Chapter 3

3

L IZ

Saturday afternoon

"Are you serious??" I burst out, my eyes flying to the phone, forgetting about the makeup case propped against the window.

Holding the eyeliner pencil up and having only half of the line painted on my eyelid, I look at my best friend, Chloe.Smiling nonchalantly, she takes a bite from her banana muffin.

She chews on it, slowly nodding.

"Yes."

"You got an invitation?"

"Of course I got an invitation. Way back. Everybody got one."

"In Madrid?"

She waves me off with a chuckle.

"Back home, silly. Thea doesn't know my address in Madrid."

"As if I do," I say.

Sitting cross–legged on the floor, I lean into the window sill and fold my arms over my chest.

She holds my eyes while I stare at her incredulously.

"So you're coming home for Thea's wedding."

"Mm-hmm."

Her mouth is full as she chews on her snack before swallowing slowly.

Why am I so surprised?

Chloe has always been the jet setter. Fashion, men, and travel have always been her things, not necessarily in this order.

"How long are you staying?"

She shrugs a shoulder.

"I don't know. A few days. A week, maybe. You know me. I hate to be rushed. I like to enjoy myself," she says, flashing a cute smile.

A soft grin tugs at my lips, mirroring hers.

"Speaking of men. Do you have any news?" I ask.

She tips her eyes down, hiding her expression, yet her grin gives her away.

"Are you talking about someone in particular?" she asks.

"No."

She looks at me.

"I broke up with Thad if that's what you're asking," she says.

"How is that even news?" I comment.

She laughs.

"It's not news. It was bound to happen. He's against long-distance relationships. And I'm not a fan, either. All that keeping in touch with each other gets old after a while."

"Were you two in a relationship to begin with?" I murmur.

She dismisses my question with a cocked eyebrow.

"Hardly."

"Why all the drama then?"

"We toyed with the idea. And you know him. He talks the big talk. He proposed to me before I left."

My mouth falls open.

"No way."

She nods.

"How come you never said anything to me?"

She shrugs again, smiling, amused.

"What did you tell him?" I ask.

"That I'll think about it and give him an answer when I return."

"You mean next week?"

"I didn't know it would be next week. We talked about it at the end of summer. I wasn't sure I'd come back for Thea's wedding."

"Uh-huh… What happened in the meantime?"

"We got bored."

"That's it?"

A shred of disbelief slips into my voice.

She sighs.

"Frankly. I think he found someone new and popped the question. She must've said yes."

My arms soften over my chest.

"Is this how this shit works? If it's not you, whoever's next will do?"

"Pretty much."

"Why was he in such a rush?"

She tilts her shoulders up and looks down before our eyes connect again.

"I don't know. But whatever made him rush would've been bad for me, anyway. Men only get married in a rush in a few circumstances."

"Name one."

She mulls over her answer.

"When they fall in love," I offer.

"They're more practical than that. It's usually some kind of pressure coming from their families. Or some inheritance with strings attached. Sometimes, it's convenient to get married. I doubt that was his case. His life was as comfortable as it could be. Plus, I'm not the kind of girl who caters to a man's needs. You know me."

I do know her.

Chloe is wild, unstoppable, and sharp as a scalpel.

She has a brilliant law career in her future, although I see her doing many other things.

Unlike me.

"So that's how things ended with Thad," I murmur contemplatively, my gaze dipping.

"Yup."

"And no new man in Madrid?" I ask, lifting my eyes.

"I met a few. They're interesting."

I say nothing.

"But nothing serious has happened," she adds. "They have different expectations, and there are cultural differences."

"You speak Spanish fluently."

"It's not enough." Her eyes glint with a smile. "And it's not always about talking to each other, if you get my drift."

I laugh.

"Sure. Of course, it's not," I murmur, entertained.

A few moments pass.

"How about you? What's new with you?" she asks, and dread sweeps through me.

I have nothing to talk about.

The last thing I want to discuss is that I hate going to my cousin's wedding.

"You know my life."

We've kept in touch these past few weeks but haven't been as close as we were when she was here.

Doing long-distance anything is hard.

"Klaus?"

"He's gone."

"Gone, gone? Like he's a missing person or something?" she jokes.

He always hinted that he wanted to run away and reinvent himself someplace else.

