The poor woman—I’m afraid she’s glitching.
“One step forward.”
I do as asked, purposely stepping on Vivienne’s toes.
Brown eyes blaze into mine, seething at the taste of her own medicine.
“One step back.” Gloria’s voice grows more agitated.
This time, Vivienne pulls her hand out of mine and digs her nails into my back until I groan in pain.
I’m about to grip the base of her hair and yank her head backward when a piercing scream hurts my eardrums.
I jump back in shock to watch Gloria throw her hands up so quickly that Vivienne’s hair blows out of her face.
“That’s it. Stop. Just stop!”The woman smacks her speaker, effectively shutting the music off. “I said at the same time. What don’t you understand aboutat the same time!”Her voice jumps six more octaves until the glass of water sitting on the table behind her shatters, the contents spilling all over the floor.
I’m about to come to our defense and offer up an apology when Melanie ushers over to pull Gloria into a hug. “I am so sorry. They’re just that kind of couple—they tease each other often.”
“Go get a drink of water, and come back as a man, not a boy,”Melanie mouths, caressing Gloria’s back as tremors ripple through her body.
I let out a sigh, retreating to a darkened corner of the restaurant when Vivienne saunters over with the intoxicating light sway of her hips.
“You’re going to be the reason she goes into cardiac arrest.” She stops right in front of me, placing her water bottle to her lips. Her throat works quietly with every sip, my gaze lingering for far too long on the dainty slope of her neck.
Plastic scrunches beneath my fingers as I take the drink from her hand, chugging it back while she eyes me in distaste. I couldn’t care less, though. I needed something to cool me down.
“You’re the one who started it,” I say, giving the empty bottle back to her, voice gruff despite the added hydration.
“Uh-huh, keep telling yourself that. You’re the one who stepped on my toes first.”
“It’s time to take accountability for your actions, Vivienne. You can’t blame every minor inconvenience in your life on me.”
A cough interrupts our stare off, and we turn to find one furious Melanie. Her head is angled strategically to reveal the sharpened tip of the pencil sticking through her hair.
“Gloria is going to need therapy after what you’ve both put her through.” She points her hand in the woman’s direction.
It’s then that I see it—black hair sticking to her face, her cardigan draped over her shoulders, her arms wrapped around herself as tears stream down her olive skin.
Guilt claws away at me, and when I turn to Vivienne, her eyes tell the same story.
“Your behavior was unacceptable, especially for two grown adults. With that said, the engagement party will take place sometime next week. As it stands, there’s no chance it’s going to go well when you’re such an awful match. So tonight, you’ll go home, take a moment to reflect on your actions, feel guilty for the long-lasting trauma you’ve caused that poor woman, and pick a day to reconvene. I want you guys to get to know each other.No tomfoolery this time around. Capisce?”
“Yes, ma’am,” I answer.
Vivienne responds with a curt, “Of course.”
“Wonderful.” Melanie pulls out a velvet box from her pocket and hands it over to Vivienne. “This is your engagement ring—wear it everywhere you go and don’t take it off. They see you without it once, and they’ll think you’vebroken up. We can’t have that happen.”
Vivienne retrieves the box, nodding in approval.
“Now go.” Melanie points to the restaurant’s exit. “Go before I do something bad.”
CHAPTER 7
VIVIENNE
“Come on, you gorgeous girl, give us a spin.” Margaret greets me with a wide smile and an outstretched arm as I step through her home’s kitchen archway.
