42. Ravenna
Ravenna
A t work the next day, I’m unfocused, groggy from the late night fight with Cian.
Especially since after going back to sleep, I woke up again early this morning to another of his nightmares.
They had been better for quite a while. The perfume incident set them off again for a couple of weeks.
Now we have another round of his night terrors because of this situation with my co-worker, I assume.
On top of all that, I’m upset at him for not seeking professional help. It’s been years of this and when it’s good, it’s great. But when he declines like this, letting his demons consume him, our relationship feels the strain. We both suffer.
I also hate the fact that he dreams about her. His ex. She has a stronger hold over him than I do, and she’s been dead for what? Close to a decade?
Call me jealous. I loathe sharing him with another woman, even if she’s only in his nightmares.
“Good morning, Mrs. O’Rourke.” Devlin stops by my desk, pulling me from my thoughts.
“Good morning.” My tone’s brisk.
He notices. “Rough start to the day?”
“You could say that.”
“Oh? What’s going on?”
“Nothing.”
He frowns. “I thought we decided to be friends yesterday. Has something changed since then?”
“Yes.” I sigh. Being rude doesn’t come naturally to me, but at times it’s necessary. “We can’t be friends. I’m sorry, but you need to find some other nice co-worker in the building to chat and have coffee with. This isn’t working for me.”
“Oh. Okay.” Devlin looks like a whipped puppy, and I feel bad.
But I’m not letting anyone get in the way of my already complicated marriage.
The truth is, Devlin simply isn’t that important to me.
He’s not my family. He’s not a friend, either.
So he certainly shouldn’t be the cause for a middle of the night meltdown for my husband.
Thankfully, Devlin goes away without making a fuss. I hope he takes the hint, which was not very subtle, and leaves me alone from now on.
I’m sure he can make other friends at work.
The rest of the week, Devlin only says hello in passing, which is a relief.
Friday rolls around, which I’ve been looking forward to ever since Susan invited me out.
I check in on my boss to make sure she doesn’t need anything else from me before I grab my purse and meet up with Susan, Jade, and Lisa.
The three of them are inseparable. A clique I’ve been dying to socialize with since I first met them.
We ride the elevator down together. They gossip with each other, and I kind of feel like I’m just tagging along to one of their weekly social rituals.
Outside, we walk the short distance to the bar, our stilettos clacking against the concrete sidewalk. I gave Finn and Kody a heads up about this evening. They have eyes on me from across the street, but have been specifically instructed not to draw attention to themselves.
Susan finally speaks, including me in their conversation. “What do you think about that guy Devlin? Handsome devil, isn’t he?”
“He is,” I admit. “Though kind of clingy. He gives me a weird vibe.”
Jade speaks up, “I know what you mean. He’s always flirting with me, but it comes off as creepy rather than sexy. I’m not sure why. Now, I avoid him.”
“You guys don’t like him?” Lisa asks, glancing around at all of us. “I’m supposed to go on a date with him this weekend.”
“Really?” I’m surprised, since Devlin has insisted that I’m his only friend at the office. Maybe he puts me in a different category because I’m married, whereas all these women are single.
Jade scrunches her nose. “Don’t date him, Lisa, you can do better than him.”
“He’s strange,” Susan says, “but imagine having a hunk like that in bed? I wonder if he’s that large… everywhere.”
“Still not worth it.” Jade shakes her head, opening the door for us at the bar.
We’re seated at a cocktail table in the swanky little establishment. I buy the first round of drinks, partly because I want to make a good impression on them. But also out of generosity. They should keep as much of their hard-earned money as they can.
The conversation drifts from work gossip, to personal life matters, to celebrities, until we finally end up on the subject of the agency’s owner and popular model.
“Now Connor Bane? I’d totally jump into bed with him,” Jade states. “That man is fine. ”
Susan sips her cocktail. “Maybe you should ask him out. You’ve only had a crush on him for years. Everyone knows he’s single right now.”
It’s interesting hearing their opinion of my husband’s cousin. I don’t dare tell them about that connection, or about how Connor gave me this job in the first place.
Jade giggles, obviously tipsy. “Connor isn’t the type of man you ask out. You have to catch his attention, then he’ll ask you out. Just watch me, one of these days he’ll see me and he’ll come after me. It will be an epic workplace romance.”
