Sloan. You discarded the elite college education I paid for by dropping out of law school to sell clothing for dogs…”
Piano? Law school??
Harvard???
Evelyn scowled. “Now you’ve botched the only relationship I’ve ever approved of. But of course, continue on, Kristen. See how far you can fall. You could have been making a respectable living, for God’s sake.”
I was beginning to lose my fucking cool. “She does make a respectable living,” I snapped. Shit, she made twice as much as I did, easily.
Evelyn sent me a cutting glare. “Our opinions on what constitutes a respectable occupation are likely very different, young man. And I’ll thank you to stay out of it.”
Like hell I’m staying out of it. “She started her own successful business from the ground up. She gets to be her own boss and she gets to do it from her living room. I’d think you’d be proud.”
“Yes, it’s not exactly a meth lab that I’m running, Mother,” Kristen said, smirking into her mimosa.
There’s my girl. I put a hand on her shoulder. “Well, no one’s saying you should give up your hobbies, honey bunny.”
Kristen choked and spit her drink back into her glass, and we both launched into laughter.
Steam came out of Evelyn’s ears and she glared at us. Kristen descended into a giggling fit, leaning into my shoulder.
The spell was broken. She was back.
Evelyn dabbed at her mouth with her napkin and raised a finger at the waiter. “Well, it’s good to see that you’ve found someone to celebrate mediocrity with, Kristen.”
Kristen grinned up at me, still laughing. “We do know how to celebrate, don’t we, Joshua?”
“I’m all worn out after last night’s celebration.” I chuckled, wiping at my eyes. I slid my plate away from me and dropped my napkin onto it. “Ready to go?” I pulled out my wallet and tossed some bills onto the table. “Thank you for the invite,” I said to Evelyn as I pushed out my chair. “Kristen?” I gave her my hand.
She didn’t move.
Come on, Kristen—let’s go. Don’t stand for this shit.
She took my hand with a sideways grin and got up.
“Mom, this has been fun, as always.” Then she grabbed the money I put on the table, tucked it into my back pocket, gave my ass a squeeze, and led me by the hand out of the restaurant.
TWENTY
Kristen
We burst from the restaurant into the warm noon air and made our way past the valet down the sidewalk to the fast click of my heels.
“Jesus, was she for real?” Josh asked, still laughing a little. We walked along a row of boutiques and salons. “I didn’t think people like that really existed.”
I scoffed. “Oh yes, she’s for real. Sloan calls her the Ice Queen.”
He shook his head. “Why do you let her talk to you like that? You don’t actually believe that stuff, do you?” He looked at me, his thick eyebrows knitted.
I believed I disappointed her. And it was hard not to take what she said to heart. I did drop out of law school. I gave up on piano, which I was somewhat gifted at. Turned down scholarships. Considering what I could have been doing, what I was probably capable of if I wanted to apply myself and live a life I hated, yeah, I could be considered a disappointment. She had a point.
I didn’t answer him.
“Kristen.” He stopped me on the sidewalk and put his hands on my arms. “Hey, you know that nothing she said was true, right?”
I looked him in the eye. “She wasn’t wrong about all of it, Josh.” I was nothing if not self-aware.
He took a step closer and his warm eyes anchored me. “None of what she said about you is true,” he said seriously. “You’re one of the most driven people I’ve ever met. You’re smart and successful, and Tyler’s a fucking asshole for breaking up with you like that. That shit wasn’t your fault.”
Tyler.
He’d been calling almost every day since he broke up with me. I wasn’t interested in hearing what he had to say.
I couldn’t decide if the ruling emotion was guilt for falling in love with Josh while we were together, or fury that Tyler had ended two years by breaking all his promises and letting me know via voicemail.
He had to have known he was going to leave me, and he’d probably known for a while. He hadn’t been any more forthcoming with his plans or reservations about our relationship than I’d been about my growing love for