“Guys, this is Alex. One of Julia’s best friends. Alex, these are my future groomsmen. Robert, Eric, Matthew, and Duke.”
“Good to meet you,” one of them says.
“We were just talking about the Eagles,” Brian continues.
“Ah,” I say but inwardly groan. I came over to play nice, but if the conversation continues to be about football, I’m going to have to respectfully bow out.
“She’s a baseball fan,” Brian continues, as if I’m not standingright the fuck next to him. He takes a sip of his watered-down scotch. “Cleveland, right?”
I match his sip with a chug of beer and narrow my eyes. “Cincinnati.”
He shrugs as if they’re the same fucking thing and chews on the end of his cigar. It pisses me off for two reasons. One, we’ve talked about this every other time we’ve been forced to interact, and two, he knows it’s the Reds because I know for a fact that Jules still wears my old Reds shirt she swiped from me when we were sixteen, and I’ve heard him make a comment about it.
Robert, or maybe it’s Matthew, scrunches his nose. “You’re not a Bengals fan, too, are you?”
“Don’t really get that excited about football.”
Duke scoffs. “You should. It’s more exciting than baseball.”
“Well,Duke,” I say through a forced smile, “agree to disagree.”
I never thought I’d say this, but they actually make me miss Tyler. At least he liked baseball and was fun to be around. Even if hewasdrafted by the Cardinals.
Brian produces a fresh cigar from his front pocket. “Here you go.” I’m not really one to smoke, but I take it anyway and hold it, wondering if I’m actually going to have to partake. But then Eric steals Brian’s attention.
“Like I was telling you, my uncle has an in with this investment firm in Chicago. I can get you a job there, no problem. Start off as an apprentice and climb the ladder. You’ll be rolling in it in no time.”
Brian takes a puff from his cigar and nods. “How much rolling are we talking?”
Eric leans in close like they’re swapping secrets and smirks. “Let’s just say that Bugatti you’ve always wanted might not just be a dream anymore.”
“Once I finish the apprenticeship,” Brian repeats.
“Which you will because my uncle knows a guy.”
Brian and Eric laugh and tap their glasses together and…wow. It’s like watching some bad rich boy reality show. Only with cologne and smoke circling overhead.
None of the other guys look my way again, so I stand around the periphery and wonder how I can excuse myself when I promised JulesI’d behave. Brian attempts to bring me back into the circle a few times, but after twenty minutes or so, it’s clear that I’m not adding anything of value to their conversation, so I let him light my cigar and wonder what the hell Jules sees in him.
And why he always calls her Julia and never Jules.
Chapter Nineteen
Julia
My body is tired, my cheeks hurt from all the forced smiles, and my feet are killing me. Chloe is already in my room lounging happily on the bed, and I collapse on the mattress beside her.
“I’m so happy to be out of those shoes,” I say into one of the overly large, down-filled pillows. The low-heeled shoes were a last-minute decision and are half a size too small.
“You looked cute, though,” Chloe says and pats my sweatpants-covered butt.
“You really did,” Alex agrees when she enters the room.
Being alone with the two of them, free of pretenses and feigned charm, is the first time in a while that I feel like I can truly be myself. That I can finally breathe.
Alex sits at the foot of the bed and pulls my feet into her lap and presses her thumbs into my skin in just the right spots. I give her a grateful smile, then close my eyes when she presses just a little bit harder and bite back a moan.
“Are you going to rub my feet next?” Chloe asks seriously.
