Page 64 of Our Chaotic Love Affair

“American women,” she said, with a very small smile that wasn’t warm. “You always go in groups. Like schoolchildren.”

“It’s more fun,” I said, finding a space at the mirror beside her. “And it gives us a chance to talk about our men behind their backs.”

Something shifted in her eyes. A glitter that hadn’t been there before. “Gossip?”

“An exchange of information,” I said. “That benefits both parties. More accurately.”

She put her lipstick back in her bag and snapped it shut. Then she turned from the mirror and faced me directly. There was nothing cool or disinterested about her attention now.

“And what information could a woman like you possibly have that would be of interest to a woman like me?” The words were wrapped in politeness but she knew she was being a bitch.

I didn’t care. She could be a bitch. She didn’t matter to me.

“I know that you hate your husband,” I said. My voice was pleasant and conversational, as if I were telling her I liked her earrings. “I know you don’t trust him. And I know he’s into something he hasn’t told you about, which is why you’ve been looking at my fiancé all evening like he might be an exit route.”

The silence in the room somehow got even quieter. Angelica’s mouth opened. Then closed.

“I also know you would trade places with me tonight without a great deal of hesitation. And that’s not a criticism. It’s an observation.”

She stared at me. I smiled.

“If you tell me why your husband wants out of the Bancroft contract, I’ll make sure you have some one-on-one time with Cash before the night is over. Genuine conversation. He’s a good listener when he wants to be.”

Angelica looked at me with the evaluating gaze of someone taking a very different measurement than the one she’d started with.

She knew she had met her match. I didn’t care how many magazine covers she had been on. I didn’t care that one of her earrings was worth more than every piece of jewelry I owned. Value was subjective. My value didn’t come with zeros and dollar signs. She was figuring that out.

She nodded once. “Fine.”

I returned to the table to find the temperature had changed. I would say icy, but that wasn’t accurate. It was more like hellfire and brimstone.

The men were still seated and attempting to perform the surface requirements of a social event. But their voices had climbed past the ambient noise of the room. People noticed. They were fooling no one.

I walked to Cash’s chair, put my hand on his shoulder, and leaned down to press a kiss to his cheek. His whole frame changed under my hand. First there was surprise. Then the deliberate settling of someone taking a cue.

“I’m sorry to interrupt.” I kept my voice soft and directed it at both men, a smile for Rossi that was apologetic and genuine. “I’m not feeling well. I hate to ask, but could we head back to the hotel?”

Cash was on his feet in one motion.

“Of course.” He turned to Rossi with the smooth courtesy of someone ending a meeting rather than fleeing one. “Thank you for the evening. We’ll be in touch.”

Goodbyes were said. We moved through the room just as regally as we had entered. I felt the attention following us out, but I was too focused on walking steadily in these heels to give it much of my attention.

The car was waiting. The door closed behind us and I let out a shaky breath.

“What do you need?” Cash asked. His voice was different than it had been with Rossi. It wasn’t the smooth business tone that offered little inflection. “Water? Should we stop somewhere?”

There it was again. That thing I’d noticed in the Hamptons and kept noticing since. The genuine version of him, underneath that facade.

“I’m fine,” I said. “I lied. I’m sorry. I didn’t actually feel unwell. I just needed to get you out of there before the whole room became an audience.”

He frowned.

“Too many people were watching,” I added. “It was about to become a story.”

Another pause. Longer this time. “Thank you,” he said finally. “That was smart. I hadn’t noticed.”

“You’re welcome.” I settled back against the seat and watched the city move past. Then I turned to look at him and grinned with my whole being. I was the smug one now. “You’re not going to believe what Angelica told me in that bathroom.”