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“Oh, yes,” she sneers. “Forgot now that you’re a baby mommy to the rich and famous, you have security. Just because you couldn’t hold him at eighteen, Evie, and again now you’re twice past it at thirty six, you think no one can.”
“Wow. Friends, huh?” I say to Grace.
“I’ll escort you out,” Tommy says and takes her elbow.
Lauren, however, is not done yet. “No wonder he fucks other women. You’re way past it, Evie. You think you’re so fucking clever. We all comment on it, how great you think you are with all your Greystone shit. Well, it will be me with him, not you!” She tries to pick up her wine glass and throw the contents at me, but Tommy has her in a vice-like grip and pulls her to the left to stop her.
“Let’s go, miss.” he says and pulls her along as gracefully as he can.
What the hell just happened? I sit and stare at Grace with tears in my eyes.
Tommy comes back after a few minutes and says, “All okay now, Evie? I’ll take you and Grace on to the next bar when you’re both ready.”
I swallow and say, “Grace? Am I a nasty bitch? I know I can get carried away at times—it's living with men, they don’t care what I say on the whole, they just ignore me. I was simply trying to save her from heartache, but clearly I misjudged that one!”
Grace blows out a breath. “It’s hard, Evie, for us mere mortals.”
“What do you mean?” I say, aghast at the implication.
“You don’t see it do you? You draw people in. You don’t mean to, but everywhere we go, even before Marcus turned back up, you attract people in like a moth to a flame. Lauren is always commenting on it. And because you said there was nothing between you and Marcus anymore, she convinced herself she could get with him. She kept going on about the fact you were older than her by ten years, and what would he see in you now, as all his current women are in their twenties.”
I ponder that and say, “Well, that’s true, I suppose. All the women on the gossip sites with him are under thirty. I think he’s got a new woman in tow. She’s twenty-four. No stretch marks. Although they could be filtered within an inch of their lives.” I smile and shake my head. “He’s causing trouble and he’s not even in the country. I’m sorry if I’ve ever made you feel weird, Grace. It’s not intentional, I didn’t even notice.”
“You don’t notice, Evie… Oh boy, here he comes again,” she says as Kenny approaches our table.
“Hi, Evie. Sorry to interrupt again, but are you going to North House tonight for the opening?We have two spare tickets if you want to join?”
I look at Grace and can see she’s dying ‘to join’ a celebrity opening.
“That’d be lovely, Kenny, thanks. I’ll just sort it out with Tommy.”
He looks around at Tommy and says, “Oh yes, of course.”
On the way to the club opening, Kenny introduces us to Will, also of NSM Records, and apparently both were at the event at the Green Dragon. I laugh about that and we talk about the evening in general, and all the hassle afterwards.
Grace is chatting up Kenny on a grand scale in the club. And I’m having fun dancing with Will, who actually enjoys it and doesn’t have to be dragged from the table to join me—a rarity in my life with three non-dancing brothers at home. I usually have to grasp onto any passing stranger to hit the dance floor.
We’ve just sat in the VIP area when my phone rings. An American number. It better bloody not be.
“Hello, emergency 999, is the patient breathing?” I clearly have had way too many tequilas. Will looks at me in amazement. “Side income,” I tell him, and he starts to laugh.
“Why the fuck are you out with Will? Put him on.” Marcus again.
“I’m sorry, Sir, but your request is denied. Please answer my question, other users are waiting.”
“Kitten, you better put Will on this phone now, or else you won’t be breathing.”
Bog off. He’s not dictating who I go out with. “No Marcus, I’m not going to do that. You can call Will tomorrow during regular business hours and discuss it with him. We’re going dancing.”
“I swear, Kitten, if you call me Marcus once more, we will have a problem.”
“Too late, sucker,” I click my fingers at the phone, “we’ve already got massive problems. Well, you have. It’s called your ego. I’m hanging up, Marcus. Do not call back.”
Kenny, Will, and Grace are all staring at me in wonder. A club tune comes on and I go to pull Will onto the dance floor, when Kenny’s phone starts ringing.
“Will, come dance.” I’m buzzing from the alcohol, and also the excitement of being out, as we leave the table.
He smiles and says, “I think I’m going to be in trouble for this.”