We even talked about it.

"New girl," I say, and her lips pucker with displeasure.

"Yikes."

"No, no. It's fine. She wanted him, so I asked her to take him."

"Did you really have that conversation with her?"

"Yes."

I shift, pull the small mirror closer, and continue putting on my makeup.

She expects me to continue.

"We were at a party, and she flirted with him," I say, handling a brush. "And he flirted back like he was a horny tomcat."

"Cute," she mutters sarcastically, biting back her repulsion.

"Yeah… I thought so too. It was a boring party, so I said to myself… Why waste my time? I talked to her, handed him over, and left."

"And he said nothing?"

"I didn't stick around to find out. And Klaus and I never talked after that night. It was the right call. I'm getting better and better at this, although…"

I freeze, realizing I almost had a slip of the tongue.

She's waiting and waiting, while I put the eyeliner pencil down, check my eyes in the small mirror, fully aware of her scorching stare on my cheek, and pick up a different brush from the case.

I'm sure she's noticed my hesitation since we're still on the same topic.

"Although what, Liz? What were you saying there?"

I toss the brush back into the case and move my eyes to her.

Arching an eyebrow, she slowly shakes her head at me.

"You've gotten better and better at spotting a loser, but…?" she says before I make an annoyed gesture.

"That's not what I was thinking about."

I suck in a long breath.

"What's bothering you, Liz?" she asks, her gaze pinned on something below the camera.

"I have a question for you," I say, studying her face.

"I'm listening," she murmurs, still not looking at me.

I wait before I speak.

"What do you know about David Moore?"

Her eyes move up quickly and promptly meet mine.

"David Moore, the billionaire?"

I nod.

"The sex god no one can hook up with?"

"Where did you get that from?"

A smile creases her lips.

"You are so busted, girlie."

I laugh.

"It's not about that."

"Why would you ask me, then?"

"I was just, um, wondering…?"

"What has prompted your sudden interest in him?"

I flick my hands up.

"Okay. All right…"

I ponder.

"I saw the man," I say.

"Where?"

"At the coffee shop. I was working."

"Uh-huh."

"Writing on my laptop."

"Your story is a page–turner, and I'm on the edge of my seat, but can you please get to it?"

"He walked in while I was there. That's it."

"How did you know it was him?"

"Uh…"

"Elizabeth?"

She rarely calls me Elizabeth. When she does, it's usually because I'm in trouble.

"What?"

"You tell me."

"I told you. I was in the shop when he walked in. And we talked, but our conversation had nothing to do with me. The barista told me who he was after he left. I know things about him. I read Rain's book so many times."

A smile curves her lips.

"You have a crush on him."

"No, I don't have a crush on him. He's not my type."

She rolls her eyes.

"Mm-hmm."

"Don't ‘mm-hmm' me. He's not. I was looking for some inspiration for my book. That's all. I thought you knew him."

"Him? No. I don't know him . All I know is what other women have told me about him. Their little hearts got trapped and broken in the depths of his dark soul," she says with sarcastic humor.

"What are you talking about?"

She picks up another piece of moist muffin and pushes it into her mouth.

"You said you read that book. Were you under the impression that he had fallen for Rain?"

My mouth falls open.

"Yes, I actually was," I say. "He wanted her. He wanted more than the call girl in her."

"Do you know why?"

"No."

"He wanted an upgrade, but in her case, he couldn't get it."

"Huh?"

She laughs.

"You know what I mean," she says.

"I know what you mean. I think I do."

"He wanted to buy her all the way. She would've been the perfect trophy wife."

"He was married."

"To someone he didn't love."

"And you know that from your friends as well?"

Something beeps in the background, claiming her attention, while I grapple with a nasty cliffhanger.

I'm waiting for her to come back as she rises from her seat and walks away from her phone.

"Chloe? Are you still there?" I ask moments later.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm here," she says in a preoccupied voice.

Soon after, she sags back into her chair, looking down.

"I need to go," she says as if reading something on her tablet. "So, are we going shopping or what?" she asks, ignoring our previous conversation.

"Shopping for what?"

The sound of the tablet sliding onto the table travels to me while she swings her eyes up.

"We need some party dresses for Thea's wedding."

"Oh… That. "

Her hand goes up.

