23. Mila
Mila
“Which one?” I held up two dresses to Lara and frowned as she looked at them with an unimpressed expression. “Too dowdy?”
“Not if you’re going to Sunday school,” she said, even-faced. “And you’re teaching it. And you’re the priest’s wife.”
“Ha ha, very funny.” I rolled my eyes at her. “I don’t know what to wear. This is the first time I’ll be meeting the board of directors and the major shareholders.”
“I thought you met them already?”
“I met the board of directors, but not the shareholders as well.” I sighed. “This is the first really, really important party. I’ll be left alone. People will be asking me questions, judging me.” I made a face. “I just don’t want to let Ryker down.”
“Ask me if I care if you let Ryker down.” She pursed her lips and then smiled, a slow, totally innocent-looking smile. “I will help you pick a dress though.”
“Hmm, what’s the catch?” I narrowed my eyes at her devious-looking face.
“What catch?” She grinned.
“Well, why are you so eager to help if you think Ryker is a douchebag?”
“Just because I think he’s a douche doesn’t mean you do.” She shrugged. “Plus, I want you to look so sexy tonight that he’s not going to want to keep his hands off you, but he’ll have to because this is a party with business associates.”
“You’re totally devious.” I laughed at her. “But I like it. However, it can’t be too sexy. Nothing that says I’m a hooker or a high-class escort.”
“What about low-class escort?”
“Lara.” I glared at her.
“Just joking.” She giggled and headed to my closet. “Okay, let me see what you have in here.” She rifled through my dresses and then looked at me. “I don’t suppose he’ll give you a credit card for a new dress?”
“He already gave me one.” I sighed. “My wardrobe sucks, doesn’t it?”
“He offered you a credit card?” Lara’s eyes lit up. “To buy whatever you want?”
“I guess.” I shrugged. “I didn’t take it.”
“You didn’t take it?” Her eyes widened. “What are you? Dumb?”
“No, I already told you I don’t want to give anyone any reason to think I’m a paid escort or whore.”
“Who is ‘anyone,’ Mila?” Lara shook her head. “Get that card and let’s go shopping.”
“Lara,” I groaned.
“What?” She pulled out a flowery sundress. “Do you want to wear this or your slutty black Lycra dress that you got for the clubs?”
“Neither.” I sighed.
“Exactly.” She put the dress back in my closet. “You don’t have a wardrobe for expensive dinners with millionaires. And tonight, you need a dress that’s going to wow the socks off him. Tonight you have to give Ryker a taste of his own medicine.”
“Thanks.”
“I don’t have one either.” She shrugged and then looked away. “And I most probably will never need one, either.”
“Why not?” I said in my perfunctory way, though I already knew the answer would have something to do with her not having a boyfriend.
“Because I’ll never be invited to those dinners,” she said sorrowfully.
“Why not?” I asked again and then continued. “Is it because you’re going to be single forever?”
“Mila!” She glared at me.
“What?” I reached over and touched her shoulder. “You’re not going to be single forever because my brother is a whore.”
“How is he, by the way?” she asked sadly, her eyes searching mine.
I wasn’t sure how to answer. Did I tell her that Parker had asked me about her twice now?
Did I tell her that a part of me had a feeling that maybe Parker did like her, possibly?
She was my best friend, and as much as I wanted to make this better, I didn’t know what to do or say.
I loved her like a sister, and I didn’t want my brother to be the one to ruin our friendship forever if he turned out not to like her or to like her and then cheat on her or something else crazy like that.
“I’m not sure.” I shrugged and gave her a wry smile. “He’s not really talking to me.” I rolled my eyes.
“Why?” She looked at me with an expression of hope, as if she hoped that his reason for being so cold to me was because she was my best friend and he wanted her.
“He said, and I quote, ‘You scarred me by sleeping with Ryker. I’m not sure how I didn’t lose it and rip you out of the bed, but I think shock stopped me. You should be thanking your lucky stars.’ Ugh.” I made a face. “He needs to just get over it.”
“That is a big thing for him to witness, though. I mean, it’s not every day you see your little sister boinking your best friend.”
“True, ha ha.” I sighed. “I sure don’t want to see him boinking anyone.”
“Not even your best friend?” She questioned in a high-pitched voice and laughed. “Why is this such a mess? I wish I could just not like him. I don’t want to feel this way.”
“I’m sorry.” I reached and rubbed her arm. “I hate that you’re feeling this way.”
“It’s fine.” She looked down. “It’s just what I get for falling for a guy who has never shown any interest in me.”
“He has shown an interest.” I stumbled over my words, trying to find a balance in telling my friend that she wasn’t a fool, but not wanting to lead her on to thinking that he was interested.
