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Everyone turned to see that somehow, Paloma had sidled up, unnoticed.
Perfect bitch move, sliding in the instant the men left, leaving her prey vulnerable.
“Oh boy,” Blake muttered.
Nora lamented not knowing any assassins, in that moment, I lamented giving up (mostly) on sharing juicy gossip with the world.
Because all of this wasjuicy.
“Mika,” she greeted coldly. “Nora,” she sniped. “Ned,” she purred.
“Paloma, darling,” Nora cried with mock-joy. “What a delight! I was hoping we’d have a chance to say hello. I wanted to tell you how very lovely you look tonight. No one does off the rack quite like you, dear. It’s startling how well you pull it off.”
Ouch.
Blake’s foot kicked mine under the table.
I pressed my lips together.
“Nora—” Paloma started snidely.
“Don’t,” Mika said simply.
Paloma blinked and looked at Mika.
Mika spared her only a glance before she reached to her champagne, looked to me, and dismissing Paloma like she wasn’t even there, said, “Have I told you how fantastic I thought that Mankowitz interview was?”
“Thanks, Mika,” I replied.
“It was awesome,” Blake chimed in. “It made me go back and watch those episodes ofRita’s Wayagain. The ones with Gordon Fuller. And it really was too bad they didn’t get to explore that storyline. It was promising.”
“Sometimes, even though it’s hard to see it, but sometimes it happens where we get a win. In other words, we move on, and there’s forward progression. The popularity ofThe Next Lifeis proof of that,” Mika said.
“Indeed,” Ned put in. “I don’t have time to watch too much television, but I watch that show. And I can tell you, it’s also nice for men who don’t find women young enough to be their daughters attractive to have representation in the media.”
“I always knew I liked you,” Nora told him.
As Mika intended, considering the fact we were carrying on a conversation without her, Paloma had no choice but to drift away.
“You all right?” Mika asked Nora quietly after she’d gone.
“Are you?” Nora asked in return.
Mika didn’t get the chance to answer.
“Nora, can I have a word?”
Another sneak attack, this one from Roland.
I wasn’t a twenty-something woman who was into older men, but I couldn’t help but notice he, like Tom, Jamie and Ned, was very handsome in a way where I could be.
“No, you can’t,” Jamie said, sliding into his chair beside Nora. He then, without even looking at Roland, ordered, “Slither along, snake.”
Roland’s face got tight.
Hale took his seat beside me.
“Everything okay?” I whispered.
