“I don’t need two hundred dollars anyway,” Yasmine retorted.“I need the curse lifted.”
“Here’s hoping,” Ashley said, lifting her glass as she leaned into her handsome husband.
The group talk broke apart again into smaller groups, and David pulled Audrey up so he could introduce her to the young woman who’d made the Monopoly joke since she was the only person there that Audrey hadn’t met yet.Her name was Jennifer, and she worked as the receptionist at Black Fox, though David immediately said that she was more of an office manager.She was working there while getting her Masters in Human Resources Management, which sounded incredibly intimidating to Audrey.
“Hey, Jennifer,” Jensen called over, interrupting the conversation.“Did you see that we found some new spicy pickles?”
Immediately, Jennifer brightened up and then pulled back, wary.“Not your crazy hot spicy like you like it, right?”
“No, normal people spice,” Jensen reassured her, making several people who overheard his remark laugh.
“Excuse me,” Jennifer said, smiling at Audrey to take the sting out of her departure.“It seems I have a pickle to try.”
“That’s not the pickle he wants to give her,” Grandma muttered under her breath as Jennifer walked away, headed for the dining room where Jensen was waiting.He had a plate with a pickle on it, and the way he was looking at her, it did seem like he might be interested in her.
“If Jensen ever offers you food, ask for a heat level before you take a bite,” Cassidy advised Audrey, ignoring Brenda’s comment.
David was dragging his hand down over his face, looking as if he wanted to groan but was trying to hold it in so Grandma wouldn’t think that she was getting to him.If he was going to be such a drama queen, he might as well make the noise, too, but that was just Audrey’s opinion.
Since Jennifer was now preoccupied, David pulled her over to say hi to Claudia, who Audreyhadmet before, but it had been over a year ago.The slender brunette was as intimidating as ever.She was also, unfortunately, talking to Mason and Yasmine, which meant that Audrey couldn’tnotlook at them.
Yasmine was so nice, Audrey couldn’t even dislike her.She immediately started asking Audrey questions about the bakery, how the move was going, what her plans were, and she was really listening.
“I’m a financial advisor, certified, so if you ever have any questions about the financial side of the business, please come to me.If I don’t know the answer, I’ll at least know who to send you to so you can get one,” Yasmine offered.
“Oh, thank you, that’s amazing.”
“Absolutely.It’s important for business-minded women to stick together.”Yasmine smiled at her.“I help Naomi with the non-profit and give financial literacy courses to the women there.”
“I’m taking one,” Cassidy said, raising her hand a little.“Yasmine is a great teacher.Don handled everything for us, so I’m having to learn everything from scratch now.”
“And you’re doing great.”Yasmine grinned at her.She glanced down at her watch.“Speaking of, I really should get going.It’s getting late, and I have an early morning class to teach tomorrow at a church before their service.”
“I’ll walk you out,” Mason said immediately.
They really did look perfect together.Like they’d stepped right out of a magazine ad.Even their energy matched.It might make Audrey’s heart ache a little because she already had a crush on Mason, even though she’d just met him—silly to deny it—but obviously, Yasmine deserved happiness.She hoped this arrangement gave them both everything they wanted.
“Thanks.”Yasmine smiled back at him.
“You aren’t leaving together?”Claudia asked.
“No, we drove separately because Yasmine knew she had an early morning tomorrow.”
“I didn’t want to make Mason leave the party early with me,” Yasmine explained.“He shouldn’t have to adhere to my schedule, especially when it’s a gathering with his team.”She turned to Audrey, reaching out her hand, which Audrey automatically met with her own.“Audrey, it was so nice to meet you.I’m sure I’ll be seeing more of you.”
“Same, it was great to meet you,” Audrey said.Other than the fact that she’d been attracted to Mason before she knew he was taken and then face-planted in front of both of them, it really had been nice to meet Yasmine.She liked her.She’d push past this attraction to Yasmine’s fiancé thing.It wasn’t like she really knew the guy.Once she got to know him, the whole intimidating ‘He looks like a god, and I can’t stop staring at him’thing would go away.
“You should come to game night.And book club.”Yasmine grinned as she walked away, Mason at her side.
“Game night?Book club?”Audrey turned to look at Cassidy and her brother, expecting they must have an explanation.
“Game night is at my place every Thursday,” Claudia said, though her attention was on Yasmine and Mason, watching them walk away.Her expression was completely neutral, making it impossible to tell what she was thinking.“Ladies only.”
“And book club?”
Cassidy groaned and looped her arm through Audrey’s.“Your grandmother roped us in.Come on, I’ll let her tell you about it.”
“I’ll… I’ll be elsewhere,” David said immediately, backing away and following after Mason and Yasmine, who were headed toward Lincoln, Ashley, Drew, and Naomi.The quartet was standing on the opposite side of the room from Grandma, who had cornered Mick and was discussing something with him rather enthusiastically.He looked interested in whatever she was saying, bending his head so he could hear her better.If he wasn’t forty-some years younger than her, Audrey would have thought they were flirting.
