Stone Cold Fox (35)
The lighting scheme was doing all sorts of favors for me. My engagement ring was repeatedly struck at the exact right angle, to the point where it seemed like I was shining it intentionally into her beady little eyes at every opportunity. Okay, fine, I was doing that on purpose, and not being very subtle about it, goading her to engage with me. Let’s play!
“I know what you’re doing, Bea.” Gale smirked, the creases of her lips caked in matte red lippy. She didn’t properly prep them prior to application. But still, what a long-awaited turn from my nemesis, who’d had her tail between her legs for the past several weeks. The bitch was back and we were both in heat.
Gale was dressed like an old oak tree in a pine green column gown. Cap sleeves. Not remotely flattering. A wintry color scheme in the middle of summer? A cry for help! She clinked the ice around in her tumbler of whiskey. Brown liquor? I also noticed her attempt at a winged eyeliner was atrociously uneven. A social media tutorial gone awry? It irritated me that she didn’t just spring for a professional to do it for her.
“I’m sure I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I replied, taking a small sip of my champagne, flinging the shine of my ring into her eyes once more because I felt like it. “Thank you so much for coming, Gale. It really is great to see you. Been a while since Newport. How’s Luke doing? Is he here?”
“We broke up,” Gale managed to say with a straight face, looking me right in the eye.
“Oh.” I clucked my tongue. “I’m so sorry to hear that.”
“I bet,” she scoffed. “It’s fine. We were ill-suited for each other and besides, I’ve been busy.”
“That’s great. Staying busy after heartbreak is essential. Work going well?” I smiled.
Gale pressed her lips together, physically vexed by the pleasant conversation.
“Just who exactly do you think you are?” Gale’s hand was gripping her glass so hard, I thought it might break. I loved it. She was openly challenging me at my own retirement, I mean, engagement party. Maybe I would end up having a little fun at this dull affair after all.
“Why don’t we go get some air?” I suggested. She paused before answering. I don’t think she was expecting such an invitation and perhaps she was weighing the odds of actually getting clocked in the middle of Elizabeth Street. As for me, I’d been salivating over getting another moment alone with Gale Wallace-Leicester since our showdown in the restroom at trivia night.
Gale and I stepped out of the restaurant and began to walk around the block in silence. I towered over her yet again, wearing my red bottoms, a gift from Collin. Gale was in mules. All heft, no height, true to form. I decided to speak first. “To answer your question, I am a lot of things, Gale, but as it pertains to you, I’m Collin Case’s fiancée. And you need to come to terms with it because soon enough I’ll be his wife. And there’s no coming back from that.”
“Oh, right. Hence the need for the prenup.”
“What do you know about it?”
“Haven tells my mother everything and my mother tells me everything. We’re close.” Gale cocked her head to the side, examining my face, seeking a reaction, a tell. Was she gloating about her relationship with her mother?
“A prenup is completely standard,” I said, though I wished in vain that Collin would have thrown all caution to the wind. Not on Haven’s watch. “I don’t need to talk about this with you. What kind of person attends an engagement party to harass the bride?”
“I’d hardly call it harassment, but a confrontation has become necessary. I tried to be kind about it with you, but you’ve left me with no choice, since you’ve come this far and did not heed my advice to retreat. Don’t you think the Cases have a right to know exactly what kind of woman their son wants to spend the rest of his life with?”
“Collin loves the kind of woman I am, and frankly, that’s all that matters.”
“That’s romantic, but unrealistic. The Cases have a sterling reputation in our circle and you’re quite a mystery, hmm?”
“I have it on good authority that Collin prefers that I don’t hail from your incestuous little East Coast dynasties. I excite him.”
“And does he excite you?” Gale asked, as if she knew the truth, tapping her fingers alongside her cheek in faux curiosity.
“Collin and I are in love.”
“Well, I have it on good authority that the Cases expected their son to end up with—”
“You?” I interrupted, allowing a single guffaw to escape my lips. She was not pleased. “Gale, before you go any further with your little tirade, I know you’re in love with Collin. Everybody knows. It’s excruciatingly obvious and I’m sorry that your biggest secret isn’t much of a secret at all. I’m sure it must be uncomfortable to feel so exposed now, but ‘your circle’ has been well aware for quite some time. And yet, no arrangements were made to push it forward by Collin’s parents, or yours for that matter. Didn’t you say you were close with your mother?” I went for the jugular, yearning to throw down. I hoped she would take the bait.
“I bet they’re all regretting that now, since they left him to his own devices and he wound up down your dark alley,” she hissed. “Never mind my secrets. What about yours?”