“I’ve heard he doesn’t date other models or anyone from work,” Lisa adds.
“I’ll be the exception.”
Susan laughs. “If you say so. Personally, I think we’re looking for love in all the wrong places.” She glances at me. “You’re married. How did you and your husband meet?”
For a couple of seconds, I blankly stare back at her, at a complete loss for words. I’d never thought about explaining my relationship to someone from the outside. If I tell them it was an arranged marriage, they’ll think I’ve lost my mind. Or that I need rescuing.
Jade arches a perfectly shaped brow. “Well?”
“I…” To give myself a couple more moments, and time to pull together a lie, I down the rest of my drink. “How about another round?”
They nod and I signal for the server. While we wait for our next round to arrive, I launch into my quickly made up story. There’s no avoiding it now.
“He was a friend of my family, but we didn’t know each other very well. He’s a few years older than me. Then one day, everything changed. My parents died in a tragic accident, and Cian was there for me. We fell in love, and the rest is history.”
Jade gasps. “Oh my god. I’m sorry for your loss. But that’s so romantic.”
“You’re so lucky you didn’t have to date a stranger,” Lisa says. “At least a friend of the family is a known quantity. You get to know him by proximity.”
I hum a noncommittal noise.
“So you’re happily married?” Susan asks as our drinks arrive.
I nod. “Quite.”
“That’s good because, take my word for it, you do not want to reenter the dating market if you can help it.
I was in a three year long relationship that totally blew up.
Even after three short years out of the scene, I feel like I’m trying to navigate a whole new world of men.
” She glances around the table. “Is it just me or have men somehow gotten worse than they were a few years ago?”
“It isn’t you.” Lisa snorts. “They’re terrible. They either want a situationship or a mommy. I’m not up for either.”
“Amen,” Jade chimes in.
We’re in the middle of another conversation when Devlin walks through the door. He spots us and waves, but none of us acknowledge his presence. This doesn’t deter him. He grabs a beer at the bar and makes a beeline for us, pulling up a chair at our table.
“Hello, ladies.”
I’m beginning to realize that he has terrible social skills. The strange thing is, while he’s not uncomfortable, but everyone else around him is. Poor guy. No wonder he has a hard time making friends.
Jade empties her drink. “Well, I think I’ll call it a night.”
Devlin doesn’t get the hint. “How about one more drink? I’m buying.”
“That’s okay,” I say, trying to smooth over the situation, but also leave as soon as possible.
He glances at Lisa. “Come on, I just want to hang out for a few minutes.”
“Okay.” She folds. Which means we’re all stuck here because none of us would leave her on her own. Not tonight. Her date with Devlin this weekend is entirely another issue.
He grins, having won, then orders us another round of cocktails. Jade and Susan exchange a loaded glance. They’re not happy to be pressured into this. Neither am I. Lisa shrugs like there’s nothing she can do about it.
So we hunker down and make the best of it. Devlin dominates the conversation, going on and on about his boss, Scott, and how the man is such a womanizer. We all know this, of course, which is why we steer clear of the man. The agency’s newer models aren’t always so lucky.
Finally, I glance at the time on my phone and decide I’ve had enough. “Oh my god, it’s already seven o’clock, we need to hurry if we’re going to make our dinner reservations.”
Jade and Susan glance at me with understanding in their eyes. This is our excuse to escape.
Lisa seems lost.
“Oh? Where are we having dinner?” Devlin asks, perking up.
“Sorry,” I tell him, “but it’s a reservation for four and the restaurant’s sold out.” I gather my belongings. “Ladies, we can take my car. See you at work on Monday, Devlin.”
Thankfully, he doesn’t press for any more details—or follow us.
Susan, Jade, Lisa, and I head for the door as a unit, hurrying to get out of there and away from our co-worker. To see this charade through to its end, the four of us squeeze into the back seat of my waiting car.
“Drive,” I tell Finn. Kody shoots me a questioning glance but I shake my head at him. He shrugs, as if he really doesn’t care for an explanation to this turn of events.
“Are we really going to dinner?” Lisa asks.
“No. But, I mean, we could. If you all want.” I look to Jade and Susan.
“I’m game.”
Jade nods. “I’m starving.”
It’s settled then. I get us a table at Spades .