Lured into Love (Blossom in Winter #2) - Melanie Martins Page 0,92
going to an exhibit with Matthew. Do you know what I should wear?”
Janine jumps a little upon hearing me. She looks at me and blinks twice. “You are going out? With Matthew?”
I just shrug my shoulders and say, “Yeah.”
To my complete surprise, Janine claps her hands in excitement like a little child, making me raise my brows at her reaction. “I’m so proud of you, Miss.” She goes to my closet and tries to find the perfect outfit for the occasion. “Well, I didn’t have time to buy new clothes for you, but, um, what do you think about this dress?” I hear her saying from afar. Then she comes out of the closet to show me a black cocktail dress.
I can’t really match her enthusiasm, but I force myself to smile before saying, “Looks great.”
But Janine knows I’m just faking it, so she walks over and sits beside me. As she draws in a deep, long breath, her gaze remains pinned on me—a gaze that is more tender and nostalgic than usual. It feels like she’s carrying some sort of melancholia of her own inside of her. “You know, when I was your age, I was madly in love with an older man.”
“Really?” I ask, taken aback by her sincere confession.
“Mm-hmm,” she says, nodding at me. “And I know how much it hurts to have to let go.”
“But what happened? Why did you separate?”
“Well, life happened. Needless to say, I was left heartbroken. I thought he was my soul mate.” My heart reels hearing her words. It feels like I’m hearing myself from the future. “But there is nothing time can’t heal.” Her nostalgia is painted all over her face as she rubs my cheek to soothe me and to prevent the tears from falling from my eyes. But as we share a smile of appreciation for our similar battles, I can tell that Janine never forgot that man—she just learned how to live without him.
“The thing is, I know he loves me. And he knows I love him,” I blurt out. “That should be enough for us to be together.”
“I’m sure things will get better soon,” she says in a low voice, before giving me a wink.
And I’m left a bit confused at her comment. So, looking around the room and making sure there is no else here but us, I ask, “What does that mean?”
“It means just keep the faith, Miss.” She takes my hand, holding it between hers. “Look, if love is enough, as you said, then your fiancé has not given up on you. But if that’s not the case, you must let him go.” Her fatalism makes me shudder, but to be honest, it sounds like the most logical and rational thing to do. After all, if love is enough for Alex, then he will come back sometime soon. But if it’s not, I have to move on. I’m not sure how, but I know I must do so.
Standing up, she says, “I’m gonna prepare lunch.” And then she points her index finger at me, squinting her eyes. “And don’t you dare not eat.”
Letting out a quick laugh, I’ve got no choice but to comply. “Fine, I will eat.”
I’ve always liked to dress up for exhibits. After all, artists put their hearts, minds, and souls into preparing new collections and then events to present their new masterpieces to the world. I guess it’s a matter of respecting their craftsmanship. As I’m finishing putting some gloss on my lips, my iPhone starts beeping with a new text message. And for an instant, my heart wanted it to be Alex, but my mind knew it was Matthew: Hey! How are you? Sleep well? I’m downstairs. Uber is waiting.
I text him straightaway: Coming down. 2 mins.
But before leaving, I take a Xanax to help me face the crowd—although I know it’s gonna be a very small one—and hurry downstairs.
I see his Uber parked right at the curb, and as I get into the car, I’m surprised to see Matthew wearing a face mask.
“Hey,” I greet him. “Oh, I should’ve asked Anthony to take us, I’m sorry…”
He doesn’t seem much bothered though. “It’s alright, the exhibit is, like, ten minutes from here.”
“Do you have a mask, Miss?” the driver asks me.
“Um, I’ve got a medical exemption.” And I take my medical statement out of my purse just in case. “If you want to read it, it’s signed by three physicians and a lawyer.”