“I’m just trying to do my job. Can you move? The meeting is about to start and I don’t want to miss anything.”
Why do I suddenly feel like I’m trapped underwater? It’s hard to breathe and my heart rate rises so fast I get lightheaded.
“So you’re actually…”
“Doing the beta test? Yes.”
“Anya, what the hell?”
“What, Law? What is the problem?” She keeps her voice low but one of the junior agents passing by glances over at us warily. She puts a hand up to stop me before I can say anything else. “I’m not doing this right now. What I am doing is going to a launch meeting for GlowUp, a promising new dating app. After all, if I’m not wife material then I shouldn’t be acting like a wife. I’m in my twenties so I should be out partying and sleeping around, right?”
“First you stop talking to me, then you blow me off last night and now this?”
She shakes her head. “Law, I didn’t blow you off last night. I ended things last night. You get that, right? Or did you think I’d be mad for a night and then get over it like I usually do?”
Stunned, I can’t even respond. I wouldn’t have thought it was possible but as the silence stretches between us, she looks even more angry. Then she closes her eyes.
“Wow. You really don’t think I have a backbone at all.”
Shaking her head, she walks past me. All I can do is watch helplessly as she joins the throng of people in the conference room. I follow, glaring at one of the associates until he moves and makes room for me to stand behind her.
Mya whistles and the room quiets. Then she gestures to a tall, dark-haired man standing at her side.
“Everyone here already knows the chief investor behind GlowUp but for anyone living under a rock, I’d like to introduce Seth Barrington. Mr. Barrington has graciously come to tell us about his vision for the app. Let’s all listen and learn.”
I’ve seen pictures of him before, of course, but I didn’t recall him being that tall. Or that handsome.
As if she can read my thoughts, Anya looks over her shoulder. “I have a feeling I’m going to learn a lot.”
10
ANYA
Before now, I would have never believed how long a week could be. Pretending Law is invisible made each day feel like an eternity.
The office has shrunk to the size of a matchbox if the number of times he passes by my open office door is any indication. Every coffee break requires the planning and stealth of a secret mission. At least I have access to his calendar so I know when he’s busy but that doesn’t stop him from randomly popping up places I don’t expect him to be.
Every time it’s an effort not to respond to the sadness in his eyes. However, I’ve managed to stay strong so far. We won’t mention all the junk food I’ve been stress eating all the while.
It’s either Snickers or sex.
A girl only has so much willpower.
Now it’s go time and I’m running out of bravado fast. The GlowUp beta launch party seemed like the perfect place to debut my get-over-Law plan but now that I’m here, I’m starting to panic. After a lot of debate, Mya chose to book Les Printemps, this super fancy French restaurant, for the party. It’s the perfect venue to communicate the vibe she wanted, elegant and exclusive but still fresh and fun.
I got here early to help with the setup but now it’s almost time for people to start arriving and I’m rethinking everything. Especially what I’m wearing. The little black dress that seemed like the conservative choice when I grabbed it this morning doesn’t seem so safe now that I’ve changed clothes. Clearly I didn’t take into account the weight I’ve gained stress eating because my boobs are trying to make a break for it out of the neckline.
Finally the door opens and Ariana appears. I let out the breath I didn’t realize I was holding.
“There you are! I was starting to think you were going to stand me up.”
She stops mid-stride and makes a huge production of looking me over from head-to-toe.
“You look hot.”
Her wolf whistle makes me blush a little. Especially since she looks stunning as always in a red bodycon dress that makes her legs look about eight feet long.
“Stop it. I’m nervous enough already.”