Unbreakable (City Lights, #2)(6)

Antoinette sat back in her chair. “Still. I can’t imagine turning something as important as my wedding over to my mother.”

Me neither, I thought but it would only shock them to know how little I thought of the wedding. It loomed in my mind much the same was my engagement party did: as an expensive announcement of something inevitable. The butterflies and sparks I’d always imagined I’d have when I was a girl were absent. Truthfully, I worried more about how the whole affair would disrupt my work schedule. I know Drew felt that way. And the honeymoon…Any minute now, the Posse was going to turn this interrogation that direction and that was the last thing I wanted.

I dabbed a napkin to my mouth and set it over my half-eaten salad. “My mother has meticulous taste and all the time in the world. It’s a perfect task for her.” I checked the time. “I have to get these invitations to the post office today and then run to the bank.”

“But you just got here!” Minnie cried.

“You don’t eat enough to maintain such a hectic schedule,” Rashida said.

“It’s how she maintains such a cute figure,” Antoinette put in.

“I have a one-fifteen,” Lilah said. “I’ll walk you out.”

It didn’t escape my notice that no one protested Lilah’s departure. I wondered if she’d noticed too. I reached for my wallet. “My turn?”

“No, it’s me,” Rashida said, waving me off. “You’re next Monday.”

“Of course I am,” I said, rising. “Ladies.”

#

“Are you okay?” Lilah asked as we waited for the valet.

I gave her a sideways glance. “Of course. Why?”

“You were late, for starters, and you’re never late. And secondly, since when do you lose track of whose turn it is to pick up lunch?”

I laughed. “I hardly think either qualifies me for an intervention.”

Lilah crossed her arms over her beige blazer. “This is me you’re talking to. Not Her Ladyship Antoinette.”

I shouldered my bag. “I’m fine. Waiting for the Munro verdict, which is slightly nerve-wracking. You know how that is.”

Lilah nodded. She was an attorney as well—the best attorney—in a small, boutique firm in Brentwood. Few things escaped her sharp eye, and judging by the way she was watching me now, that included me. She arched a feathery brow expectantly.

I opened my mouth to say that nothing was wrong, that she was being overly protective, and instead heard myself blurt: “I had that dream again.”

“Again?”

I nodded. “It was vivid. And realistic. Very realistic. I woke up feeling…excited, and…”

“Horny?”

“Lilah! Really!” I glanced around to make sure no one else waiting in the brilliant August sunshine was listening.

“Well? You’re human, for chrissakes. It’s allowed.”

I felt my skin grow hot but Lilah was the only person who knew of my and Drew’s…difficulties. I always felt a bit better for talking to her about it—not that I made a habit of it. It was embarrassing enough what little she did know. If she knew the whole truth…

“It doesn’t matter,” I said. “Drew was already showered and dressed, and I would have been late had we…”

“Had sex?” Lilah puffed out her cheeks. “You can’t even say the words.”

I ignored that. “He’s working hard. He has to, if he wants to make chief counsel. I’m sure he’s just too tired…most nights.”

“Most nights,” she scoffed. “Every night. He’s always too tired. He’s always working, and so are you.” Lilah took my arm gently but firmly. “And now this talk of not having kids? What is that all about? Is this your mother’s idea?”

“Really, Lilah. Give me some credit, will you? I’m a grown woman…”

“Do you remember when we were in junior high, talking about our perfect lives? Being a lawyer like your dad was number one. But being a good mom to your kids—being there for them like your mom wasn’t. That was always your next priority. Always.”

I bristled, an angry retort on my lips. But Lilah had known me for too long; she was the only person who could talk to me like that and get away with it.

“That was junior high, Lilah,” I said placidly. “I also dreamed of marrying Chad Durant and living in Fiji every summer to watch him surf. I grew up. Things change.”

Lilah gentled her tone as the valet pulled up with her BMW. “Yes, things change. They can change. Just remember that when you think it’s too late.”

She took off, leaving me to ponder her words. Irritation welled in me. First Don Knight and now Lilah. Today was supposed to be my victory day and instead I was plagued with lectures.

“Is my car anywhere close to being ready?” I snapped at the valet. “I’ve got a schedule to keep.





Chapter Three


Alex

I marched into the towering edifice of United One Bank, my shoes tapping over the marble floor. I managed a brief smile for the portly security guard but it quickly fell away when I saw half of Los Angeles had decided to do their banking at lunchtime as well.

“Damn.”