36. Proving Me Wrong

36

PROVING ME WRONG

“ T his place is so modern,” Laurel whispered into Nicole’s ear. “I’m so out of my element here. I’m used to fancy country club things, not this. And even then I hated it.”

Philip’s country club was stuffy and almost old in its decor.

“Don’t worry,” Nicole said. “It’s a place we came to a few times. The food and drink are great, but I won’t be drinking. I don’t want anyone to know about the baby yet. Liam will be getting me tonic and lime.”

“Easy to hide that there is no alcohol in it,” she said, grinning.

“Nicole,” someone screamed. “I didn’t recognize you. Holy cow, you look stunning. Like you’ve come out of some shell.”

Nicole laughed and blushed. “Livi, this is Laurel Glasgow, Easton’s girlfriend.”

“Where the hell is he?” Livi asked, swiveling her head around. Laurel didn’t see Easton yet either, but he and Liam had gone to the bar while Nicole and she walked to the back room. “I’m Livi Spencer, one of the partners. Easton and I are colleagues for different divisions.”

Livi looked to be at least ten years older than her and was definitely on the loud end.

“It’s nice to meet you.”

“Where did he meet you?” Livi asked. “That’s the important question. Because you’re a hell of a lot better than the last chick that came in here all up in everyone’s face trying to kiss ass.”

She felt an arm come around her shoulder. “You don’t want to know how we met,” Easton said. She took her wine out of his hand. “It’s an embarrassment to me.”

She laughed and winked. “Nonsense. While Easton was staying at his cousin’s house, he witnessed me kicking my ex off my front porch. He thought he’d have to intervene, but I had it covered.”

“She scared me,” he said. “Literally.”

She knew he was joking. He wasn’t like this normally and she was starting to wonder if he was a different person at work when he said he was who he was.

Livi looked at Nicole. “Is this true? Easton doesn’t get scared of much and wouldn’t admit it if he was.”

Guess he wasn’t joking. “This story is true,” Nicole said, smirking.

“I don’t lie,” he said.

“We introduced ourselves to each other and then I noticed he was laying paving stones,” Laurel said. “I was worked up and needed to expend some energy. I offered to help. I think he thought I was going to stand around and chat with him while he did all the work.”

“And that is where the embarrassment was,” he said. “I did think that and she proved me wrong. She’s been proving me wrong on a lot of things since.”

“Good for you,” Livi said. “Let's go to this corner and talk. I think I’m going to like you. Come on, Nicole. You too.”

She looked at Easton, but he only shrugged while she was pulled away.

She hadn’t expected that to happen.

“How long have you worked with Easton?” she asked Livi when she found herself sitting at a table with Nicole and two other women coming over.

Livi made the introductions and she was trying to keep the names straight.

“I hired Easton. I knew right away he had what it took. Came in all confident and cocky but not in a horrible way. I could see right through the fact he was forcing it, but I liked that trait. He’s never been one to shy away or back down from anything.”

“That’s what I’ve noticed too,” she said.

“It’s a good trait to have in a man. That last one he brought to these things. She was bad news. What was her name again?” Livi asked.

“Rachelle,” Nicole said, laughing. “She’d come to them for years. It’s been less than a year since they split.”

“I don’t remember names of people I have no interest in getting to know,” Livi said. “But you, Laurel, I can tell right away, you’re good for Easton. Tell us what you do.”

And this was where things could get tricky, but she wasn’t going to back down.

“I’m the Plant Manager for Blossoms. I oversee the operations on the floor.”

“The candles and lotions place?” Bethany asked. She’d heard the name but not what the person did. It wasn’t an attorney though, she caught that much.

“That’s it,” she said. “Plus jewelry, soaps, accessories. They are expanding like crazy. They just had several pieces showcased on a runway in Italy last month.”

“I didn’t know that,” Nicole said.

“Sorry,” she said. “I don’t normally get asked a lot of questions about my job. I’m overseeing production. It’s not as glamorous as design or creating things. Not even marketing. It’s walking around the floor and dealing with inventory, schedules, supplies, and things like that.”

“Are you kidding me?” Livi said. “That’s the nuts and bolts of the operations. Without that, they’d have nothing.”

“Thank you,” she said. “I mean that. I love my job. It has its hiccups like any job does, but overall I love what the Bloom sisters stand for and what they create.”

“Tell us more,” Bethany said. “Those bracelets you’re both wearing are beautiful. With the flowers on them, I’m going to assume from their line?”

Laurel talked about her job for about fifteen minutes and then felt Easton’s hand on her bare shoulder.

“I’m going to steal my girlfriend away. We don’t get to see each other often and would like to have this time together.”

She stood up with Nicole and they moved to a table that Liam and Easton were at.

“Thanks,” she said.

“I’m surprised you stayed,” he said. “You could have gotten up to leave. Was Livi that bad?”

“Not bad at all. She reminded me of my Aunt Helen. She was refreshing for sure. But she asks a lot of questions.”

