Breathe In (Just Breathe, #1)(137)
“Oh my God, Emma! You have to!”
Jimmy’s declaration snaps me back to the conversation.
“Have to do what?” I ask.
I hope no one noticed my daydreaming.
“Be Chris’ date for the premier so pieces from Nathan’s men’s and women’s lines are on the red carpet,” Allen states with jubilation.
“Nathan should create a custom matching piece for Emma,” Jimmy announces.
“Oooo, yes!” Allen cheers.
“Wait?! What?” I return, clueless about what everyone else is talking about.
“We should totally wear the other two suits Nathan makes and attend the event too,” adds Jimmy.
“Oh my goodness, baby. You are a genius,” Allen praises with his voice up a whole octave.
“I can get enough tickets for us all to go. Just tell me how many and it’s done,” Chris cordially offers.
I glance around the room staring into the faces of everyone waiting for my answer. Everyone seems excited by the idea and are encouraging me to agree with their eyes — everyone but Joe. Joe’s eyes look blank, like he’s trying to hide any emotion while his jaw is clenched. Chris is emphatically smiling at me, coaxing me with his grin while Nathan begs with his hands clasped together as he mouths please, please, please.
The room feels hotter and I swear it’s starting to spin.
“Please, Emma,” Nathan begs, taking my hands in his. “It would mean so much to me!”
Not wanting to disappoint Nathan, and because I know that it would make the most sense, strictly from a business standpoint to have more items on the red carpet, I calmly agree shrugging my shoulders. “Sure.”
Cheers erupt from my friends except for Joe and me. I smile and play along in the moment, but I’m not really happy to be doing it. I think I catch a temporary expression of disappointment on Joe’s face. If I was going to be caught out in public on anyone’s arm other than Jared or Nathan, a man who was not gay, I would much rather it be Joe.
Chris comes close and hugs me. “That settles it. We’ll all go,” he comments, keeping his arms around me and kisses me on the cheek.
After some decisions are made about who’s wearing which suit and who can and wants to attend the event, Nathan takes Jimmy’s and Allen’s measurements while Mrs. Covelli shops the racks and buys a few pieces. As Nathan and Denise finish taking my measurements, Mr. Covelli insists on taking all of us out to eat to celebrate.
Nathan, Jimmy and Allen encourage that Sadie and I ride with Chris and I politely don’t argue with them in front of everyone. With four cars, our large group of ten adults plus a dog hit the road following Mr. and Mrs. Covelli in Joe’s Phantom.
My heart sinks in my chest when we pull up to the valet of Spago. Yes. Spago. The very restaurant Joe took me to for our date where we ran into Chris. God, can this day get any more unnerving?!
The staff is very amenable to Sadie being a part of our dining crowd as they take us to a very large, round table that easily seats everyone comfortably. Chef Andrews comes out to great us and exchanges pleasantries with Joe, Jimmy and Mr. and Mrs. Covelli. The chef also makes his way over to me, singling me out, but graciously doesn’t mention how we know each other or the night of Joe’s and my date. Jared gives me a questioning glance and I whisper that I’ll fill him in on the whole thing later. I’ll be sure to tell him we stopped in for lunch during an outing to figure out what to do for Henry’s and Maggie’s joint bachelor-bachelorette party.
As we dine, Joe is practically sitting across from me as Chris, who has deliberately moved his chair several inches closer to mine, is to my right and Jared is to my left. Conversations are light and friendly as usual and my amount of commenting and interaction is limited. I can’t help but glance at Joe on occasion. Every time I look at him, he’s staring right back at me. There are a few times, as Chris leans in and whispers in my ear, I see Joe look away. My eyes have to focus on a spot on the table to make sure I actually hear at least some of what Chris is saying.
Chris tries to take my hand in his several times, but I’m able to reach for my glass to take a sip at each attempt. Nathan and Jared fill everyone in on how we meet Chris first at Ayana’s opening almost a year ago, and then several more times with the most recent being about three months ago. I’m very grateful when my friends leave out the fact that the second time we saw Chris that he and I had sex — no need for Joe to know that right now.
After several failed attempts to hold my hand, Chris places his arm along the back of my chair, placing his hand on my left shoulder. It’s confirmed that he’s definitely peacocking right now and I’m starting to get mad.
“I think your phone is buzzing,” Jared says, leaning towards me.
I look down at my purse that is sitting on the floor in between our chairs, next to Sadie. The phone is not lit up.
“Looks like Amy is calling you,” Jared continues with a wink. “She probably has some bridal shower questions for you. You should talk to her.” Jared says his last statement loud enough for everyone at the table to hear.
“Yes,” I reply, getting the hint that he’s saving me from Chris. “Thank you.”
I grab my purse after tucking the phone back into its pocket so no one sees the truth. As I stand, Mr. Covelli, Joe, Jimmy and Allen all rise as well. “Please excuse me for a moment,” I request.