sure your family are all lovely people, really. But...all of this...It all feels so distant and...wrapped up in appearances. I’m sorry. I don’t mean any offense. I just…”
“No, you’re right,” I admitted. “Wrapped up in appearances is a perfect way to describe them. But...a man who grew up in what’s practically a palace can’t complain.”
She reached over and squeezed my hand. “I don’t know about that.”
I swallowed hard, realizing that I had a sudden sharp sting in my chest. Nothing new was wrong, but I felt aware of things that had maybe been wrong for a long time...but had been ignored.
“Hey, I have an idea,” she perked up. “What do you say we get out of here and these fancy clothes into something more comfortable and have some drinks at my place? It’ll cheer you up.”
I raised a brow, ignoring the thought that I was dying for her to get out of that fancy dress...just not in the way she meant or in any way I cared to admit. “Do I need cheering up?”
“Come on,” was all she said in reply, tugging me by the hand.
13
Hazel
The energy between Chris and I had totally changed without me meaning for it to. Was being whisked away to a real life Christmas ball in a lavish gown I bought on his dime one of the most romantic things I had ever experienced? Yes. Of course. But I kept reminding myself that our brief kiss in the woods was an accident, and that he was not my type at all. So it all meant nothing.
All the same, leading him into my apartment felt so much more intimate than anything we had done together before. It was up close and personal in a whole new way. I really only meant to try and cheer him up after realizing the gaping hole his distant family left in his life. We were sort of becoming friends, right? And that’s what friends did.
But as I ushered him in, I couldn’t stop myself from taking a long look at his perfect butt in those dress pants. Friends did not do that.
“I’ll get us some wine,” I offered as I blushed and locked the front door.
“Anything stronger?” He asked, strolling around my living room, taking everything in.
“Good thinking. Tequila?”
“Why not,” he shrugged.
I slipped into the kitchen and paused for a moment to catch my breath. God, he looked gorgeous in the ordinary surroundings of my place. He somehow seemed taller and more disarming. His dark sexy eyes sparked with a new kind of temptation. I did my best to shake it all off as I grabbed the bottle and two shot glasses.
“Sorry, I know this isn’t like the mansions you’re probably used to,” I said as I came back into the room.
“It’s nice. Very you,” he smirked. “Everything in its place. Organized, tidy. But full of personality.”
“It’s probably not surprising that home decor is another love of mine,” I grinned, sitting on the couch. He sat next to me and we both threw back two shots. “Your sister...Ann. She seemed very…”
“Bitchy? Uptight? Rude?”
“Uh...I wasn’t going to say it. I thought you were uptight and rude at first, but yeah...she does kind of take it to a whole new level. You’re actually quite warm in comparison.”
“Lawyers,” he scoffed, taking another shot.
“I know what you mean. My sister Margo and her husband are lawyers. They’re very matter of fact and straight to the point. Sometimes it’s helpful. Other times it gets old.”
He shook his head with a wave of sadness rolling over his face. “Ann has two kids. Cassie is nine now and Luke is seven. I can’t remember the last time I saw them. She’s always leaving them with a nanny or saying they’re too busy to get together.”
“I guess juggling career, kids, and family is hard,” I replied slowly, but what did I know really? Truthfully, my first impression of the woman wasn’t great. Still, I thought staying positive and helping him see her side might help him.
“I just thought she’d want to do things differently than our mom did,” he told me, his mood darkening even more.
“You were with nannies a lot too growing up?”
He nodded and proceeded to tell me all sorts of things about their upbringing. I shared my own stories and after a while things took a lighter tone. I hoped the drinks and talking were doing the trick and cheering him up after all.
But after an hour or so had gone by, I realized suddenly