Page 82 of A Little Bit Uncertain

“Why didn’t you want to be a doctor, Audrey?” Evelyn interjected.

I caught sight of Jules’s face at the wrong name. Welp. We weren’t getting away without a scene. Audra may take things and put a fake smile on her face to avoid confrontation, but from what I gathered, Jules wasn’t a fake smile kind of girl. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like if Maeve were there too. They’d probably drag Evelyn and my mother out back. Maybe I should arrange that next time.

“Actually, I think I will sit down,” and Jules pulled a chair over from another table. This wasn’t the local Applebee’s. You didn’t just take a chair from a two-person table that had been booked for six-plus months, but Jules didn’t give a shit. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Audra shake her head no in the slightest manner to Jules, but she promptly ignored it.

“What was your name again?” Jules looked at Evelyn.

“Evelyn.”

“Evelyn. You like your name, yeah?” Evelyn nodded. “Of course you do. Me too, me too. Do you, um, know my friend’s name isn’t Audrey? I’m guessing you do, but wanted to make her feel small or uncomfortable. Because you’ve been here long enough to eat appetizers”—she gestured at the table—“so if you don’t know her name yet, that means that you’re fucking dumb or you’re a fucking bitch. Which is it, Evie.” Jules leaned forward and rested her elbow on the table with her cheek on her fist, and just stared at Evelyn as if she was completely riveted by the answer.

I smirked as the color left Evelyn’s face.

“I…” Evelyn started, but Jules cut her off again by holding her finger in the air to shush her.

“You know what, before you answer that, what do you do? Because the audacity of asking someone why they did one thing over another with the implication that one is below the other is fucking contumelious.” She must have noticed Evelyn’s confused face, because she followed up with, “Look it up. Maybe it’s a mix, and you are just a dumb bitch.” She let the statement hang in the air. “Anyway, I thought you people were bred to be fake and have impeccable manners. What the hell happened to you? Or are you from a background like mine and trying to social climb your way up?”

Out of everything Juliette said to her, that would hit Evelyn the hardest. Not that she didn’t grow up in society circles, but the insinuation that she didn’t would be beyond insulting.

“And you two,” Jules pointed at my parents, “shame on you. Just shame on you.” She turned to Audra and spoke to her like no one else was there. “Has the whole dinner been like this?” Then she turned to me, “Wright, stick up for your girl!”

“His girl?” my mother sputtered out. As if it wasn’t obvious that I had brought a guest to dinner and had our day photographed the day before, hearing the words spoken out loud made it real for my mother.

“Obviously, they’re together. We all know that, right, Wrights?” Then she chuckled at her own joke. Was she drunk? My God, it was gold. No one spoke to my parents like that. Ever.

“Look, I don’t mean to drop all that and take off, but I have to go finish what I’m here to do, which is wow people with my shining personality and accept a kick-ass reward. Audra, want to come with me? Guarantee it’s better than this.”

I looked at Audra and wondered if she would take her up on it. She just shook her head no again.

“Ok. Let me know if you head somewhere after this bullshit show, and I’ll try to meet you out. Good luck.” She threw up a peace sign and walked away from the table. I’m sure my parents thought they were being pranked. I wouldn’t be surprised if they got on the horn the next day and tried to get her fired for that stunt. Until she mentioned it, I didn’t know that Juliette worked for Roscoe. I knew the CFO and made a mental note to call him for damage control.

“I love her,” McKenna said.

Jules asked no questions and just came to Audra’s defense to put my parents in their place. I needed to do the same, and quickly, before it continued to get out of hand.