“Oh, Nicole,” Kate squealed. “You look absolutely gorgeous.” She clasped her hands as her eyes glistened with tears, standing there admiring the bride to be.

“Wow,” Becky said softy. “I’ll marry you right now.” We all laughed. “Wait ‘til Craig sees you walk down the aisle. He’ll want to drop his pants for you right there and then. I wouldn’t be surprised if he ripped that dress off you before the night ends.”

“You really think so?” Nicole giggled. “I mean not about Craig wanting to rip my dress off, but do you think this dress is the one?”

“It’s perfect,” I said, and it was perfect on her, but more so, because it was the same style I would wear.

“Let me try on a few others I had in mind. Did you pick the bridesmaid dresses you want to try on?”

Becky held up a couple of them. “I guess we can try these.”

After we did a mini fashion show, Nicole finally decided on one of them and we all agreed. Then we decided to grab some dinner.

WE WENT TO A nearby restaurant that seemed less crowded, but in Pasadena, every restaurant was busy. Ordering dinner went pretty fast for a Friday night, but getting our dinner was a whole different story.

“Jenna, you’ve been checking your phone every minute. What’s going on?” Nicole asked. Her face filled with concern.

Sliding my phone back into my purse, I gave a fake smile. “Nothing. It’s work.”

“You’ve never said that before,” Kate said. “We know when something is wrong. You’re not good at hiding things.”

“Something’s wrong in paradise. What happened?” Nicole asked as everyone leaned closer.

“It’s my fault. I told Max I needed time, but I really didn’t mean it. I was upset,” I explained. I told them about the lawsuit and everything that happened at Stellars and since then.

“Jenna,” Becky started to say. “You can’t allow his past to get in the way of the future. Sometimes falling in love means letting go of the past. His past is the past. It’s not as if he had sex with every female at his company. For Christ’s sake, he was just being a typical horny male with no ties to a relationship. There is nothing wrong with that. He completely adores you and I know with every fiber of my being, he wouldn’t do anything to hurt you, not on purpose.”

“I know,” I sighed. “It’s just—”

“He withheld information from you when it should have come from him,” Kate interrupted. “I understand.”

“I see what you’re doing,” Nicole blurted. “You’re playing games. He pissed you off and now you’re punishing him, but it looks like you’re punishing yourself too. Go tell him you’ll take him back and just withhold sex. That’s what I do.” Nicole snorted. “Believe me, it works every time.”

“I didn’t think of that.”

“Of course you didn’t,” Kate stated. “But at the same time, I bet you’re making him miserable. He’s probably thinking all sorts of nonsense, like you’re thinking right now. I don’t know why we tend to act childish when it comes to relationships. At least when you’re married, you’re stuck in one house and forced to communicate; but when you’re not, you could drag out this unnecessary misery way too long.”

“And don’t let that what’s-her-face come between you and Max. This is exactly what she wants. I’m sure she did her homework on you and Max. And if I’m right about her, I bet she’s done this to other men,” Becky commented.

“Max has got to find a way to get out of this. If he goes to court, it will ruin his reputation, along with his company. Even if he’s proven innocent, the damage will have already been done. Going to court pretty much means there is enough evidence against him. People will judge him and draw their own conclusions.” Nicole shook her head, looking glum. “I feel bad for him.”

Sometimes anger, hurt, and pride get in the way of a person’s mind, preventing them from behaving rationally. It was great to have wonderful friends who cared enough for me to tell me what I needed to hear, not what I wanted to hear. I knew I was acting immature about this, but to hear it from my best friends only confirmed it.

Becky’s last words before dinner stuck with me. “I bet she did this to other men.” Then I recalled the conversation I heard in the break room, when those two women mentioned that there was a rumor that it wasn’t her first time. I needed to speak to one of them.

32

IT HAD BEEN A week since I last saw Max. I thought for sure he would have come after me by now. I had to go see him right now.

“Ms. Mefferd, what are your thoughts?”

Flashing my eyes in the direction of the voice, I realized I had been in a daze. “Um…” Thank goodness, Matthew stepped in.

“Ms. Mefferd, we are voting on the color of the dress that will go on the front cover. Do you like the lavender or the white?”

Thinking of Nicole’s wedding I said, “Lavender. I believe that will be the new black this season.”

“Perfect. I agree,” Matthew said, standing up. “Great meeting, everybody. Let’s get the ball rolling. Meeting is adjourned.”

Pushing back my chair, I grabbed my notepad and headed toward the door. A hand gripped my arm and pulled me aside. “Jenna,” Matthew whispered. Looking at him up close like this, I could see the resemblance. God, how I missed Max. I had to stop torturing myself and him. This had to end. I felt like I was losing my mind as the anticipation of seeing Max got to me.