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“Uh-huh…” I awkwardly placed my hands on her waist and did what had to be the most rhythmless two-step in history.
Vera didn’t laugh hysterically at my attempt to dance—she was too sweet.
“I wanted to ask you something,” I shouted.
“Ah, the real reason why he braved the dance floor. She must mean a lot to you.”
Once again, she caught me off guard. I stared at her for a moment, taking in the amusement that lit up her eyes. Was she fucking psychic? “How do you?—?”
“I’m not stupid, Jamie. The way you look at Charlotte says it all.” She must have read the dismay on my face because she smiled and said, “Don’t worry, I doubt anyone else has noticed… yet.”
I blew out a breath. I’d better keep my eyes off Charlotte in the company of others from now on.
“So, what’s your question?” Vera asked.
I leaned closer to her so she could hear my every word. “If I were to do what you suggested earlier…”
Her eyebrows elevated in silent encouragement for me to continue.
“Don’t you think that would make me the biggest asshole and the worst friend in the world?”
The anticipation that I felt as I waited for her answer bordered on ridiculous. A grown man seeking validation like this… so sad.
Vera took her time with her answer, but finally, she exhaled. “Well, Jamie, I barely know you, but I’m very observant.”
Obviously. She had been in the same space with Charlotte and me all of two times and she caught on to my secret feelings.
“The thing is…” Her eyebrows puckered. “You don’t strike me as a bad friend or an asshole—a bit broody on occasion—but not at all assholish.”
I snorted. “Thanks…”
“So I doubt that you deliberately developed the hots for the woman your friend wants to win back.”
I shook my head emphatically. As a matter of fact, I wished I could magically stop liking Charlotte. “I feel awful. Not about being into her but about what it will do to Lincoln.”
Vera grimaced. “You’re in a tough spot, Jamie.”
That was an understatement. A couple bumped into us and I shuffled away, taking Vera with me. I wouldn’t stop making a fool of myself on the dance floor until she confirmed that I wasn’t a monster for wanting a woman I shouldn’t.
“So… Do you have any other suggestions…?” I watched her hopefully.
This was so out of character for me. I was usually the one people asked what to do, and I never failed to have sure solutions. This thing with Charlotte and Lincoln had me seriously messed up in the head… and the heart.
Vera smiled sympathetically. “I can’t tell you what to do, and you know that, but I can tell you that I don’t think you’re awful for being attracted to someone. I can also tell you that…” She glanced up and so did I.
Charlotte was on the second floor, still in the VIP section, dancing with Lincoln. Yet, she stared down at us. When our eyes met, she looked away.
“Your interest in a certain someone is obviously reciprocated.”
I looked up at Charlotte again to find her stealing glances at Vera and me as Lincoln said something to her. He then leaned closer to her—so close that his lips touched her ear. He whispered something because she pulled her gaze away from me, smiled, and nodded at him.
I saw red… green, rather, as if the intensity of my jealousy mounted each time I saw those two together. Surely, I’d explode soon.
“Are you okay, Jamie?”
Returning my attention to Vera, I stopped dancing—shuffling, really—and let her go. “I don’t know yet…”
She frowned.
