Just as I’m about to exit stage left, she turns to me.
“Also, Maya told me Adam toldherthat Camila doesn’t have a lot of girlfriends.”
She continues as if we weren’t just interrupted. As if she and her boyfriend shouldn’t go find a room somewhere and have a deeper conversation. I turn to find Cory once more bringing in boxes like nothing happened.Huh.I guess they’re done “talking”.
“She’s got her younger sister, but she practically raised her and her brother, and then she was busy working for Henry and going to law school at night. She’s a bit of a loner. Henry’s asking all of us to go as, like, a favor.”
“Ugh,” I whine, rolling my head like a petulant child. “Not afavor! I definitely owe Henry a favor too for all the help he was with my divorce.” I paid him, of course, but he went above and beyond.
She nods.
“And I feel bad for any woman who doesn’t have a group of girlfriends, since I have so many.”
“When exactly is this shindig that I’m obligated to attend?” I mutter, putting hangers on the rack with more force than necessary. Denise bites back a laugh at my antics and then gives me the date and time; of course I’m free.
“Maya and Tiffany will be there, too,” she offers. “It’ll be fun. You’ll see.”
I grumble under my breath a moment longer before resigning myself to my fate. I may not know the bride-to-be, but if the Three Amigas are there, there’s no way it won’t be fun.
“Speaking of wedding bells,” she starts with a sly grin, “it seems like I’m not the only one getting serious with one of the Park brothers.”
I gasp and slap her hand away from where she’s about to poke my side.
“You take that back! I’ve already been down the aisle once, and it was a disaster. I’m not rushing to make that trip again anytime soon.”
Denise sucks her teeth.
“Tell that to your face in those pictures on Thicc’s blog.” She pulls them up on her phone and hands it to me. “They’re worth a thousand words and then some.”
My eyes widen in shock. One of Thicc’s staff writers made a listicle of “All the Times Kendra Gray and Her New Beau Made Us Swoon!” and the pictures are…
Hot.They’re fucking hot.
Damon caught checking out my ass while holding the door to Death & Co
Me staring up at him adoringly as we walk through Washington Square Park
Damon feeding me a melon and prosciutto skewer at a premiere at Chelsea Cinemas
Us openly teasing each other while waiting to walk the red carpet
My mouth is dry, and my throat grows tighter with each picture. I swallow hard. We look like a couple in love. Is that what we are? That would explain why he’s the first person I text almost every morning, but…
“Ok, ok,” Denise says, speaking calmly and placing her hands on my shoulders. She walks me to a nearby chair and looks over her shoulder at Cory, who wisely steps out to give us some privacy.
“I can tell from your face that you’re panicking a little.”
“No, I’m not,” I say in a breathy voice I barely recognize. I’m clearly panicking. Denise gives me a knowing look.
“Is it because of your ex?” she asks carefully. “I saw his post about the Christmas wedding show.” She purses her lips. “It’s pretty tacky, if you ask me.”
I scoff.
“Andre’s the king of tacky. The bigger, the better. In retrospect, our marriage felt more like a series of publicity stunts for the last few years.” I drop my head and sigh. “In the beginning, though, it was all hearts and roses. We loved each other so much, getting married felt like the most natural thing in the world.”
Denise stays silent for a beat, rubbing my back.
“My bad for bringing up a sensitive subject,” she says gently.
