Aasia shot her a warning look.
“It’s nice to meet you both.” Bear greeted each of them with a handshake.
“So, you two are getting married?” Aasia asked with half-interest. She’d heard this a few times before and it usually fizzled within a few months.
“Yes, we are. Remember I mentioned it on the phone?” Anne’s brows tucked slightly.
“I remember.”
“Congratulations,” Bear said.
“Aren’t you just a darling,” Anne’s voice was as smooth as silk.
“I try to be.”
Aasia inwardly cringed. “When is the wedding?”
“Next week.” Anne looped her arm around Harvey’s possessively.
“That’s fast,” Aasia said.
“Your mother and I…well, we didn’t see the need in waiting,” Harvey said a little shyly.
Something told Aasia her mother insisted the nuptials be fast before Harvey could wise up and get away. “Why are you here?” Aasia realized her tone was a bit rude, but she didn’t trust her mother.
“To celebrate your birthday, silly goose. Phoebe and I wanted to make this a special birthday.”
“Phoebe was in on this too?” Aasia searched for her sister who stood with Tansy and Ursula chitchatting about her plans to go to college.
“Yes. We collaborated. The décor though was my idea,” Anne said proudly.
As Bear and Harvey discussed his career as a real estate guru, Aasia looked around the room. Thank God for Bear. He could talk to anyone, and he calmed her erratic nervous system. The Barbie pink room was enough to send an adult woman into level 3 cringe mode. Pink just wasn’t Aasia’s color. It triggered her. Her foster parent always made her wear pink dresses and pink hair bows because her motto was “Ladies should always be presentable”. The whole “lady” thing kind of went on deaf ears considering a kid wasn’t a lady.
Phoebe now stood surrounded by the mass, wringing her hands. Maybe she was worried that Aasia hated the effort she and their mother had made, or maybe she and Anne had alreadybutted heads once…or ten times. They tended to do that when they were together.
“To the birthday girl!” someone said and they all saluted her with their glasses.
Margo shoved a drink into Aasia’s hand. Aasia barely had time to thank her before she heard…
“Speech, Aasia.” Others joined in as motivation.
Oh for heaven’s sake.She hated giving speeches.
She took a sip of the wine and plastered a smile on her lips. “It’s wonderful. Thank you all for coming. I appreciate each one of you.” Those words were like an invisible switch. Everyone disbursed, headed straight for the choice of platters of food on the table. If there was one thing she knew about Anne, she could throw a party. She’d been to enough of them in her lifetime.
“You look like you could chew through a rusty nail,” Bear whispered in her ear, keep a smile on his lips.
“That obvious, huh?” she whispered back.
“To everyone but your mother.”
“So, you met her now you understand.”
“Yeah, and her bubbly personality.” He chuckled. “At least she’s trying.”
She lifted her gaze, meeting his. “Trying to show her flavor of the month that she is mother of the year.”
“Are you sure? She seemed to worry about what you were thinking.”
