hens can be. I swear they all get together and compare notes. If you screw up and miss a birthday for one, but not the other, you’re in big trouble.”
Sara rolled her eyes, “Happened to you too, huh? Swear to God, I’ve never heard news travel that fast.”
Chloe shook her head, “Um no, not in years. I don’t bother with it anymore, and it’s the best decision I ever made. Sure, there was some bitching for a while, but now they have no expectations where I’m concerned. If I listened to them, I’d be like Tasha. Just talking about life instead of actually living it.” Ouch. Sara knew that remark hadn’t been aimed at her, but it hit home just the same. She felt like a fake who’d managed to snag a seat at the cool kids’ table. Any minute now Chloe would tell her to move her ass back to the other side of the room with Tasha. Heck, come to think of it, even she had brought a guy to the last family gathering. It’s official, I’m a spinster. Is there a Facebook group I should join? Sara’s pity party was in full swing when Chloe elbowed her before saying, “Stop obsessing over it. Lydia’s full of crap.”
For a moment she considered acting dumb, but why bother? Her pride had already taken a hit, and she didn’t feel like pretending the comment hadn’t hit home. “I can’t say she’s totally off the mark. I mean, I do live with my brother’s family. And I haven’t brought a guy around the family in—it’s been a while.” More like never. But really, who wanted to subject an innocent person to this kind of dysfunctional situation unless things were serious?
She’d been afraid of seeing yet more pity, but Chloe simply gave her a blank stare before shrugging. “Even if you were a lazy freeloader who never had a date in her entire life—which you’re not—it shouldn’t matter to anyone here. What happened to family supporting each other? It’s bad enough that the world passes judgment without knowing all the facts, but who appointed our aunts as judge, jury, and executioner? If you’re happy, then screw ’em. If you’re not, then change.”
While she appreciated Chloe coming to her defense, Sara felt as if she was listening to a self-help seminar. You’ve got this, girl. Just go do you. Release your inner power and conquer the world. Blah, blah, blah. People who had it all couldn’t fathom why everyone didn’t. “You make it sound so simple to alter your life. Last time I checked, there weren’t a line of men waiting at my door, to take me away from all this.”
Chloe studied her for so long she had to resist the urge to run a hand over her hair to smooth it. “You really have no clue how attractive you are, do you? I mean sure, you dress completely wrong for your body type and coloring, but even with that, you still have that elusive girl-next-door beauty that most women dream about. If you put yourself out there, you wouldn’t lack for attention.”
So didn’t see that coming. Is she bullshitting me? But there appeared to be nothing but sincerity in her eyes, which was almost more unsettling than a lie would have been. Even more bizarre, she sounded almost envious. Sara resisted the urge to argue, not wanting her lack of self-confidence to be even more apparent than it already was. But she couldn’t resist admitting, “I wouldn’t know where to start. It’s been so long since I’ve been on a date that the mere thought of it terrifies me.”
Chloe nodded, appearing to understand even though Sara hadn’t a clue as to how. Surely she never lacked for men in her life . . . did she? “I get it. After Brian and I broke up, it was at least a year before I went out with another guy.” She crossed her arms over her chest and looked down at the floor as she murmured, “I was completely blindsided when I found out he was cheating on me. Never saw it coming. I was so depressed that I almost lost my job over the bastard. After I used up all my vacation and sick days, they were running out of patience. If not for a few good friends showering me with some tough love, I’m not sure how bad things would have gotten before I hit rock bottom.” She glanced across the room