their take on domestic violence. His eyes widened comically.
Damn it if I didn’t need him bruise-free in a few weeks for our interview. And if it weren’t technically spousal abuse—I’d kick his ass right this very minute. “This is not a time to joke about this. And what the hell was that little tidbit about an ex-wife?”
He shook his head. “Nothing I even have the time to go into right now.”
I held my hands out, palms up, gesturing around us. “What so you’re just going to brush me off after withholding that little detail? Jesus, Lucas—”
“I’ll tell you everything later. But if Claire approaches you tonight, avoid her like the plague.”
My face burned even hotter. How the hell was I supposed to do that? I had zero information and he wasn’t being fair. We had an interview in two short weeks. Not only did I know hardly a thing about his family background, but he had an ex-wife. One that I could be put on the spot about! “Fucking-a. I’m going to seriously—”
This time I did take a swing. In spite of my words, it wasn’t a serious one. It was actually my shot across the bow because he clearly was not absorbing the depths of my anger.
He easily stepped out of the way just in time to avoid my fist, staring at me like I was a crazy woman.
He never got the chance to respond because we were interrupted by a manufactured, yet polite cough in the doorway. Both our heads craned toward the interruption.
A young woman, about the same height as me, stood there. Her dark hair was pulled into a sleek updo with one artful tendril hugging her jawline. She was dressed highly fashionably from her sparkling crystal-covered three-inch Louboutins to the orange-red off-the-shoulder mini dress. Like she’d stepped off the page of a People Magazine fashion feature page. Or like she’d been plucked right out of a Kardashian-Jenner family outing. If by family outing, they meant clubbing until four in the morning.
Was this the ex-wife herself? My stomach dropped.
Her big brown eyes carefully studied Lucas and then me and then back. “Uh, hey. They sent me to fetch you two for dinner. Everyone was worried and thought you two had escaped out the back way. Which wouldn’t really be surprising.”
Nope instead she’d witnessed our “lovers quarrel” complete with my swing at Lucas. Great.
Lucas rubbed at his jaw awkwardly, as if I really had punched him.
“Well, I won’t lie and say it didn’t cross our minds.”His face split into an uncharacteristically a wide grin. “Hey sis. Great to see you.”
Her dark brow arched. “You’ve been a stranger.”
I was at once relieved she wasn’t the ex-wife but mortified that this newcomer was my sister-in-law. Inner sigh. The young woman’s eyes flicked to me and then she threw a pointed look at Lucas, as if prompting him.
He jerked toward me. “Oh, this is my sister Julia. Julia, this is Katya, my wife.”
Julia seemed to fight rolling her eyes at her brother as she stepped forward to take my hand. “My brother always had wretched manners. So wonderful to meet you.” She smiled tightly and gave my outfit a once over before turning back to her brother. “Secret wedding? How romantic. I’d be more pissed I didn’t get to help out with the wedding. To be honest, I got my fill on your first one. I hope you two had a lovely wedding.”
Lucas and I met gazes, and I had visions of red palm trees on white tile in my head. And that stupid jingle from the In-N-Out commercials. That’s what a hamburger’s all about.
“Uh yeah, it was a great wedding. Simple. We had the most important ingredient there. Love. That’s what a wedding is all about.” I was so incredibly tempted to sing that last line to the tune of the jingle. It might have been worth it to see the look on Lucas’s face.
“Good,” Julia said, with another carefully controlled smile. “I look forward to getting to know you better. And hopefully this means we’ll see more of you, Lucas. But right now everyone’s waiting for you two before we go in to sit for dinner. We’re kind of formal around here with these types of events,” she explained.
Julia turned her back, probably to roll her eyes and disguise her disdain for me—that certain was I that she hated me already. The minute she did so, I sent Lucas the most withering stare I could muster.