Something crashed in the corner and a burst of gasps set the room off. We all looked over to see a woman standing in front of shattered glass. She’d dropped her wineglass. I’d been watching that woman. Her name was Alyssa. She’d been drinking during the whole meeting.
“Oh, Lyssa! You okay?” Vonyetta asked, pushing out of her chair and helping her step around the glass.
“Yeah, I’m okay, girl. Just feeling a little lightheaded. You know I work third shift,” Alyssa said, forcing a laugh.
“Yep, that’s right. You know you could have skipped the meeting today and I could have filled you in. You need to rest, honey. It’s a blessing you got that new job, but you work too hard.”
Have mercy.
I sipped my champagne to fight the urge to scream. As I did, I felt eyes on me. Lola was looking right at me with a warm smile.
“How are you feeling? Excited or overwhelmed?” she asked.
“A little bit of both,” I said with nervous laughter, sitting up higher in my chair.
Lola slid over to Vonyetta’s chair, but I didn’t miss the scowl Keke gave me before biting into a grape.
“No need to be overwhelmed at all,” said Lola. “We have a great staff, and they’ll walk you through everything. I know it seems like a lot to take in right now, but I promise you, the volunteers have just as much fun at the camp as the expectant mothers.”
“That’s good to know.”
I looked up to see Vonyetta sweeping up the glass.
“Do you have any relatives around here?” Keke asked, leaning forward.
I shook my head. “No, I don’t.”
“Really? But aren’t you from Florida?”
I stared Keke in the eye. “Yes, Tampa, actually.”
“And no family there?”
“Keke,” Lola hissed. “Why are you so worried about her family?”
“I’m just wondering.” Keke sipped her sangria with flared nostrils. There was something about her. I could see that Keke wanted to be just like Lola, except she didn’t have the grace or gentleness. She was just a hostile, jealous bitch who hated being second best, but kept Lola close to make herself look good. It was sad I could read all that about her, and I didn’t even know her last name.
When lunch was over, it was time for everyone to part ways. I took my time finishing another glass of champagne and watching Lola give everyone sweet farewells. Keke had long gone, thank goodness.
I walked toward the exit, slipping past Lola and a woman she was speaking with. “Oh—Ivy!” I peered over my shoulder before reaching the door, and Lola was holding up a manicured finger for me. “Just a minute! I need to chat with you really quickly.”
I waited for her to finish with the woman, and by the time she did the room was mostly clear of bodies. “Is everything okay?” I asked.
“Oh, everything is great. I just wanted to apologize for Keke’s little interrogation. She can get a little ahead of herself. She sometimes forgets that not everyone is so open and willing to share their lives with the world.”
I huffed a laugh. “Oh, it’s okay.”
Lola studied my face for a fleeting moment before saying, “I am curious about you, though. Noah and I looked at your application, and you mentioned being adopted?” Her voice was quieter, even though not many people were around.
I knew this was coming and I played my card, nodding and swallowing. “Yes, I was. I was adopted into this huge family, didn’t really like it there, but I survived.” I gave a shrug.
“Oh. Do you still keep in touch with them?”
“Sometimes. Not often. I gave them a lot of trouble. I’m trying to be a better person and they know that, but sometimes it’s hard for them to forgive the adopted girl.”
“Oh Ivy.” She placed a hand on my shoulder. “I bet you have had it rough.”
Yeah, because of you, bitch! I wanted to shout. Instead, I nodded, and to my surprise my eyes did sting, but not with tears of sadness. Tears of anger.
“Well, listen—Corey will be in Vegas with a few friends and I’ll be free tomorrow after my morning yoga. What do you say you come to my place for brunch?”
“Brunch at your place? Really?”
“Yes. Call me crazy, but I see something in you and I’d like to get to know you a little better.” She paused and laughed a little. “This might sound silly, but you feel so familiar to me. It’s hard for me to form connections like this, but I like you, and I see myself in you. Of course if you’re busy, I completely understand.”
“No—no. Not at all.” That was a lie. I did have a shift in the afternoon, but it wasn’t until four. I could make a brunch with Lola Maxwell work.
Wasn’t this all strange? She was being too nice to me, a new girl who was just a stranger to her a week before. It felt like she was up to something, that she could see right through me at times like this, but then, when I really looked at her, it was as if she knew nothing at all.