Dating Games(54)

“And I’m so glad he’s finally met someone who makes him happy.”

“That’s all I want.” I force a smile. “To make Julian happy.”

It’s not a complete lie. I do want to make Julian happy. If I didn’t care about him, I wouldn’t be giving up my weekends to be his proverbial arm candy, as ridiculous as the idea of me being anyone’s arm candy sounds, especially when I’m surrounded by several women who actually are models and only here to be some rich guy’s arm candy for the night.

“And this may be the alcohol talking,” she continues, her voice slurring more and more with every word she speaks, “but I think you could be the one. Ever since I was a little girl, I had these…feelings about people. Like I could see a couple and know instantly if they were made to last. And you and Julian…” She slowly nods, waggling her brows. “You two are made to last. I saw the way he looked at you. That man could not take his eyes off you.” Her playful expression grows serious. “Every woman deserves to find a man who looks at them the way he does you.”

I chew on the inside of my cheek as I lower my head, a blush blooming on my face, wishing I could tell her it’s all fake, but I can’t.

“And every man deserves to find a woman who looks at him the way you do Julian,” she finishes. “It seems I’ve been waiting for him to find a girl for years, at least someone who’s more than a passing fling.” She reaches for my hand and squeezes it again. “I’m so glad he found you.”

“Me, too,” I whisper, wishing I’d met her somewhere else. I could see us being real friends. I could see her joining Nora, Chloe, and me at our Thursday evening get-togethers. I could see her dropping whatever she has going on when one of us has an emergency. But that won’t be possible, an unfortunate side effect of this arrangement I hadn’t anticipated.

Needing to cut through the growing tension, I lift my eyes back to the growing crowd of people swarming around the pool, dancing as if the world is watching. In a way, I suppose the world is watching.

“So…who else do you have dirt on?”

“Everyone.”

After draining her drink, she sets the glass back onto the table and scoots her chair even closer to mine, continuing to give me the rundown on the who’s who in the Hamptons. Every so often, a few women approach, fabricated smiles on their faces as they hug Sadie, claiming it’s good to see her. Then their disdainful stares settle on me. It doesn’t take a genius to conclude that they know who I am. They probably came to talk to Sadie as a pretense to getting a closer look at Julian Gage’s girlfriend.

“You should write a book,” I joke after a while of soaking in the stories she’s relayed. I used to watch soap operas during high school and college, thinking the plot lines were far-fetched. Or so I thought. These people have proved that soap operas aren’t as ridiculous as I presumed. Secret babies. Amnesia. Arranged marriages. Mistaken identity. Faked deaths. It’s all here, and then some.

“The thought’s crossed my mind. I doubt anyone would actually believe any of the stuff is plausible. It all sounds crazy, don’t you think?”

“Before today, I would have thought the same thing. Now I get the feeling the stories you’ve shared are only the tip of the iceberg.”

“Oh, honey. You have no idea.”

We both laugh and I finish the rest of my manhattan, standing up. “I’m going to get another drink. Want one?”

“Sure. Would you like me to come with you?”

“Nah. You stay here so we don’t lose our table. We’ve secured a prime piece of real estate to people-watch.” With a wink, I spin from her, squeezing through the throngs of people to make my way to the bar, ignoring the stares as I do.

Now that the party’s in full force, the bar is much busier than when we first arrived. While I wait to place my order, I scan the pool area, amazed that this kind of party is an everyday occurrence here. Most people would plan all year to throw a celebration of this magnitude. Here, it’s just Wednesday.

As I continue soaking in the atmosphere, I stiffen when I see a familiar face a few yards away. My heart drops to my stomach as he wraps his arm around a petite woman’s waist before raising a scotch to his lips. Lips I once kissed. Lips that once told me how much he loved me. Lips I used to make smile daily. I’m no longer the reason they smile. The woman at his side is.

He leans down and kisses her forehead, bringing her even closer, as if he can’t stand to be any farther from her than necessary. An ache builds in my throat, in my limbs, in my soul as I’m forced to witness their exchange. Sensing my stare, Trevor flicks his eyes in my direction. When he sees me, he flinches, his muscles growing taut.

I remain frozen in place, dumbstruck, unsure what I’m supposed to do. I should have anticipated running into them, considering Julian did mention Theresa is a friend of his neighbor. I just didn’t expect to come face-to-face with them at my first party. Based on the confusion covering Trevor’s brow, he didn’t anticipate this, either.

Just then, an arm snakes around my waist and I snap my head up, meeting Julian’s concerned gaze.

“Guinevere?”

I blink, wishing something as simple as a kiss didn’t have this effect on me. But we were together twelve years. How can I just forget that? I’m on a see-saw. One minute, I want to write off Trevor. The next, I want him to tell me he’s made a mistake.