“Really?” Elle asked, surprised.
“Funny, right? It’s part of what I do every day, but I still get a little anxiety over it,” he admitted.
“So, if you dislike this huge part of your job, why did you pick the career you did?”
She took his hand and led him toward the front door. She put on her wrap and grabbed her purse. Leading them out the door, she locked up. As they moved to his car, he responded.
“Well, there are parts of what I do that I completely love. I like coming up with solutions for problems, and I love helping people. Truth be told, I picked PR to piss my parents off. They were pushing hard for me to be a doctor. At the time I didn’t want to because I didn’t want to work the crazy hours.”
Elle laughed at that and asked, “Didn’t want to work long hours, huh? When was the last time you worked less than sixty in a week?”
His voice laced with irony now, as he opened the car door for her, he said, “No idea.”
When he’d circled around the front of the car and slid into the driver’s side, Elle asked, “Where is this party we’re going to? I don’t know anything except that we’re dressed fancy and you’re apparently an honoree.”
During the twenty-minute drive, Jim explained a little bit more about the party. They were headed for The Beverly Hills Wilmont, which made Elle’s eyebrows raise. She had the impression that it was a small gathering last time they spoke about it. The more he talked about it, the more she realized that wasn’t the case at all.
* * * *
They’d been circulating through the crowd for about an hour now. She’d been nursing the glass of champagne she had in her hand. She was a bundle of nerves. Some of it was her own anxiety over having to socialize with a huge crowd of people she had nothing in common with. Some of it was because of Jim too.
It was almost as if he flipped a switch when he walked in the door. He had the same easy grin on his face as he did usually, but the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. He seemed to be equally uncomfortable with being here.
As he talked with a city councilman about a new tax initiative, Elle excused herself. She made her way to the ladies’ room, making a quick stop at the mirror. She refreshed her lipstick, moved a few stray hairs into place, then stepped into a stall.
As she was finishing up, she heard two women walk into the restroom. One of them said, “And can you believe who Jim Conroy brought with him? I think she was a waitress at an event I went to recently. I wonder if she’s fucking him for status or money? In any case, I didn’t realize he was into fucking the help. Maybe that’s why I’ve never had any luck.”
Another voice said, “Ouch, Viv. That’s not nice.”
Elle sat there for a moment, her face flaming. Uncertain about what to do, she took a few deep breaths and finished up. Flushing the toilet, she grabbed her clutch and opened the stall door.
Calmly, she walked to the sink, and washed her hands without making eye contact. She could feel their eyes on her now, so she made a show of retouching her lipstick and fluffing her hair before she pinned them both with a stare.
“I probably was working at an event you attended,” Elle acknowledged. “I own a catering company. You don’t look familiar though. Faces tend to blend together when you see so many.”
Elle shrugged as if she was apologizing.
Both women looked incredibly uncomfortable now, which made Elle feel incrementally less humiliated. Pausing for a moment, she added, “The reason you haven’t had any luck with Jim is because he’s pretty picky. Being a presumptuous bitch probably isn’t helping your case, though. Just saying,” Elle said, an easy smile stretching across her face. “Have a great evening, ladies.”
With a small wave, on shaky legs, Elle walked out of the bathroom and headed straight for the bar. She waited for her heart to stop racing. As she waited for the bartender’s attention, a man who looked familiar came to stand next to her. They idly chatted for a few minutes until the bartender came to take their drink orders.
Suddenly Elle felt an arm slide around her waist. Elle turned and saw Jim standing next to her. Grinning she said, “Oh jeez. You scared me.”
“Sorry,” he said, squeezing her a little bit.
Elle watched as he addressed the man who she’d been chatting with.
“Tom,” Jim said, reaching out to shake his hand. “I see you met my girlfriend, Elle.”
“I did,” Tom said, smiling easily. “We were just talking about how we’d be happier watching the Bruins game. A woman after my own heart.”
Elle relaxed against Jim again, still a little flustered. Girlfriend? He hadn’t been at all rude about it, but he’d definitely staked his claim. This was an unexpected development.
When the bartender dropped off their drinks, Tom made his leave.
After the bartender moved away, Elle just raised her eyebrow slightly and said, “Girlfriend, huh?”
“Too much?” Jim asked, looking a bit chagrined.