2. Ashlie
CHAPTER TWO
ASHLIE
“ I think you actually pulled it off,” I say, fluffing my curls before turning from the window.
“Are you nervous?” Trevor asks, clapping Chase on the shoulder.
Chase adjusts his tie before patting his pocket. “Nope. Not at all.” It’s early October, but his smile rivals the Los Angeles sunshine gleaming over his sandy blond hair. His ivory skin almost matches the lightly toasted color of his suit as he smooths a hand over it, minutes away from proposing to Kayla. Chase Wilmington might possibly be the most patient man on the planet. It’s been five damn years; this step is long overdue.
So far, everything has gone off without a hitch. The event hall is decorated with blush pinks and champagne hues. Fuchsia lilies surround white peonies in the center of each round table. It’s absolutely gorgeous. I’m happy for my best friend, but a twinge of longing weaves through me. When will I find my forever ?
Twenty-six is still young, but the older I get, the more I worry I’ll never have the chance to settle down. I love love. The butterflies, public displays of affection—all the cute little clichés that make romance what it is. There’s just one problem: love hates me.
Why are you making this day about yourself ? So selfish ? —
The double doors in the back of the room swing open, snapping my attention to where it’s supposed to be. Kayla walks from the venue’s kitchen completely awestruck, locs swept over the shoulder of her pink floral dress. Chase meets her in the middle of the room with a smile full of so much adoration, it’s hard not to smile too. Witnessing their promise to permanently join their lives together brings a few tears to my eyes. I truly love this for them.
“They’re pretty great together…” Trevor’s deep baritone makes me jump as he sets his drink on the refreshment table beside us. He straightens his navy-blue suit jacket, glancing at the pair, then gives me a dimpled smile. Trevor works with Chase. We briefly met a few years ago when Kayla and Chase moved to their new apartment in San Francisco. He came to help, bulging muscles in all their glory, right as I was leaving.
My shame goes out the window as I glance at the biceps straining Trevor’s sleeves. He’s tall, which isn’t a hard thing to be next to me, and his hazel eyes have lingered on me several times in the last ten minutes. A small scar cuts across his right eyebrow, adding a rugged touch to his otherwise polished persona. Combined with his warm sepia skin tone and auburn buzz cut, it makes for one fine-ass man. I’ll admit, it’s been tough looking away from him myself.
Not the time .
“They really are. I can’t believe they’re finally locking each other down,” I say.
“So, do you get up to San Francisco very often?”
I tilt my head, completely amused by the smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. “Are you hitting on me at an engagement party?”
“I guess that depends on whether it’s working or not,” he responds with a smile.
He’s cute and looks like he could sling me over his shoulder with ease, but I just got dumped last week. Considering my track record, I don’t know that jumping into something else this soon would be in my best interest. Smiling back, I shake my head.
“I don’t make it up there often, no.” Hopefully, he takes the hint for what it is. He seems nice, and making a scene at this party wouldn’t be a good look for me.
Giving a little chuckle, he nods. “Welp, at least you turned me down gently. It was nice talking to you, Ashlie.” With one last smile, he walks to a seat next to some of the other EdTechU employees.
The happy couple joins their parents at a table across the room. They look so blissful. Wanting to give them space to celebrate with their families, I stroll toward Hunter to collect my winnings instead. The sleeves of his slate button-down are rolled up a few inches, displaying the rich sienna forearm he has slung around some scrunch-faced woman who clearly wants to be somewhere else. I’ve never seen her before, which isn’t unusual. You could look up the word player in the dictionary and find a picture of Hunter just how he is now, with a random brunette under his arm.
I slide into the chair across from him. “Pay up, Hunt.”
Annoyance flashes in his light green eyes as he leans to the side and digs out his wallet. Short, dark curls sway slightly when he shakes his head, clearly annoyed at losing his own bet. “I thought she’d figure it out, for sure.”
He hands me a twenty, and I tuck it into the cream-colored clutch I matched with my strapless dress. “Your sister’s smart, but this plan was foolproof.”
