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I came face to face with a group of people I had never seen before.
“Great to meet you,” an older man extended his hand toward me. “Never thought I would see the day that Dylan would decide to settle down.”
“That’s my uncle Thomas,” Dylan interjected. “And his exaggeration is one of his many favorite past-times.”
“If anything, I’m flattered,” I smiled back.
One by one, I was introduced to various people that Dylan and his mother knew. Everything was going so effortlessly, and I felt accepted by everyone until I was approached by a face I recognized from before.
“Have we met? I think I saw you at Dylan’s office the other day.”
It took me a moment to realize that she was the same woman who had invaded Dylan in his office last week.
“I’m Carla, though I’m sure Dylan must have mentioned me already,” her smile was wide but it didn’t reach her eyes.
“Nice to meet you,” I replied with forced politeness.
“When my mother told me that Dylan has a new girlfriend, I said whoa, I need to see it for myself,” she continued. “And look, here you are.”
Even though Carla was all-smiles on the surface, I couldn’t help but sense hostility emanating from her. I took a step back and cleared my throat.
“Well, I hope you enjoy the rest of your night,” I said, hoping the conversation would conclude there.
“Oh, I will,” she said, and then she lowered her voice. “Do you really think it’s going to last?”
“I am not sure I understand what you mean,” I replied, feeling uncomfortable.
“This whole thing that you have going on with Dylan,” she continued. The smile had completely disappeared from her face along with her polite attitude. “I feel bad for you. Must be horrible to know you’re going to be replaced any day now.”
“I don’t think that’s the kind of thing you say to someone you’re meeting for the first time,” I replied, standing my ground.
She let out a mirthless chuckle. “I know men like Dylan don’t stick with women like you for too long. No offense, of course. I’m just telling you so you know, woman to woman.”
My mouth dropped open. The audacity of this woman was unbearable. But before I could even respond, I felt a hand touch the small of my back and suddenly Dylan was by my side.
“Carla, I think I can decide for myself who I want to stick around with,” his tone was assertive and she immediately took a step back.
“Dylan,” Carla’s tone changed to one that was sickly-sweet. “I’m an honest girl, what can I say? I think you could be doing a lot better.”
“Quite frankly, I don’t need you to tell me what kind of person I should be with,” Dylan affirmed. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, Kathy and I have guests we need to attend to.”
Dylan whisked me away in the opposite direction without even taking another glance at Carla. I could tell that she was fuming, which was a win in my book.
“Just ignore her,” he said to me once we were out of earshot.
“That’s the same woman who came to visit you at the office,” I replied. “Did the two of you ever date?”
He seemed surprised by my question. “No, no. We never did. We went on half a blind date that my mother practically blackmailed me into, and she’s been after me ever since. Don’t let her get to you.”
I nodded and felt a rush of warmth from his protectiveness. It didn’t matter how pretty Carla looked, how much money her parents had, or how highly she thought of herself. Right now, I was the one Dylan had chosen. The lines between pretend and reality were beginning to blur. As I accompanied Dylan for the rest of the night, I found myself wishing that what we were doing was more than just a facade.
“I can tell you’re totally smitten,” Uncle Thomas remarked when he saw me looking at Dylan as he turned to me breaking off the conversation with other guests. “It’s the way you look at him.”
“It’s hard not to be,” I whispered back. Only this time, there was nothing fictitious about what I said.
Chapter 12
Kathy
