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I turned back to the guys, already over my fight with the old man. It was just what we did. “Should we go?”
Cyrus was grinning down at his phone. “Even in a dress, she’s still PoJo. Loud and mean to old people.”
“Only one old person!” I scowled at him and then flipped him the bird for good measure. “Are we leaving or not, Jude? I’m seconds away from taking off these shoes and stabbing Cyrus with them.”
“Well, we wouldn’t want that.”
7
***Poppy***
IturnedtofaceJude in the passenger seat of his truck and forced myself to ask about the woman he’d mentioned. “What’s the big deal with this woman? And why would you bring a date to an event she’ll be at if you want to date her?”
He glanced over at me and I could see him check if I was still in my seat belt. “Do you really want to know?”
I didn’t. “I asked, didn’t I?”
“I think there could be something there. More than the normal bullshit. Maybe a real connection. We’ve run into each other at these events for over two years, but she’s always been with someone.” He cleared his throat. “I happen to know she’s single now.”
I turned forward in my seat again. “So, why invite me?”
“I need an opinion.” He sighed. “She’s connected to someone tied to the business and I’m not willing to blow up that connection if she’s not going to be someone important.”
“You want my opinion? On a woman you might date?” The words sounded as awful as they tasted on my tongue. “Why? We’ve never done anything like this. We all keep our stuff separate.”
“Seems like we’re doing lots of things for the first time.” He cast a meaningful look my way but I refused to meet his gaze. “You owed me a favor and this is a big deal for me. I like this woman and I think we could have something. I want your opinion.”
That pit in my stomach was growing. I clenched my jaw and stared out my window. “Sure. This seems like a perfectly normal thing to do. I’m sure bringing a date, fake or not, to an event when she’s finally single and available is a great idea. Unless you plan on ditching me halfway through the evening. Do I need to have a backup plan for getting home?”
“Jesus, Poppy. No. I’d never leave you stranded. You know that.” He sounded pissed and that made two of us. “Can you just play along and talk to her? You can tell me if you think she’s right for me. I trust you, Poppy.”
I bit back my anger and frustration. It wasn’t his fault that I’d made things weird and was stuck in that weirdness. “Sure. I can do that.”
“Plus, if she gets a little jealous when she sees you on my arm, that can’t hurt anything.” He shrugged like he hadn’t just said something outlandish.
I sighed. “You used to be sane, I think.”
The rest of the drive, he told me about the event and about Sasha, his perfect woman. He’d opened a mechanic shop right out of high school, along with Cyrus. Cyrus was a world-class mechanic and the business had taken off. Jude had opened and managed ten shops by the time I graduated college. After he’d started expanding and franchising, things just kept getting bigger and bigger. He and Cyrus had made a ridiculous amount of money while I’d been chasing a loser around the country, hoping for forever.
The event that night was at a company he partnered with. They were hosting a party to celebrate the opening of their new sky-high office building. Sasha apparently was the niece of the owner.
She was also shorter than me, probably prettier than me, and had beautiful brown hair and brown eyes, according to Jude. She was also smart and was working her way up in the company. Jude sang her praises for miles while I sank lower and lower in my seat.
I’d always been compared to the girls who tried harder and made an effort to look pretty. I was taller, had bigger feet, barely brushed my hair, and would’ve never been caught dead in a cutoff shirt growing up. I always fell short. I was the friend, the girl guys talked to about other girls. My best friends had never done that, though. Until this moment in the truck. I was dressed up like Barbie’s Aunt Candy and I still couldn’t hold a candle to Sasha.
“You’re quiet.” Jude pulled into a line of cars waiting to be dropped off at the valet. “That’s unusual and never a good sign.”
I looked over at him and sighed. “I was thinking about why no guy ever calls me back for a third date. Most don’t even call for a second. Do you think they would if I took the time to do my makeup and if I liked more stereotypically feminine things?”
Jude searched my gaze and frowned. “Andrew being back has you all twisted up, huh?”
I looked away and nodded. “Yep. That must be it.”
“Poppy, you’re great the way you are. If someone doesn’t like you, that’s their loss.” He inched the truck closer to the front entrance of the building and sighed. “Andrew was a fool to let you walk away.”
Uncomfortable with the conversation, I forced a smile and let the slit of my dress fall open. “As your Vivian Ward tonight, how should I play this? If someone slams a jewelry box closed in my face should I cackle like Julia, or can I punch them? Will people know I’m playing a sex worker, or should I introduce myself as one?”
“Shut up, Poppy.”
