I smiled. “Well, then. What’s going on with you?”
“Are you going to the gala for the arts in two weeks? It’s black tie. Wealthy widows circling potential donors like sharks. Anything about this sounding familiar?”
“Yeah,” I said, already resigned to my fate. “Alex is constantly being invited to these things because everyone hopes he’ll donate. He mentioned something about it, so it’s likely that I’ll be going. Why?”
Her eyes were suddenly ablaze with excitement. “I want to design your dress.”
I blinked hard. “Zara?—”
“Don’t argue with me,” she said immediately. “I already have ideas. It’ll be something dramatic that says you’re powerful but unbothered by all their shit. It might be ivory with a structured shoulder.”
Despite everything that had happened in the last couple hours, I laughed. “Are you serious?”
“Serious enough that if you love me, you’ll say yes,” she shot back. “Please say yes.”
I hesitated only for a second. “Fine. Yes. I’d be honored to wear one of your originals.”
She clapped her hands together, grinning like a loon. “Good. I’ll design something that makes people shut up when you walk into the room.”
Before I could respond, her phone buzzed on the table. She glanced down, her smile fading just a touch as she reached for it. “Sorry. I have to take this.” She listened for a moment after she’d picked up, her expression shifting from amused, to focused, to concerned. “Okay. Yeah. I’m on my way.”
Before she’d even pulled the phone away from her ear after ending the call, she was already standing up and grabbing her bag. “I’m so sorry, Jane. I have to go.”
“Is everything okay?” I asked.
She shook her head. “It will be.”
Which is not reassuring in the slightest.But I nodded anyway. “Text me if you need anything.”
“I will,” she promised, and then she was gone, leaving me alone at the table with half a glass of wine and a knot forming low in my stomach.
I sat there for a moment, just staring at the empty chair across from me and wondering what was going on, but then lightning streaked across the sky outside, flickering through the windows.Crap. I should really just get home.
Looking up, I was searching for our server to signal for the check when a shadow fell over the table. “Jane Thayer.”
I looked up, my blood freezing in my veins as Mallory Foundry smiled down at me like we were old friends. Up close, she looked exactly like I remembered from the photos, sleek, polished, and beautiful. Her hair was glossy, her makeup flawless, and her posture confident. The giant ring on her finger caught the light when she rested her hand on the back of Zara’s empty chair.
“May I?” she asked, already pulling it out.
“No,” I said flatly.
She paused but then smiled wider, clearly unfazed by my response. “Fair enough. I figured I would come over and introduce myself since we’ve never formally met.”
I stood, digging for cash in my purse and tossing a few too many bills on the table. It would be more than enough to cover our check, but overpaying was so worth it if that was the cost of getting away from her.
“I’m not interested in niceties, Mallory. You’re part of the reason my father is in prison and my family has been in dire straits. Forgive me if I don’t feel like chatting over cocktails, or don’t. I really don’t care.”
Her eyes flicked over my face, her gaze assessing before she let out a soft laugh. “Your father told me all about how direct you are. I admire that.”
“I don’t need you to admire anything,” I snapped. “I’m also shocked you were allowed back in the country.”
She leaned in slightly, lowering her voice. “You should know by now that money talks. It can buy literally anything.”
Against my will, my gaze dropped to the ring on her finger and my jaw clenched. “Whatever you want, you won’t get it from me.”
“Actually, I’d love to talk. Properly,” she said, straightening up. “Let’s set a time and I’ll meet you. We can?—”
“No. Sorry, but I’m not interested.”