“Like lawyers are known to do,” he said. “There are some more people I want to introduce you to.”

She let Easton bring her around the room and met more people than she was going to remember, but everyone was nice.

Toward the end of the night, she’d heard more times than she could count how she was so much different than the last one. Seemed not many cared for Rachelle.

She wasn’t so sure she liked being compared to the ex though.

“Want to get some air?” Nicole said. “They’ve got a balcony upstairs.”

“I’d love it,” she said, standing up. “Dinner was great and I’m still stuffed. It’s making me hot mixed in with the three glasses of wine I’ve had. I don’t normally drink that much. Easton seems to be having a great time. I don’t know I expected this of him.”

“Liam loves talking and socializing. Easton and I not so much, but these gatherings were or are fun. I’m so glad you could come and everyone could meet you. As you can tell, Rachelle wasn’t very popular.”

“I’m noticing that. No one has said much other than she wasn’t for him.”

“She wouldn’t leave his side at these things. And in front of him, she’d be kissing up to people and talking Easton up like she was trying to sell him for a promotion.”

“Ick,” she said.

“Exactly,” Nicole said when they got to the rooftop. There were people around but not so many that they couldn’t move off to the side for privacy.

“I don’t think Easton would want anyone to be selling him. He’d want to do those things on his own.”

“That was exactly how he felt. It made a lot of people uncomfortable, but they liked Easton. They’d tell me and I couldn’t bring myself to say anything to Easton about it.”

“And you and Rachelle were friends,” she said.

“We were. I think they hoped I’d say something. I tried to, but she didn’t get the hint. I’m not one to force the issue. I didn’t want to get in the middle of their relationship.”

“He got there on his own,” she said. “He was a partner when they were still together, right?”

“Yes,” Nicole said. “But they split shortly after. He worked a lot. He still does.”

“And it’s not an issue with me,” she said. “I do too. We are both good with it.”

“I’m glad,” Nicole said. “When Rachelle saw him a few weeks ago and went to talk to him, I think she was trying to play games in his head again.”

“Easton and Rachelle talked recently?” she asked. She didn’t know this and didn’t know why Easton hadn’t said a word.

“Oops. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“But you did and I’d like to know what happened.”

“I’m sorry. I’ll apologize. It slipped.”

“And you can’t take it back. If you don’t tell me, I’ll ask Easton.”

“Which I’m sure you’re going to do and I’ll have to apologize to him. It’s nothing,” Nicole said.

“If it’s nothing then you can share it.”

Nicole seemed to hesitate. “She saw him at the grocery store. She came over to him; he didn’t see her. She made some smart comment about him waiting until he ran out of something like he always did.”

“Why do that?” she asked. “Or say that? It’s being petty.”

“It is,” Nicole said. “That is how she is. He went to walk away and she asked how he was doing.”

“Which would have annoyed him,” she said. She was getting pissed that he’d kept this from her though.

“It did. He called her out on it. Asked why she would care. Then her new fiancé came over and they were introduced. Connor’s face fell. Rachelle said Connor was jealous of Easton and now would be even more seeing him.”

“Then maybe she should have looked the other way and minded her own business in the store.”

“Which is what Easton said. She made another comment that had Easton asking if she did what she had to try to make him jealous and she complained he was never jealous of anything.”

Which she couldn’t dispute because she always made sure he knew if Abe stopped over and he never seemed to care.

But it was his cousin so she might be silly thinking otherwise.

“It still doesn’t make sense what point she was trying to prove unless she wanted him back?”

“I don’t know,” Nicole said. “I don’t think so. It was hard to tell anything with Rachelle. As you’ve heard a lot tonight.”

“She sounds surface and fake. I can’t believe they were together as long as they were,” she said.

“I thought the same thing. He never said why, but once he cuts you out of his life, that’s it. Rachelle kept reaching out to me after. She wanted to know Easton’s reaction. I think she thought he’d get jealous or something and then when he didn’t, she felt like he didn’t care enough to begin with and maybe she made the right choice.”

“It sounds as if he didn’t love her enough,” she said. “But when you love someone, you don’t lie and cheat. I’ll be the first to admit I didn’t love Philip enough, but even if I did, there is no going back when someone cheats on you.”

“Rachelle said she never slept with Connor while she was with Easton.”

“Do you believe that?” she asked. “Not that it matters.”

“I don’t think it matters. I’m on the fence believing it, but it’s not my life. He cut her out of his life and we’ve all been happy about it. I think that is what I was trying to say when I brought it up. Everyone saw right through Rachelle and Easton didn’t. Everyone sees who you are right away and that you’re perfect for him. He’s never tried to be anyone he wasn’t.”

“Neither have I,” she said. “The way I dress isn’t who I am inside regardless of the attire I’ve got on.”

“The same with Easton. So you see, perfect for each other.”

Laurel forced her smile. She wasn’t so sure of that, but she’d find out when they were back in their room.