“But it felt like our relationship had been shifting a little. I figured he was coming back soon, and it felt like, to me anyway, that we were working our way into a romantic relationship after all this time.”
Camila smiled knowingly. “Hmm, how romantic.”
Betzy grinned as well. “In some ways, it was. But like Rachel said, we didn’t talk about our dating life, so I was justassuminghe was available, like me. So Christmas passed. His mom came back into town. And then came New Years Eve.”
“Oh my gosh,” Camila blurted. “This is like a movie.”
Betzy couldn’t help but be amused by Camila’s excitement. “If it is, this is the scene that makes you cringe, trust me.” She put her mind back on that day. The hustle and bustle of getting onto the jet. Making arrangements for a driver when she got into the city.
“I flew out to New York on New Years Eve. We’d been texting back and forth, and I’d asked him what he had planned for the night. He told me he planned to order pizza, kick back on his leather recliner with a drink, and countdown the New Year with the big screen.”
Rachel chuckled under her breath. “Such a guy thing to do.”
“Next comes the cringe part,” Betzy warned. “And mind you, this was me taking fate into my own hands. Seizing the day. Following my heart. Whatever you want to call it, I was doing it, and it feltright.”The truth of that statement made her heart ache anew.
“I was texting him while the driver took me to his apartment. They’d started blocking off some of the streets for that night’s celebrations, but there was still a while to go before the countdown. Anyway, he told me he was heading back to his place, so I watched for him from the car, and didn’t get out until he went in.
“I got through security easily enough by showing the doorman my ID, but as soon as I stepped past the security guards, I caught a view of the glass elevator. I spotted Sawyer a split second before some woman took his face in her hands and planted a kiss on him.”
Camila gasped. Then groaned. “No…that’s not how that was supposed to go.”
“Tell me about it,” Betzy said. “That was going to be our moment. OurI secretly love you and I hope you love me too so let’s spend the rest of our lives togethermoment.”
“Those moments don’t really exist,” Rachel grumbled.
“Oh, they do,” Camila said. “Sometimes they just take time.”
Betzy shook her head, musing. Her belief was caught between that of the women by her side. “I think they exist. But maybe they don’t exist for everyone. Maybe some of us just have to settle for…the Marcus Creightons of the world.”
Now it was Rachel’s turn to let out a groan.
“That’s the guy you dated a while back?” Camila asked.
Betzy nodded.
“James told me about him.”
“Yep. That was another mistake. But back then I was thinking it was meant to be, the way we hit it off when we first met. The way I was able to help him save his company. Until he took credit for that himself and pretty much dumped me before I could dump him.
“So now I’m kind of over this idea of fate. And which one is it, anyway? You’re supposed to take fate into your own hands? Okay, I tried that. It was a nightmare. I was flying across the country in tears as the New Year came in. And if it’swaitingfor fate to play out, don’t you think I’ve done that too? I mean, how long do I have to wait? Long enough to get onSlipper’sbound-to-be-spinsters list?”
“I forgot about that,” Rachel said, shifting to sit upright beside her. “Did anyone text you back about the article?”
Betzy shot a gaze across the room. She’d left her phone tucked into her handbag the entire evening. “I have no idea.”
“Let’s find out,” Camila said as she climbed off the beanbag. Betzy did the same and, with the two girls at her heels, hurried over to the handbag.
Camila held up a hand as they huddled around the device. “Now remember. If you’re on there, you’re going to take the high road.”
Betzy nodded. They’d spent the first hour of the evening listing out all the ways she could do that very thing. “Right,” she agreed. “I’ll find platforms to talk about how outdated and cruel that term is. I’ll show the numbers we found about how the typical marrying age is on the rise. I’ll get onto talk shows, daytime news, whatever it takes.”
The nodding was mutual, so Betzy swiped the screen to see that she had, in fact, received a text regarding the matter.
Grandma Lo:A friend of mine has a friend whose son works for Slipper. He confirmed that you are listed in that article, Hon, and from what he says, it isn’t pretty. Time to gear up our defense.
“That witch!” Rachel growled. Only she might not have actually said witch.
Knots of anger tangled and twisted in Betzy’s gut. “I’m twenty-eight years old.”
