise, touching my hand to my forehead where it slammed into his hard chest.

  “Excuse me,” he says in a deep baritone voice at the same time.

  “No problem,” we say in unison, laughing together.

  He enters the bathroom while I shimmy my way past, pressing my back to the door jamb so as not to brush against him. I retreat quickly down the hallway, slowing my steps only when I recognize the sensation of the cold floor beneath my feet and realize I left my shoes in the bathroom. I wait, and when he comes out, he has my shoes in hand.

  “I thought you might need these,” he says, placing the shoes on the floor in front of me so I can step into them. My right shoulder dips downward as I awkwardly step into the first, then second shoe. He reaches a hand out toward me and I grab it to steady my balance and find myself three inches closer to his eye level, but still staring upwards into eyes the color of coffee with a heavy dose of creamer. I’m close enough to smell alcohol mixed with mint gum on his breath and feel heat emanating from his body. Our eyes lock. I withdraw my hand from his grasp just as it appears he’s going to speak.

  “Thanks again,” I say, rushing towards the thump of music and party chatter in search of Tessa. My newfound fake it ‘til you make it attitude doesn’t yet extend to flirting with really attractive men, but I cut myself some slack. I’ve never flirted with anyone but Will, and find it extremely unnerving that his dimple remind me of him.

  Cheeks still hot from my encounter with White Teeth, I find Tessa in the back yard where we run into Michelle and her husband. She looks adorable in a black maxi dress stretched over her rotund pregnant belly. Her husband Paul and I shake hands and I introduce him to Tessa. Angela and her husband Matt make their way over to us just as Talya and Sabrina head our way as well, so I introduce all the girls to the husbands. Matt’s eyes light up and I notice a discreet exchange of glances between him and Paul. Angela gives her husband a look of irritation and I notice her grab his arm just a little tighter.

  “We’re going to get dessert,” I say to break away from the group, Angela in particular. I grab a piece of chocolate cake and take a big bite while the other girls go for the cheesecake. It’s so good, I’m already thinking about a second piece.

  “So, did you talk to the cutie with the white teeth?” Sabrina asks. />
  “Nope,” I say nonchalantly.

  We found Sarah and went on the house tour where we oohed and awed over her beautiful home. There were a few shots of tequila and more snacking before the mass exodus began and people sought out the gracious hosts to say their goodbyes. It was a fabulous party. I don’t think I’ve ever had more fun at one of their shindigs. The animosity between Sabrina and Tessa was barely detectable, and having them with me did wonders for my party anxiety.

  While we’re standing outside waiting for the car, Angela and her husband come out. I catch a death glare directed at him and barely make out her telling him to shut up.

  “Do you girls need a ride or something?” Angela asks, changing her tone and pasting a smile on her face as her husband charges past, presumably to get their car. Trouble in paradise?

  “No, thank you. We got it covered,” I reply smugly just as a white stretch limousine pulls into the driveway. It’s not the car we were dropped off in, but we assume it’s for us. The driver hurriedly gets out of the car to come around and open the passenger side doors. Angela’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise as she surveys the scene. I give her a super sweet smile over my shoulder before sliding into the sleek limousine. The driver shuts the door behind us just as her husband screeches to a halt in the driveway. She stands there for a few seconds, gesturing toward the door like she expects him to open it, but he doesn’t get out. Her head snaps in our direction before she stomps angrily to the car, flings the passenger side door open and gets in, slamming it behind her.

  I couldn’t have asked for a better exit. The only reason we have a limo is because there was some kind of mix up and that was all they had available to pick us up, but Angela doesn’t need to know that. All she needs to know is that I came to this party looking fashionable and pretty with an entourage of friends she probably wants to go shopping with, and that I left in a chauffeured limousine.