“You’ll bounce back.”
“Bounce back my foot! Those tariffs are killing me. I’m retiring from the bench at the end of this year to take over my family business full-time and this is what I’m up against? Twenty-five percent tariffs? Are they nuts? It’s bad out here for a billionaire,” Charles said with conviction in his voice and Joy laughed out loud. But both men looked at her as if it wasn’t a joke at all.
Especially Charles. He found her downright offensive. “Anyway,” he said, still giving her the side-eye, “nice seeing you again, Skeffington. Maybe we can play a round of golf in the near future.”
“Sure thing, Charles.” They shook hands again. “Take care of yourself.”
“Same to you.” Then Charles tipped his imaginary hat at Joy. “Miss Johnson,” he said with what Joy thought sounded like clenched teeth. And then he left.
She leaned toward William with shock in her eyes. “I thought he was joking! I didn’t mean to offend that man!”
William smiled. “No worries. He’ll get over it.”
“But the way he said that it’s hard for,” Joy started saying. But another friend of William’s, this time a beautiful lady, came over.
“I thought that was you over here,” she said with a smile as she walked up. “It’s good to see you again.”
“How have you been?” William asked.
“Wonderful now that I’m seeing you again. Since you won’t return my calls.” Then she looked over at Joy. “Hello.”
“Hi.” It didn’t take a rocket scientist to see that that chick slept with William before.
“And you are?” she asked Joy.
“She’s Joy Johnson,” William said. “She’s my girlfriend. Joy, this is Cassidy.”
Joy extended her hand. “Nice to meet you, Cassidy.”
But Cassidy was staring at William. “What did you just say?”
Joy looked at him too. He seemed damn uncomfortable.
“I said Joy, Miss Johnson, is my lady. She’s my girlfriend.”
Tears began to well up in Cassidy’s eyes. “After all these years you mean to tell me that just . . . That you just . . . You said nobody was ever going to be your number one. Nobody! But if it came to that I should be first in line.”
“I never said that!”
Joy looked at her. She could tell the bitch was lying too.
“I should be first in line!” Cassidy said with a voice so raised that others at other seating sections glanced over. “But instead of choosing me, you pick this . . .” She looked at Joy with nothing short of disgust on her face. “This little trollop to be the one? Are you fucking kidding me, William?!”
“I didn’t say that, Cassidy,” William responded as if he was still calling her out on her lie.
But Cassidy was heartbroken. Tears were streaming down her face and her pale skin was turning red. “After all this time, all this hoping that you’ll change, and this is what I get?” She looked at Joy. “This?” Are you fucking kidding me?” she asked again. Then her rage took over and she angrily picked up the pitcher of water on the small table that sat between William and Joy and tried to throw it on Joy. But William, seeing it coming, jumped up and grabbed her hand before she could toss it. Some water spilled out from his violent grab, but none touched Joy.
Cassidy covered her mouth to avoid crying out loud and William slowly, gently removed the pitcher from her hand. Then she ran out.
William sat back down. Folded his legs. And puffed on his fat cigar as if nothing had just happened. When they both knew it had.
Joy looked around. Everybody else were going on about their business too. If this was his world, she thought, she wasn’t sure if she wanted in on it.
And then an older couple came up as if they had been watching the entire episode unfold. But when William stood up as if they were royalty or something, Joy stood up too.
“Hello,” he said.
“Hello,” said the male.
