When we get to the table, I see Brooke and Jill already seated. They both smile when they see us, but only Brooke stands. She’s in a black, off the shoulder gown that hugs her curves rather magnetically. Her wild, curly hair is pin straight, and brushes against her bare shoulders lightly.
“Wow, Brooke. You look great,” I gape.
“You think so? I don’t think it’s very me,” she blushes at the two of us.
“You look wonderful,” Simon compliments and he then gazes down at Jill, “as do you, Jillian.”
“Thanks,” she dryly responds as she keeps her eyes on me.
I pull the chair out next to her to sit down. She’s in a green crew neck dress with sleeves studded in black sequin. Her short hair pulled back in a loose bun but I won’t compliment her.
“You look fantastic, Jules,” she says, watching as I set my clutch down on my dinner plate. “Eye-catching.”
Simon laughs and leans closer to me. His arm rests on the back of my chair as he leans over me to Jill. “She definitely stands out in the crowd in that color.” I look over him across the dance floor, to a sea of people, but I don’t spot Reagan or Declan.
I decide to go find them, if Oscar lets me leave the scene, that is.
But before I can move, Adam and Diana step up to our table with drinks in their hands. Their eyes fall directly on me and the mood shifts sharply. Adam’s in a black suit, like most men in the room. It’s matched with a black bow tie. As I look at Diana, I realize just how right Liz was. The woman is in a light pink, shimmery dress, which ends a good inch or two above her knees after flaring out beautifully at her tiny waist. It’s strapless and tight against her torso.
How does she breathe in something so tight?
Diana pushes her hair over her shoulder and raises an eyebrow at me. I expect her to say something but she just sits down silently. Adam follows her lead.
“I wonder where Reagan is,” Brooke says, glancing around the table.
“She’s at the bar, getting a glass of wine,” Diana replies. “I told her to bring back a few bottles.”
Perfect.
“Excuse me.” I push my chair out from the table and stand, “I just have to hit the ladies room.”
“I’ll go with you,” Jill offers.
“No, I’m okay. I’ll be right back.”
I rush from the table before she can follow me, and cross the dancefloor, heading towards the bar. I spot Reagan almost instantly. She’s the only one at the bar with glistening black hair that cascades down her back like a waterfall.
I step up next to her and she looks over, startled as our shoulders brush.
“You look nice,” I say as I motion at her gown. It’s Grecian style, nude and pink, with drops of sequin dancing from her neckline down to her waist, where it has a flowy chiffon finish.
“Thanks, so do you,” Reagan gives my dress a glance.
“I told everyone I was going to the bathroom. Are the cameras on you?” I decide to skip the casual talk and she frowns at me slowly.
“Uh, no.”
“Great,” I say. I then let out a loud sigh as I keep my eyes fixated with hers. “I know, Reagan. I know what happened after I caught Adam and Diana. I know you got into a fight with Declan because you were angry he kept what he knew from me. I know he tried to get me to run into the two of them together more than once. I know that it was never Declan’s idea to push Adam and Diana together. I know that once it happened, Oscar wouldn’t let him interfere or he would lose his job. But he did try, and I missed it.”
She looks away from me, almost shamefully and I go on. “I know that you still care about our friendship. If you didn’t care then you wouldn’t be fighting about me with Declan, you wouldn’t be trying to protect me from him. That has to mean you did forgive me, and you do want to be friends.”
Reagan sets her eyes on me carefully. “First of all, just because I forgive you doesn't mean I want to be friends. And just because I’m trying to protect you from getting hurt again doesn’t mean I want to be friends. I’m just a nice person. I don’t like seeing people getting hurt or trampled on, which is exactly what Declan is doing. He’s putting you in a situation that will put you through the ringer again, just because he’s in love with you.”
I freeze, and Reagan sighs at my expression before shutting her eyes tightly.
He’s in love with me?
“What did you say?” I can barely get the question out.
The bartender sets down a glass of white wine in front of Reagan and she gives him a quick look. “Get her a gin and tonic please, make it a double.” When she sets her eyes on me again, she runs a hand through parts of her hair. “That’s why I’ve really been fighting with Declan, okay? It’s not because he’s intentionally messing with your head, it’s because you’re with Simon and even though he’s a little weird, and he seems to really like you. You don’t need Declan getting involved with your life, and so when I saw you two hanging out again and the way you started looking at him...well, you know. I began to accuse him of interfering.” She makes a face as my hand rests against my racing heart. “Are you okay?”
“I, uh, I don’t know.”
I turn to the bar and lean against it, setting my elbows onto the cold glass bar top.
“I shouldn’t have told you how he felt,” Reagan realizes, she swipes her wine glass up and takes a long drink. “But I figure, what the hell? It’s not going to matter after tonight anyway. You won’t see him again.”