“Sister?” the brunette asks, looking between us. “I thought this was your best friend’s engagement.”
“It is. Chase is my best friend, and Kayla’s my sister.”
She squints. “I thought your sister was in high school…”
“It’s a little complicated.” I smile to ease the confusion on her face.
“And who are you ?” She turns a steely gaze to me, a one-sided challenge I have no interest in accepting. I’m the furthest thing from competition for her. She can miss me with the attitude, though.
“I’m his best friend.” I throw my sass behind a smile, knowing it will only add to the confusion. Since she can be rude for no reason, I can add a little snark of my own. Hunter laughs while I keep the sweet-looking grin on my face, staring her down until she looks away.
“This is my other best friend, Ashlie. Ash, this is Ava.” Hunter’s introduction does nothing to ease the intensity of Ava’s glare as she flicks her eyes back to me. It’s sad, really. She doesn’t seem to know she won’t be around next week. “Chase is my best friend, Kayla’s my sister, Ashlie is Kayla’s best friend. Everyone is friends here. We good?” He takes a sip of his drink, widening his eyes at the ensuing drama.
Ava slowly turns back to him and gives a curt nod. “It’s pronounced Awe-vuh, with an awe sound.”
“Like avocado?” I ask with a straight face. Hunter chokes on his drink, and I bite my cheek to keep from laughing. If looks could kill, I’d be dead. But they don’t, so I flash Ava another grin. “Anyway, I’m gonna go check on my sister. Nice meeting you, Ava!”
“It’s Awe ?—”
“We still on for Wednesday?” Hunter asks, becoming the newest target of the daggers shooting from Ava’s glare. Always stirring the damn pot .
We’ve met for lunch every Wednesday for almost a year now. He already knows the routine. My eyes widen, sending a quiet message. Why would you ask me that ? Your date’s about to lose it .
But he ignores it and the glower on Ava’s face, staring at me until I purse my lips and nod. When I walk away, I hear the loud “hmph” she snorts in my wake. All I can do is shake my head. He’s always with dramatic-ass women .
“Hey, Wills.” I knock into Willa’s shoulder as I slide into the chair next to her. She gives a quick scowl before her face softens, and I bump her shoulder again just to annoy her. The late afternoon sun filters over her through the skylights, her yellow sundress augmenting her rich amber skin with a radiance I haven’t seen from her in a while. She smiles and lifts her DSLR camera around her neck, snapping a candid photo of me before taking another of the partygoers over my shoulder. After a few more shots, she pulls her Senegalese twists from under the camera strap and cradles the lens in her hands.
Willa is three years older than me, and from height to hair, we couldn’t be more different. My energetic personality has always disrupted her peace and quiet, but we’ve started getting along in the last few years. It’s nice, if not a little awkward sometimes.
“This is fancy,” she says, looking around the room. “Kayla planned all of this?”
“She thinks she did. And I guess she technically picked all the details, but Chase is the one who orchestrated everything.”
“She looks so happy.” Willa snaps another picture of the couple before turning the camera to the centerpieces.
I nod, looking at the smile on my best friend’s face. She really hit the lottery with that one. “Are you coming home for Thanksgiving this year?” I ask.
Willa takes a deep breath, holding it briefly before turning to me. The smile from before has fallen into a cool, flat line. I wouldn’t call it a frown, but I wouldn’t call it anything else either. “I haven’t decided yet. Are you?”
“I’ll go if you do.” I laugh, and she smiles again. Not going isn’t an option for me. I can’t stand seeing my parents’ disappointment. Doing what they expect of me keeps the peace. Willa, on the other hand, couldn’t care less and doesn’t visit often. When she moved to LA for college, against our parents’ wishes, she never looked back. I can count on one hand how many times she’s been home since leaving.
“I’ll think about it.” She sighs, checking her watch. “I have to get to my next photoshoot, but I want to say hi to the happy couple first.”
“I’ll come with you.” I loop my arm around hers as we walk across the room toward my friends.