I return a few minutes later, fully dressed, to find Serena at the bar with two glasses of white wine. “I poured you some too.”
“Thanks,” I say, taking a long swig before going about the task of cleaning up the mess I’d made.
Needless to say, the evening did not turn out how I expected. Instead of being ravaged by my boyfriend in the kitchen, I had dinner with Remi and Serena before we all ended up on the cushy sofa, watchingThe Devil Wears Pradaon Remi’s wall-sized television. He fell asleep about halfway through.
As the credits roll, Serena gives his sleeping form an amused look. “I think we bored him to death.”
“I’ll get him upstairs,” I say, shaking Remi until he startles awake.
“Gird your loins,” he calls, and Serena and I giggle at him quoting a line from the movie.
“Come on, sleepyhead,” I say, standing and pulling him to his feet.
After getting him to bed, I kiss his messy dark hair and sigh before heading down to my apartment. At least Serena will only be here for a few days.
A few days turns into a week because Serena decided to have her walls painted—white, of course—while the workers already had her furniture moved. She’s become a bit of a fixture in our evenings, which is annoying at times, but I’m trying to be patient.
It’s not all bad. Serena is a spoiled little rich girl, but she’s also witty, and there are times I actually enjoy her company. More often than not, I find myself shaking my head that she doesn’t use that wit toward something productive.
But I never fully let my guard down around her because I remember how she acted that first day we met. Not to mention Gianna Bouvier’s snake emoji warning.
“You two look fantastic,” she beams, clapping as she looks us over.
It's the night of the mayor’s dinner. Remi is in an orgasmic black tuxedo, and I’m wearing a red Valentino sheath dress I found at Neiman Marcus in Houston. Serena invited herself on my shopping trip, which had me gritting my teeth, but she was actually pretty helpful when I was trying to decide between this one and one with a flowier skirt. She said this one made my boobs look good.
I tried to encourage her to start up her personal shopping business again, but she told me last time she did, she spent all of her profits shopping for herself as well.
“Let me take some pictures of you,” Serena says, directing us to stand in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows in Remi’s living room.
She keeps snapping away until Remi grumpily bites out, “Enough. We’re not going to the fucking senior prom, Serena.”
She clasps her hands beneath her chin and coos, “Oh, but mybabies look so beautiful. Make sure to wear your seat belts and be home by nine.”
We arrive at the venue, and Mayor Martinez meets us at the door. She looks beautiful in a long navy suit-dress that flatters her curvy figure.
“It’s so nice to meet you, Mindy,” she says, giving me an air kiss to keep from ruining our makeup. “And good to see you again, Remington.” She does the same with him.
“We’re happy to be here,” he replies. “I can’t tell you how honored I am to receive this award.”
“It’s well deserved,” the mayor says before patting his upper arm. “I hear you welcomed a new Hale into the world this week. How are Helix and his wife doing?”
Remi literally radiates pride from every pore. “They’re doing great, and baby Nicholas is healthy. Mindy and I went to see them yesterday.”
“He has the softest little dark curls and the kind of chubby cheeks you just want to pinch,” I add.
Maria makes a gimme motion with her hand. “I know you have pictures. Let me see.”
We chat and the mayor makes a fuss over the photos for a few minutes before she gestures us toward the ballroom of the hotel. As we enter, my eye catches on the sign perched on an easel just outside the door. It lists the businesses who have representatives attending the dinner, and one in particular stands out: First National Bank.
“What’s wrong?” Remi asks, sensing my mood immediately.
I tilt my head at the sign. “Twatface’s bank is listed, so he might be here.”
Remi’s brown eyes turn black, and a muscle tics in his jaw. “I’ll tell Martinez to have him removed if he’s here.”
Smiling up at him, I squeeze his arm. “Thank you, but no, don’t do that. It’ll be fine.”
His nostrils flare. “It won’t be fine if I end up in jail for knocking his lights out.”