The bartender sets down my drink and I pluck it up quickly. Reagan watches me take a drink.
“Adam knows, by the way,” Reagan tells me. “About how Declan feels. He knew five years ago. It came out during their big fight, after Declan caught Adam with Diana. Adam picked it up in the way he spoke about you, and flat out asked him if he had feelings for you. Declan said yes and that he thought you might have feelings for him. Adam went crazy.”
My hands go cold holding my drink and I have to set it down. “Adam knew?”
“Yup,” Reagan nods, “I don’t think he knows about your kiss though.”
Adam knew.
He knew.
Was that why he blamed it on Declan? Why he told everyone it was Declan’s fault?
“Adam was the one who told me Declan pushed him and Diana together.”
“Adam told everyone that,” Reagan says shaking her head and clicking her tongue. “That’s why I ran off at the ice rink, after you mentioned it was Adam who told you. So I went to ask Declan about the rumor, and then I asked Brooke and Jill. They all said it came from one source, Adam.”
I can feel my stomach quiver and I place a hand against it. “I can’t believe him.”
Reagan takes a drink of her wine before replying to me. “I can. I think he didn’t want you with Declan. Or maybe he did blame him for wrecking your marriage. Lord knows Adam can’t ever take responsibility for his own mistakes.”
“If you can’t stand him, why are you friends with Diana?” I wonder.
“I’m not friends with Diana,” she seems offended by my question.
“You’re doing everything with her.”
I watch Reagan roll her dark eyes at me. “Charlie, my boyfriend? That’s her brother.”
My mouth plummets in surprise. “The guy who is worth millions and rides a subway? That’s her brother?”
I watch her mouth burst into a warm smile. “Yeah, that’s him. It’s crazy how different they are. But he was from their mother’s first marriage. He’s a lot like his dad apparently.” Her eyes skim over to the crowd, in the direction of our table. “Diana has been a challenge…”
Hearing this bit of information makes me feel less rejected. I turn away from her and pick up my drink again. Before I take a drink, I feel Reagan place a warm hand on my shoulder and this surprises me. She asks, “Are you okay?”
“I guess so. I don’t know,” I shrug.
“I’m sorry—if I’v
e been mean to you, I was angry,” Reagan admits. “I thought I was over it and then I saw you on the first day and it all came rushing back to me. Whenever I felt myself having a good time with you, I would reel it in. If I hurt your feelings, I didn’t mean to. Charlie told me this morning I may have been acting too harshly, I think he’s right. But you know how reality TV is, you have to be careful...”
It’s hard for her to look at me, I can tell from the way hers eye shoot from me to her drink, back to me. Still, I slowly smile. “It’s okay. There’s nothing to apologize for.”
“I hope Diana feels the same way,” Reagan sighs.
“Why?” I frown.
I watch Reagan bite the bottom of her lip. “I was the one who tripped your boyfriend, into her ice sculpture.” I let out a laugh and a second later, she joins me, shrugging. “I don’t know why I did it. I guess I hated that it looked so good…”
“Well if you don’t tell, I won’t tell,” I chuckle.
“Do you mean if I don’t tell her it was you who poisoned her salad?” Reagan asks, raising her eyebrows at me. I allow the shock to come over me but she smirks and shakes her head. “I won’t say anything, but don’t bother denying it. I know it was you. You left the table and then return as the food comes back? Please. Everyone knew…”
I lean my arms on the bar and let out a loud breath. “And to think, if I hadn’t done it she wouldn’t have called Adam in a fit and had him fly down to be with her. Allegedly of course, seeing as she swears she never planned for him to come.”
Reagan gives me a small smile. “Can I ask you something?”
“Shoot.”
“Do you still love Adam?”
“No.” My reply is quick, just like the fleeting guilt at the mention of his name. “No, definitely not. And I never told him I was. He’s the one who told me he was still in love with me. Not that anyone really believes it…”
Reagan scuffs into her wine glass. “More people believe you than you think, except for Diana but I have a sneaking suspicion she may be on to him.” She clears her throat and side eyes me, “What about Declan? Do you love him?”
My hands grip my drink.
“I feel good around him. I’ve always felt, like, it was real…” I can’t seem to get the right words out and I let out a frustrated groan. “I never felt that way with Adam. Not even on our good days.”
“What about Simon?” Reagan whispers, her eyes dart over my face seriously. “Do you feel that way with Simon?”
“No.”
Mostly because he’s not my boyfriend.
Reagan pulls back from me, her grin one of satisfaction. “I knew Simon didn’t mean anything.”
I should tell her about him.
“Reagan,” I begin, “about Simon. He’s not—”
“My ears are burning!”
He pops up next to us, a hand against his left ear, and a goofy grin over his tanned face. He slides a hand around my waist and smiles down at me. “I’ve been summoned to bring you both back to the table. Dinner is about to be served.”
