I indicated which tier was which and she selected a red velvet.
She bit into it and her eyes closed. I could see the pleasure of the bite written all over her face. It was my favorite expression to see.
“Mmm,” she moaned as she licked a dab of icing that had landed on the corner of her mouth.
“Daria!” she shouted and lifted her hand. “Come here! Youhaveto taste these.”
A blonde in a tiny bikini top and sheer sarong crossed the backyard like it was a catwalk.
“This is...Daria St. Royce, Daria this is…” Leanne’s voice trailed off as she motioned toward me.
“Sadie.” I smiled politely.
“Sadie and she is responsible for these sinful treats.” Leanne held the red velvet cupcake out to her friend. “You have to try one.”
Daria ignored her request and did not acknowledge my existence. “Did you see who’s here?”
“No. Who?” Leanne lifted her head and looked across the yard.
“Alex Vaughn,” Daria breathed his name in reference as if it was sacrosanct.
“Oh, there he is,” Leanne purred when she spotted him.
“Did you see the article inThe Bay Life?”
“Of course. Do you know if he’s dating anyone now?”
My ears perked up. It wasn’t that I was trying to eavesdrop. It was just that these women were standing less than a foot away from me. It was funny to me the things people would say around the help. It was almost as if we were invisible until they needed something.
I’d worked more jobs than I could count in the service industry. I’d worked in food service, obviously, housekeeping, customer service, hospitality, retail, and I nannied for most of my twenties.
The things that people would say in front of the housekeeper, or the nanny, or the sales associate were diary level intimate.
“I know that Selena Grace was sniffing around him most of last year, but from what I heard he didn’t sniff back.”
Selena Grace was a local celebrity. She hosted various bay area shows and had just launched a relationship advice podcast calledMake Me Blush.
I’d always thought she was the epitome of class, style, and beauty. Her long chestnut brown hair shimmered with blonde highlights that perfectly complemented her golden sun-kissed skin. With large hazel eyes, full lips, and cheekbones that women would pay top dollar for but were au natural. She was superhuman beautiful.
If Selena Grace couldn’t get him to sniff, what chance did mere mortal women have?
Daria lifted her glass of what looked like champagne to her lips and tipped her head back, downing the contents. When the glass was empty, she set it down and took a deep breath. “I’m going in.”
“Good luck, sweetie,” Leanne’s encouragement dripped with insincerity. It reminded me of when the mean girl in high school would say that she “loved” your shirt and then as soon as you walked away she’d trash it.
It was clear she didn’t think her friend had a chance in hell to win Alex’s attentions.
As soon as Daria was out of earshot, Leanne leaned toward me and pulled out her phone. “This is going to be a train wreck. I need to capture it for posterity.”
With that catty statement Leanne walked around the pool and began covertly filming her friend’s conversation with Alex.
The entire scene made me feel sick to my stomach. Not because I cared that Leanne was treating Daria like a mean girl, but because of the way they were circling Alex like sharks. It was predatory and so impersonal. Like he was some sort of trophy to be won.
“Hi, it’s Sadie, right?”
I turned and saw a woman somehow even more beautiful than Selena Grace holding out her hand. This woman could have easily been a supermodel with Charli.
“Hi, yes.” I nodded with a smile.
