Hanging On (Jessica Brodie Diaries #2)(73)

“Might not want a girl after this conversation.”

“Might just help you get a boy, then. A femy-pretty one. That suit you better?” Claire asked with a smirk. “I met all kinds when I lived in San Fran.”

“Jess,” Adam whined.

“Guys, leave Adam alone. He’s one against four. That is a lot of estrogen to throw at a cowboy.”

I got shrugs and a beer.

We talked and laughed, largely avoiding everyone else. Most of the crowd was older and paid us little attention when they wandered into the big room. I had a feeling they weren’t accustomed to hanging out by a bar. They found chairs and couches and ordered drinks through a waitress that tried her best not to look bored.

About an hour later William came to find me. He was drinking champagne when he entered, which was being passed around by servers, but quickly changed that for a beer when he reached the bar. He exhaled loudly and looked at me with an expression I couldn't read.

"Are you ready?" he asked me.

"For what?"

"We need to walk around together for a bit. There are some friends of my mother that want to meet you, plus... there are a couple girls here that my parents... my mother, tried to set me up with in the past. They will want to know who you are. I wouldn't trust them if I were you, but that is your prerogative."

After I gulped, I nodded, and finished my beer, getting a supportive pat from Lump. Instead of another beer, I asked for a Champagne. It looked better. Not to mention it would give me more courage.

William and I headed out, the girls in toe by twos. They planned to stay relatively near me in case I was cornered by a mean, scorned woman. I needed to remember to thank Gladis and William yet again for the girls this weekend; I would have been a mess without backup.

When we got to the made-up parlor we were confronted by hoards of elegant people politely chatting and sipping their drinks. The money in this room was insane. Jewels adorned all the ladies, along with designer labels galore. The men were spiffy, often drinking some type of brown alcohol straight, or with an ice cube. Most were either William’s parent’s age or older, but there was a spatter of younger people mixed in. As we entered, more than a few eyes turned our way, caught William, then glued to me.

I kind of wished I had Fred by my side.

I let William lead, knowing that if I was in charge, I'd hea directly out the front door. He took us first to Trudy and Dennis since they were close and I knew them, and we were received with delighted smiles.

“Hi Jessica! So glad to see you again!” Trudy exclaimed. “When are we going wine tasting? I have a club of women that want to join! I’ve simply raved about you. They all want to meet you.”

“Hi Trudy, Dennis. How are you?” I asked politely.

Trudy gave me a fleeting confused expression, then looked around her. She probably wondered what was up with the reserved attitude. Based on the fact that everyone was glancing at us and talking amongst themselves, I had a feeling she caught on quickly.

Then she proved it by adopting her own guarded manner. “Well, I hope to see you and William very soon. You have to come by for dinner! I had such a blast the other night.”

“We will,” William affirmed before smiling, nodding, and asking that we be excused from the conversation.

Everyone wanted to meet me. Then judge me.

So far I was not having any fun.

We meandered on. I met some people and said hi to the ones I knew through Gladis. All in all it was going well as far as horrible, intense pressure and scrutiny could go. The girls were engaged in conversations with random people, and William and I were being received well.

That was, until I met the Ex.

We were talking to one of William's work associates when a pretty girl walked up. She was shorter than me, had blond hair, wide set brown eyes and pouty lips. She was attractive, though no Lump, and had probably been stunning in her youth before age snuck in; her beauty wasn’t ever-lasting like Denise’s (thank f**k!).

To my nearly expert eye, she must’ve already had work done and she probably wasn’t much older than me. There was something about her, though, that made you take notice. It was the way she carried herself teamed with the fact that her outfit and jewelry probably cost more than the car I would be buying. She knew her worth and she was her own best marketer.

Needless to say, I was daunted. She was out for blood—I could tell.

"Willie," she said in a breathy, sultry voice. She was slightly overweight but had a great rack to hide it.

His face went blank immediately. His eyes got a bit tight around the edges and he was clenching his jaw. I got nervous. This usually meant he was trying to stifle intense feelings. The butterflies I thought were dying returned with frenzy.

I saw Denise casually saunter closer. She might not like me, but she would be damned if I embarrassed her son or her family. In addition, Ami was gently dragging a confused Adam toward us, followed by the rest of the troop. The big show-off was about to begin, and unfortunately, everyone would notice if I took the coward’s way out and sprinted from the room.

“Hi Dez. How have you been?”

She leaned in and up with her cheek gracefully extended, obviously expecting him to come down and kiss her in greeting.

He complied slowly, and she threw her arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug. I realized I was holding my breath as my stomach tightened. Throwing up right now would not look good.