Ari winks. “You have nothing to be nervous about.”
“Yes, I do! I have no idea what I’m doing and this stupid dress is too short. Plus I’ve eaten my weight in chocolate this week. Maybe this is a bad idea.”
I can hear myself whining and wish I could staple my lips shut. But now that we’re here and people are starting to arrive decked out in their “looking to get laid” outfits, it’s getting real. I’m supposed to meet someone tonight. A man. Who will expect me to talk to him and maybe at some point in the future get naked?
Oh god.
My stomach rolls and I’m suddenly sure all the chocolate I’ve eaten today is going to make an appearance.
“I think I’m going to barf.”
“You need to chill. Come here.” Ari grabs my hand and tugs me to the corner of the room.
It feels like everyone is staring at us and there’s a huge neon sign over my head that says “chicken shit”.
“Oh good. There’s no one in here.”
I follow her behind a counter and into what turns out to be a coat closet. She leaves the door open a little so we can see. It’s weird being in this closet in the dark but getting away from all the prying eyes helps.
“Take a deep breath. This is supposed to be fun.”
“Fun? Can’t we have fun at my place eating ice cream?”
Perfectly tousled blond curls fly around her face as she shakes her head. “Uh uh. Do not give up. Do not let him win.”
“Easy for you to say. You just like chaos.”
“Yeah kinda. At least I can admit it. What about you? You had a really good reason for wanting to make a change. That’s what you need to remember tonight. Why are you really doing this?”
“Law doesn’t think I’m wife material.” The words slip out before I can think of a lie.
Something about Ari is like truth serum.
“Hmm. He’s dumber than I thought because you are totally wifey. I can picture you baking cookies and wrangling kids in a perfect little house with a white picket fence.”
“I’m not sure if you’re making fun of me or not.”
“This is my honest opinion. Scouts honor.” At my dubious look, she grins. “Okay, you got me. I was never a scout.”
“Yeah, that’s a shocker.”
“But the point is that you are a badass boss babe. You have a lot to offer. Just because one man doesn’t understand how lucky he was doesn’t mean you go home and give up. You are going to go out there and have a good time.”
“You’re right.”
“Damn straight I’m right.” She pauses. “Just out of curiosity which part am I right about?”
“The badass babe part. I have a lot going for me. I am great at my job. I have money in my account. Well…some. I’m bilingual.”
“See! That’s impressive stuff.”
“Well, okay my Russian actually kind of stinks but I can understand it. That counts, right?”
“I tell people that I speak Spanish and Swedish. Really I just understand my parents when they complain about each other in their native languages. So it definitely counts.”
She adjusts the neckline of my dress, yanking the spaghetti straps up slightly to lift my cleavage. “Look at us. We’re like a hot version of the United Nations right now.”
“Yeah we’re bringing world peace.” I roll my eyes.