Playing It Safe(67)

Okay, I need to get a grip and figure this all out later. I take a few calming breaths before I lose my mind and start throwing shit from my desk. Next, I pick up the stress ball and start going to town on it, hoping that it does exactly what it’s supposed to do. A short while later, I’m still massaging it while I’m reviewing the guest list for Josie’s party that Alex e-mailed me this morning when what do my wandering eyes stumble upon?

Marisa’s name, clear as day on the guest list.

What the hell?

Okay, I’m not going to panic. At least that’s what I try and tell myself while I’m having a full-on freak-out. The massage ball bursts in my hands, and the granulated sand within it goes flying everywhere. I mean everywhere. Down my blouse and in my bra, in my hair, and worst of all, in my eyes.

“Shit!” I yell because of the burning sensation in my eyes. “I’m blind!”

I hear my office door swing open, and Lisette’s familiar voice shouts in alarm, “What happened?”

“I can’t see anything because this thing just exploded in my face!” I shout back at her.

The sound of her footsteps rushing over to the right side of my desk makes me turn my head in that direction and try to open my eyes again.

“Lisette, can you help me walk to the bathroom so I can wash my eyes out?”

“Of course. Come on.”

She grabs hold of my wrist and takes the destroyed stress reliever ball out of my hand before helping me stand up. While my eyes feel like they are being stabbed by a million tiny razor blades and I’m cursing up a storm, I let Lisette lead me to the ladies’ restroom.

Once inside, she turns on the faucet and helps me duck my head underneath the running cool water so I can rinse out each eye thoroughly. It takes a while, but finally I’m able to open my eyes and see again, albeit with some discomfort.

I pick my head up and look at myself in the mirror to find a rabid raccoon with red, half-closed eyes and mascara running down its cheeks staring back at me. My eyes are still sore when Lisette hands me a few damp hand towels and instructs me to keep them on my eyes to relieve the puffiness.


“Do you mind telling me what happened?” she asks soothingly.

“I told you, that stupid stress ball thing busted open and exploded everywhere.”

“Obviously,” Lisette says, “but that’s not what I’m asking you.”

“I just got upset at something and didn’t realize I was squeezing it as hard as I was,” I answer quickly. Too quickly because it’s apparent to me that I sound like I’m trying not to be affected by everything I’ve found out today.

“And what got you so upset?”

“It’s not important.”

“Julia, I’ve known you for a long time. You can’t pull the wool over my eyes, so you better start talking,” she warns in a light tone.

“Fine,” I say, my voice low and uneasy. “Do you remember that Marisa chick?” She nods. “Well, her name is on the guest list for Josie’s party, and I kind of freaked because I didn’t expect to see her name. Like at all.”

“Why don’t you just ask Alex about it?”

I bring down the damp hand towels from my eyes and sigh out loud. “I don’t know about that.”

“Do you think he’s seeing her on the side or something?” she says curiously.

Thinking back to what intel I’ve found out about Marisa from Josie, Alex, and now Aiden, I have to assume that there is definitely something rotten in Denmark, but I’m not going to go into too much detail with Lisette about it. Especially the Aiden part because if she finds out he has a part to play in this, I’ll never hear the end of it.

“I can’t say for sure,” I say, my eyes still stinging. “It’s only been a week that we’ve been together, so I really shouldn’t assume anything, and at the same time I don’t want to come across as a jealous bitch, you know?”

Her ruby-red lips, which I can make out semi-clearly through my pain-filled eyes, quirk upward as if she’s trying not to laugh. Then her shoulders start to shake. Then she’s full-on laughing as if this is all funny.

“Do you mind telling me what’s so goddamn funny?” I ask her impatiently.

“Julia, it’s too late. You’re already a jealous bitch,” she says through her laughter.

Um, she might be right that I’m a tad jealous of Marisa. It’s a knee-jerk, territorial reaction kind of thing. But that doesn’t mean I want Alex to see this side of me.

“Shut it, Lisette,” I say under my breath. “You’re not helping.”

She clears her throat and puts both her hands on her hips in a defiant stance. “Julia, I’ve known you for a very long time, and I can honestly say that in all that time, I have never, ever, seen you all worked up over a guy.”

“And what’s your point?”

“?Dios mío, Julia! Seriously?” she says, throwing her hands up in the air. “You are so into him that it scares the living crap out of you. And I get it, I really do, but you need to let that go, live for today and stop being so afraid. From everything I’ve seen, Alex feels the same way, so cut the bitch act and talk to him about it. There’s probably a damn good reason for Marisa to be invited, but you’ll never know what that reason is unless you ask him.”