But that wasn't even the worst part of it.
"I have to quit," Natalie mumbled.
"No, you don't. You just have to stop being a baby."
"What? Did you not see the picture with the blonde? I saw him there with my own eyes. She was practically--"
"Mauling him, yeah. But I wasn't looking at her. I was looking at him. You know when Brooks is happy and when he's interested. He's not the kind to get close and whisper sweet nothings. He would have been leering at her, teasing her. That whole display? That wasn't anything."
"I'm glad you're so sure."
"You would be too if you weren't such a chicken."
"I'm not a chicken."
"Oh, yes, you are. You've got this big tough exterior that makes people think nobody can hurt you, but the shell is so thin that it's like an egg. One little ding and your guts come oozing out. You're scared he's going to hurt you. You know just as much as I do that he wasn't interested in that woman. You just saw your ex-husband afterward and—"
"What makes you think you know me like that? Brooks has a reputation—"
"He did, yeah. And so did you."
"Maybe. But that doesn't make me a coward."
"No, but you're not as strong as you think you are. Not yet, anyway."
"Oh no?"
"Nope." Eliza set the paper clip on the coffee table, and then rubbed her thighs and stood. "Now, if you feel the need to talk to me again, use your damned cell phone. I've been trying to reach you for days. Also, the fax machine is broken and nobody knows how to fix it except for you. In truth, that was mainly why I came over here."
"Thanks, Eliza."
"Anytime." She nodded and headed for the door, then stopped and turned. "Hey, let me know if you decide not to go for Brooks. I have this friend who—"
Natalie threw a couch pillow at her, and then Eliza was gone.
In ten minutes, Eliza thought she could come in here and tell her everything that was wrong with her life? Wouldn't that be nice? If everything was that easy?
What did a girl like that know?
She’d flitted around the world for most of her life while Natalie had devoted hers to one man after another. First, taking care of her father only to have him turn her away. Then Jimmy.
Jimmy and his slew of girls who "understood" him. Just like Brooks.
Then Dominic with his power and his charm. Just like Brooks.
But was he like them, really? Brooks was powerful, yes, but she couldn’t imagine him bossing anyone in the office around or making his secretaries cry the way Dominic used to do. And, okay, Brooks had been around the block a time or two, but he’d never made any pretense about loving the women he’d been with.
Even with her, he’d been clear. He didn’t want a girlfriend.
Or, at least that’s what he’d said. In action, it was another matter all together.
She should have stuck with her gut. She didn't need a man in her life, least of all a man who famously couldn't commit. If he had a problem with Franco, he should have asked.
Though, really, he had asked.
And she'd refused to tell him.
But he should have respected that. Should have been okay with granting her privacy. It was important and he should have understood that. Just like with Dominic. Just like with...