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Olympia
I'm not unfamiliar with luxury. Growing up as a Laurier, I've been surrounded by more than my fair share. I would have expected that the men of Devils Heartbreak would be living surrounded by it. Dripping with it, even. But they don't. They’re not.
Don't get me wrong, their homes are luxurious. They are spacious and wanting for nothing. But they aren't over the top. They aren't extravagant in a cool, uncomfortable, untouchable way. Instead, their homes—Ian's home, like Tav’s, is a comfortable kind of luxurious. It's intimate in the kind of way that has me wanting to curl up and get comfortable. To stay a while. I don't feel like I need to leave my heels on, my back straight, my ankles crossed as I sit on his sofa.
Across from me, Wrenlee is curled up in an armchair, her feet on the cushion, a drink between her hands. Her cheeks are flushed, and her eyes are glassy. She’s been more than vocal about how thankful she is they found a fabulous, live-in Granny for their twins, because it lets them have time to just be husband and wife, not always mom and dad. The ‘Granny’ she speaks of, she told me over drink one, is really a nanny. A woman who has no family of her own, and a joy for kids. Because Wrenlee is mostly work-from-home, she doesn’t utilize Granny as often as people with nannies typically do. Granny supplements childcare when needed, and they’ve brought her firmly into their family. I think it’s sweet Wrenlee wants her children to bond with their nanny, as one would bond with family. Remira had always taken care to never employ a single nanny for more than eight months at a time, never allowing myself or Ophelia to grow any real connection to another as young children.
I frown at the thought of Remira. I’m genuinely enjoying my conversations with the girls, and I don’t want to sully this night with thoughts of the woman who birthed me.
Pushing her from my mind, I let my eyes drift to the closed patio doors that overlook a grand, covered patio. Beyond the covered portion, rain pelts the stone.
Even though I’m having a great time with the girls, we’ve been here an hour and I already feel like I’m losing the deal I made with Tav. Since we walked through the door, I haven’t touched him. Haven’t spoken with him. Nothing.
He’s been sitting at the bar with the guys, and I’m here—with the girls.
How am I supposed to act the perfect girlfriend if I’m never seen with the man?
But really, I can’t be failing. I’m taking my queues from the girls, who I’m coming to realize have their men wrapped around their little fingers—so their relationships are strong. If they aren’t hanging off their men, maybe it’s cool I’m not, either.
Besides, I’m not in the mood to hang off Tav. I’m still mad at him. Still hurt. There's so much confliction surrounding Tav. One minute, he's kissing me, igniting me, making me feel alive. The next minute, he's shredding me apart.
More than once, however, I've seen Candace look between me and Tav curiously. I think she's the most perceptive of them all, the one who sees things others don't see.
She's the one I'm going to have to work hard to convince. Because she's the one, if there is anyone here, who is going to make me lose this deal. The thought of losing has red hot panic flaring inside my chest.
I take another sip of my drink. It's strong. Really strong. Cash made it, and either the man has a gut of stone, or he’s trying to save his friend by killing me with booze.
Remira never let me drink more than a glass of champagne when we were out at a function. At home, nothing. My tolerance for liquor is zero.
This is my second drink, and my head is already swimming.
“Yes!” Nevaeh cries loudly, shooting up from her spot on the couch. “I want to play!”
I'm not sure what she's talking about. I’d been too caught up in my own thoughts, but she's obviously been eavesdropping on the men, because her attention is focused on them.
“Play what?” I ask.
“Pool.” My eyebrows slam together. “You want to go swimming…” my hand drifts to the patio window where rain pelts the stone. “In that?”
“No.” Nevaeh laughs. “I mean play pool. As in the game.”
“Oh.”
“I'm the master. My uncle Miguel taught me when I was just a little girl,” she boasts proudly. “Kane has yet to beat me.”
“I let you win.” Kane huffs around a pull of beer.
“Liar.” Ian chuckles. “Woman kicks your ass, fair and square.”
“Whose friend are you?” Kane shoots at Ian, but he’s grinning wide.
“Tonight, your better half’s.”
Nevaeh shoots her arms high above her head. “Love you too, Ian!”
Kane gives his girl an intense look that says she’s going to be in trouble later. She gives him a look in return that says she’s looking forward to it.
I squirm at the intensity that pulses between the two, my cheeks turning hot. It feels as though I’m invading on a private moment, and as I force my eyes away from the two, they catch on Tav. He's watching me closely, dissecting the emotions on my face, which I know are plain as day, thanks to the liquor.
