Frayed Silk(26)

I sit alone for a while, enjoying the solitude and the champagne as my heart starts to finally slow to a normal rhythm. Matilda, one of the organizers’ wives, comes over and joins me, and I hope I hide my wince well enough behind my glass.

“You look lovely, darling,” she says, air kissing both of my cheeks. If the air kisses weren’t enough to make me gag, the amount of Chanel no.5 she’s smothered herself in definitely does the trick. But I manage to return the sentiment.

“Oh, don’t I?” she gushes, smoothing a hand down the bodice of her midnight blue gown that would be better suited as swimwear, due to how little it leaves to the imagination.

“How are those babies of yours?” She bats her lashes, looking around the room distractedly and waving to a few people.

She always thinks they’re still babies, and though I sometimes wish they were, it’s been years of her asking the same question now. But I can’t find it in me to correct her tonight.

“They’re great. With the sitter tonight.”

She hums. “And how’s our dear Taylor doing, hmmm?” She tilts her head a fraction. “It’s been a few years since she’s graced us with her presence at any of these events.”

Leo’s mom. I force a big smile. “She’s great, traveling and enjoying life as she should be.” My tone dares her to say otherwise. Some of these people can get on my last nerve with their self-righteous bullshit. Taylor’s donated and given enough of her money and life to them, so she deserves to do as she damn well pleases.

“Anyway”—I jerk my head to Leo who’s approaching—“better get back to the husband.”

She smiles thinly, saying goodbye and moving on to hassle someone else. I sink back into my seat, relieved that I don’t have to move just yet and request a refill.

“Who was that?” Leo asks, coming up to my side.

I pretend to play dumb, “Who? Matilda?”

He shakes his head, his eyes searching the crowd of partygoers. “No, him. The valet.”

“Oh, Jared?” I shrug, trying to act indifferent even as the alcohol and dinner threaten to travel back up my throat. “He works at the shelter.”

Leo’s gaze returns to me, studying and assessing, but I don’t flinch or look away. I keep my eyes glued to his, daring him to ask the questions I see burning there. But he doesn’t. My shoulders slump, and I tilt my glass back in a very unladylike manor, drinking down half of it and blowing out a gust of breath through my nose as Leo moves away to talk to yet another business associate.

We stay for another hour and a half before Leo finally says we’re calling it a night, and we say our goodbyes. I’m glad because I’m feeling a little drunk and my feet are starting to hurt. He wraps an arm around my waist, almost possessively, as we step outside and wait for his car. But I don’t see Jared. Not until Matilda sidles over to us, puffing on her cigarette and grinning like a devil as she gasps, “Is that a pair of panties in that valet’s pocket?”

My eyes drift over to where she’s staring, finding Jared who’s smoking with his back turned to us and talking to someone. Then they land on the pink lace hanging slightly out of his back pocket. My stomach nosedives onto the cement beneath my expensive shoes.

Oh, hell.

They’re my panties.

“Well, I hope whoever’s been lucky enough to play with him hasn’t done so in our car.” Matilda giggles.

I think I nod, but I’m not entirely sure because my pulse is screaming in my ears as I glance up to see Leo with his eyes narrowed to thin slits on Jared.

A different valet finally brings our car around while I call myself all the names under the sun in my head as I thank God that it’s not Jared this time and climb inside.

The drive home is silent as tension and anxiety fill the very air we breathe. But I can’t bring myself to say anything.

And he doesn’t ask.





Watching the kids run off through the school gates, I rub my tired eyes. Sleep hasn’t come easily to me since the event on Friday night, and Leo’s distracted yet still detached behavior isn’t helping matters.

“Oh, you and I so need to talk,” Lola says with a gleam in her eyes Monday morning at school drop-off.

“Shush.” I glance around. “I know.”

“You saw him there? What the hell?” She gapes.

I sent her a text that night, telling her that Jared was there, but despite the number of times she tried to call, I didn’t answer. Leo was home all weekend locked away in his office, so I wasn’t risking it. Though I don’t know why I’m trying so hard to hide it. I know he knows something’s up. I mean, I freaking told him as much. Okay, that was technically before anything happened, but still.

Nodding my head, I lean back against the car and sigh. “This is getting crazy. I have no idea what I’m even doing anymore.”

She waits until a few moms walk by and are out of earshot before replying. “What do you mean? Did something else happen?”

I scrub my palms down my face, exasperated with myself. “Yes.”

So, I tell her about last Tuesday at the movies.

“I didn’t mean for anything to happen, but then again, I shouldn’t have even agreed to go. This whole ‘friends’ idea was doomed to begin with.”