"I don't have time for bullshit, Liz."

I lean back, laughing in response.

"You talked to Terry."

"I sure did. Poor woman. You drive her up the wall. We need to have a serious talk about your cousin's wedding."

"No, we don't. No talk about the wedding, please. I've talked enough about it with my mother. And I'm telling you what I've told her. I have nothing against Thea. I've been doing some soul-searching lately, and things have been messy. That's all. Plus, I'm looking for a place to live. My mother knows that. And that doesn't make much sense either. First off, I love my mother and enjoy living with her. She's fun. Secondly, I'm short on cash, so living on my own would only increase my stress level. And thirdly. It would complicate my life in unforeseeable ways. But… I need to do it. I suffer from brain fog every day I spend in Terry's home. It's like I'm five and can't make my own decisions, although she's never done anything to make me feel that way. Moving out seems like a stupid decision, considering I don't have the money for it, but staying there only prolongs my misery. If I am about to crash, I better crash quickly. She knows all that…"

"Okay. So, how are the two connected?"

I shoot her a questioning look.

"What do you mean?"

"Thea's wedding and you moving out."

A kernel of emotion spins in my chest.

"You don't see the connection?"

"No. Not really."

I'm not surprised.

Chloe has been Miss Independence since she was five. She's always had plenty of money and opportunities. She never struggled in that sense. Or in any other sense.

Things have always been easy for her. And while she doesn't take anything for granted, that doesn't mean she can relate to my struggles.

Things have always been up and down for me.

Thea moving out of California and starting a new life here made my life better for a while.

I had her. And I had Chloe.

Thea is family, though, and her getting swept away from me so quickly has made me rethink everything about my life.

I take in a deep breath and speak.

"Listen… I'm still thinking about it. So no dress shopping for me now."

"David Moore will be there," she says, not dipping her stare for a moment.

I wag my finger at her.

"Nice try. You won't convince me to attend the wedding by telling me that. He's just another reason not to show up. He has no idea I know his friends. And trust me, we won't like it when he finds out."

Sighing, she crosses her arms over her chest and thoughtfully looks at me.

A rush of blood warms my cheeks.

"You still didn't tell me how you knew he wasn't in love with his wife?" I say.

"For one, he divorced her."

"Him divorcing her had nothing to do with Rain."

"How do you know? Maybe he had an epiphany. Maybe he'd reached a point where his marriage was no longer enough. He slept around quite a bit. I'm sure Rain wasn't the only call girl he had fucked."

"You've made your point, Miss Lawyer. At the same time, you destroyed the idea of him being appealing enough for me to show up."

She waves me off.

"I've had enough of your excuses. Do whatever you want to do."

"Seriously now?"

"Seriously."

The corners of my lips pull down.

She forgets what she just said and continues.

"Look, it's a wedding. The place is beautiful. The weather will be nice. Maybe we'll make small talk with other people. Maybe we won't. They will be so busy with the wedding––and I mean Thea, Dahlia, Rain, and their men––that no one will pay attention to us. It's a big party."

"It is. Although Thea said that she wanted something small."

"Thea wanted a lot of things that turned out to be different and better. She'll have her hands full with the ceremony and the twins. We'll get lost on their beautiful property and just enjoy ourselves. That's it. Does that make you feel any better?"

I think about it for a second.

"Maybe… Yes, it does."

She shoots her hands up.

"Finally. We've made some progress. I need to go now."

She grabs her phone, moves out of her seat, and paces around her place.

"One more thing," I say, picking up my phone. "Why do you think David Moore has been off limits all this time?"

She stops and stares at me.

"You said no one could hook up with him," I murmur.

"Frankly, I don't know. But I'll make an ignorant guess here," she says, setting herself in motion again. "Men who like call girls as much as he does have nothing to offer to a real woman. And he is cognizant enough of that fact to stay away from that type of situation. On the other hand, why would he want to hook up with someone for good? He probably has all his needs met. The man was married. If he wanted something else, like family and kids, he would've picked the right woman for that. I'm sure he had plenty of options. So whatever he has going on in his life right now must be ideal for him. Has that answered your question?" she asks, heading to her walk-in closet.

"Yes, it has."

"Good. Bye."

With that, we end the call.