“But he’s a player. I don’t know how he’s getting women because he sucks, but he’s just not the ‘settling down’ type. ”
“Yeah, that’s true.” Lara’s voice caught, and I leaned back and looked into her eyes.
“You okay?” I asked, concerned by the tone in her voice.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” She gave me a big smile, but I could see her eyes were still sad and watery.
“Oh, Lara. You’re not okay.”
“I’m fine,” she said, her lips trembling. “I feel like a fool, Mila.”
“You’re not a fool.”
“I thought he liked me. I thought he was the one.” Tears rolled gently from her eyes. “I thought he was my soulmate and that he just had to figure it out. I thought that deep inside he wanted me and he was waiting for the right moment.”
“You never know . . .” I trailed off, not knowing what to say. I knew all too well what she was feeling. It was the same way I was feeling about Ryker. My heart sank for both of us, though I knew it would be selfish to bring up my fears and concerns about Ryker at that moment.
“He doesn’t give a shit about me.” She wiped her eyes and laughed manically. “He fucked another girl while I was there. He wasn’t even trying to hide it. I don’t mean anything to him.”
“Oh, Lara.” I bit down on my lower lip, hating Parker for putting Lara through this.
“It’s fine,” she said again, maybe trying to convince herself. She took a deep breath. “I’m just PMS-ing. I’ll be fine. It’s not like we dated and he dumped me. We had nothing. Absolutely nothing. It’s not his problem that I liked him and was hoping for more.”
“Lara . . . ” I started, but stopped myself, not knowing what to say.
“It’s okay, Mila.” She grabbed hold of my hand. “I’m sorry for being emotional. Let’s figure out what dress you’re going to wear tonight.”
“Let’s grab a glass of wine first,” I said and headed toward the door so that I could grab a bottle of wine from the kitchen. “Wine and chocolate make everything better.”
“Let’s just go to the store and have a look.” I grinned at Lara as we sat across from each other and decimated a large bar of cookies-and-cream chocolate. “I might have enough to buy a new dress myself.”
“Is that a request to borrow money?” she asked me with a raised eyebrow and a grin back; the chocolate having put both of our moods back up. “Exactly what money are you going to use to buy said dress?”
“Well, I have some . . .” I laughed as my voice trailed off, my financial situation entering my mind unpleasantly. “Plus, maybe, I can get a store card.”
“A store card?”
“Like a store credit card. That way I have thirty days to pay it off, or more if they have a six-months-no-interest plan or something.”
“Mila.” Lara shook her head at me. “I’ve never heard that Valentino or Chanel had a store credit card, and no, you’re not getting yourself into more debt.”
“I’m not really in debt.” I laughed. “I just have no money.”
“And you have a bunch of bills to pay each month.” She rolled her eyes. “Where I come from, that’s called debt.”
“Where do you come from?” I said with a grin. “Wall Street? Bank of America Valley? Chase Street? Discover me discover you?”
“Ha ha, not.” Lara smiled at me and sighed. “Mila, I know you don’t like to think about these things, but you can’t just be spending all your cash and charging what you can’t afford.”
“I’m trying to be good!” I exclaimed. “You’re the one who told me to get a new dress.”
“I know.” She ran her hands through her hair and looked at me with a wry smile. “I got carried away, plus, I figured that Ryker could buy it.”
“I don’t know how I feel about using Ryker’s money to buy stuff.” I bit my lower lip. “It just seems to cheapen it.”
“Cheapen what?” Lara looked at me cautiously.
“You know that this isn’t real, right? You’re not his real fiancée.
Just because he’s fucking you doesn’t mean he wants you for anything more than a good time.
” She slapped her hand across her mouth as my face fell.
“Forgive me, Mila. That came out a lot harsher than I’d planned.
I guess I’m still feeling down about Parker and taking it out on everyone, like some scorned bitch.
I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to take it out on you. ”
“Hey, I understand. And you’re not a bitch,” I said and sighed as we got up and walked back to my bedroom, having finished our glasses of wine and the entire bar of chocolate.
I moaned loudly as we walked into the bedroom, and I thought about all the extra calories I’d just taken in, and for what?
I groaned and then fell on my bed dramatically.
“It’s not like what you’re saying isn’t true.
He hasn’t given me any reason to believe that I mean anything real to him. ”
“I don’t get guys.” Lara plopped down next to me. “Why can’t he see what he has right in front of his nose? Why can’t he just smarten up and realize that you are the best girl for him? Why can’t he wake up and see that he loves you?”
“Yeah.” I sighed and looked at her. “The same goes for Parker. Why can’t he see that you’re right here?”