“Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” Her gaze traces over my concerned expression then glances down at my hand where I’m holding her a little tighterthan I mean to. “I’m seriously okay. He didn’t do anything but continue in many different ways to ask me out.”
“Sorry about that.” I force myself to let her go and add a bit of distance between us. But that only forces my gaze to gravitate to her dress and how it frames her body in a way that makes it look painted on. The way I felt when I first saw her is the same way I feel now: speechless, for lack of a better word. “I?—”
I can’t draw up a word perfect enough to describe just how divine she looks. “Beautiful” would be doing her a disservice. I’m stumped and annoyed I can’t think of something better.
“You what?”
“You look beautiful, Anna.”
“Oh.” Her face brightens, smile tender and breathtaking, and pink blooms on her cheeks. “Thanks. It was fun to dress up. I can’t remember the last time I went all out like this.”
I do a little bow and when I lift my head, we lean into each other, chuckling. “Glad I could be of service.”
She looks over her shoulder at the exit and then at her phone. “Thanks again for playing along.” She pauses like she’s contemplating something, her eyes roaming over me. “My Lyft will be here soon, so you don’t have to stick around. I’m sure Alexander’s not going to show up.”
“Yeah…” Now I look over mine, back to where the auction is still taking place. “Thanks again for doing this for me. You were great out there.”
“I hate losing although the blonde winning wouldn’t have been the worst thing in the world. She’s gorgeous. Is she why you wanted me to keep bidding?”
I nod. “Our parents are best friends. They’re convinced we’ll get married and have”—I shudder—“babies.”
She winces. “Yikes.”
“I know.”
“Look on the bright side. She’s hot, so your babies will be gorgeous.”
I laugh. “Please don’t say that. I don’t need or want that kind of negative energy.”
“You don’t want kids?”
“Not right now. Maybe in ten or fifteen years, but definitely not with her.” I glower at the thought of being tied to Florence in that way.
“Well, you’re welcome. I just saved you from marriage and babies.” She laughs and I swear it’s the prettiest thing I’ve ever heard.
But speaking of Florence…Anna is going to hate me. “I need to tell you something.”
“Oh good, we caught you before you left.” My parents saunter over toward us looking regal and commanding.
My spine stiffens and I glance at Anna.She’s definitely going to hate me.
“Hi, I’m Anna.” She plasters a faux friendly, all-business smile—the same one from the restaurant. “It’s so good to meet you.”
“Yes, it’s so good to meet my son’s girlfriend.” Dad scrutinizes her. “I can’t believe we didn’t know about you until now.” It’s so belittling, I know Anna feels it.
Fuck my life. Why didn’t I start off with that first?
I look at Anna, but she’s not looking at me. She’s staring at them with an indiscernible expression.
“Wait.” Mom eyes her up and down with all the judgment in the world. “You’re that waitress from Clover’s and our…housekeeper.” The disdain in her voice seals it, and I just want to fucking crawl in a hole.
I prepare for the worst. My fingers tremble and become sweaty, and my pulse goes haywire, threatening to explode.
“I am,” Anna says, keeping the practiced friendliness intact.Why did I lie?“I’m so sorry we’ve kept our relationship from you.” That renders me speechless, but her slipping her warm hand in mine makes my mind go blank. When she rests her head on my shoulder, I lose all sense of existence. “It’s actually brand new.” She squeezes my hand, nails digging into the skin like she’s trying to pull me back to reality, like she knows I’m lost in my head. “We’re taking things slow. Still getting to know one another.”
“Yes, slow. We’re just taking it slow.” My voice comes out robotic.
