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“Don’t look back,” I grumble, and walk out the door.
CHAPTER 7
Elle
I stare at my blinking cursor, my mind a million miles away, the bullet points for the board meeting non-existent.
“So?” Blanca asks, pushing through my office door. “Is he gala-worthy?”
Shutting my laptop closed, both annoyed with myself, and now annoyed at Blanca for bringing Bennet up.
“He either hates the taste of banana martinis, my breath was bad, or he’s not out of the closet yet.”
“Ohh, shit. What happened?”
“Everything was going well. I mean, no fireworks or anything, but it was only our first date. He’s… steady. A gentleman, but not overbearingly so. We had a nice time. My parents would love him.”
“But?”
I shrug. “He kissed me like I was his sister. He went in for it and I was ready but at the last minute he pressed a dry peck on the corner of my mouth.”
“Maybe he was nervous. Or he read a subconscious non-verbal cue that you didn’t want to kiss him.”
I sigh. “But I did.”
She crosses her arms, her head tipping to the side. She may as well be singing liar, liar, pants on fire.
“Uh-huh. We’ve been friends for a long time, Cindelle.” Her eyes narrow on me. “We both know the real problem is that he’s not Dan.”
I press my lips looking away and curse the thing I most often love about my bestie—she reads me like a book.
“Fine, I was thinking about Dan and maybe he picked up on it, but I can’t help where my mind goes.”
“You sure you can’t bring Dan to the gala?”
“No. I’m going with Bennet. He’s the better choice. And I’d already asked him before the icky kiss.”
“You mean the safer choice?”
My eyes shoot to hers. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I think you want to please your parents more than you want to admit, and maybe that’s because if it goes wrong, you were never really in it anyway, and bonus, you can blame someone else besides yourself.”
My mouth falls open slightly.
“I’m right and you know it, Elle.”
I snap my mouth closed and look away. And luckily an email pops up that I’ve been waiting for. I read the top line.
I think I know exactly the material you’re looking for.
“Emilio might have found a way to make my glass shoes!” I jump up and grab my bag, pulling out my designs.
“That’s it? Discussion over?”
“Yes, because I have been dreaming of these shoes and thought it was impossible.”
“Show me.”