“Julie needs to use the bathroom,” Reagan tells him. I watch as she motions behind me, towards the glass doors. “There was a line when she went earlier but it looks like it's clear now.” She raises her eyebrows at me sternly. “You should go to the bathroom, Julie, before dinner is served. Simon will take your drink to the table.”
“Sure.” Simon swoops an arm between us and takes my drink from the bar. “Just hurry up. I have a surprise for you.”
Right, that. Whatever that is.
I step away from him quickly, “I’ll hurry, then.” Before I turn around I share a smile with Reagan.
I need to go find Declan.
Chapter Twenty Two
I leave the room with my heart racing, my hands gripping onto my long gown so I don’t trip over my heels as I rush.
How do I know where to find him? He wasn’t inside the ballroom.
What am I even going to say?
I guess, “I’m sorry” would be a good start.
I snake around the guests in my way, and soon I’m halfway down the big hallway, heading towards the lobby. I spot the elevators ahead of me to my left and make a beeline for them.
I’ll try the bar, no, his room first—
“Jules! Jules, wait!”
I stop and spin, dropping my dress, to see Adam come charging towards me. He ends up smashing his shoulder into a few people who give him dirty looks, but he doesn’t seem to notice.
My blood begins to boil.
“What do you want?” I demand as he gets nearer to me. “What could you possibly want from me?”
He’s flushed when he gets to me, stopping a few feet away. His hair has fallen out a bit and he brushes his palm against it to set it back in place. He catches his breath, “I want to talk to you.”
“No, no,” I shake my head. “Every time we talk, nothing good comes out of it. I’m done talking to you.”
“Then just listen,” he grasps for my hand but I pull it from his reach.
“No, I’m not listening either. Go back to the gala,” I tell him furiously, “go back to your wife.”
“I screwed up, I should have come clean at dinner,” he blurts out. “I shouldn’t have said it was you who said those things. I should have told Diana the truth.” He drops his head as his hands hit his waist. “I don’t know what the hell is wrong with me. I know the cameras are around and it’s like another part of me takes over. The irrational part.” He steps closer to me and I bounce a foot back. “I just know that I miss you.”
“You don’t miss me,” I hiss back with a laugh. I think back on what Jill said in her suite. “This is what you do. Every time you have a problem you run away. I didn’t want to move to L.A., we started to fight and you ran into Diana’s bed. Your partner had a drinking habit, you didn’t want to deal with it so you ran off with his clients and opened a new firm. Now you and Diana are having issues and you want to run back to me so you don’t have to deal with her.”
His face turns dark, “What a load of crock. I want to come back to you because I know I love you, because I know I made a mistake by letting you go.”
“Give me a break,” I can’t help but chuckle rudely towards him.
“You know I realized it earlier,” he spits out. “You know I tried right after I signed the—”
“Adam!” Diana’s screech cuts through his words and I watch him spin around.
I lean over, watching as Diana’s figure comes pushing through the few guests left at the door of the ballroom. Her hair is pushed severely behind her ears, and her face is beet red. If Adam looked flustered when he ran after me, she looks completely out of shorts.
“Adam! We need to leave, now!”
Behind her, Oscar and the camera crew appear. They move swiftly, two cameras high above, and one right over Diana’s shoulder. With Adam’s attention diverted, I take my final steps to the elevators and push the UP button. There are only two elevators and I can see that both are in use.
“Adam!” I hear Diana cry. “She had me investigated! She had people spying on me, on you this entire week!”
“Who did?” Adam demands.
“Jillian! She threw it all out there, everything. The money problems, the stories to the tabloids,” Diana gasps and I see tears appear, slowly stream down her red cheeks. “She even had her P.I. get a hold of our friends, my emails. My text messages. She read them out, on camera, Adam. On camera!”
I raise my eyebrows slightly and push the UP button several more times.
So Jill did it. She got her wish. She exposed Diana on camera in front of a crowded room of people.
“What...what’s going on here?”
I get the feeling Diana’s talking about me, and slowly, I gaze back over at her. Her tear stricken face turns from Adam to me. “Adam, what’s going on here?”
“Nothing.” He nervously clears
his throat, giving me only a brief glance before forcing a smile at his wife. “We were just, talking.”
Behind him, next to the cameras, I can see Oscar. He’s smiling like an eight year old boy on Christmas morning.
“Why can’t you just leave him alone?” Diana snarls my way. “What’s the matter with you? He told you he doesn’t love you. Why can’t you just leave us alone?”
My eyes burn into Adam. From the corner of my eye I can see Brooke, Jill and Reagan file into the hallway. They slowly and silently, make their way towards us. I hear the elevator ping behind me and the doors swoosh open, but I’m too outraged by Diana to move into it.
“Oh believe me.” I finally say to Diana, “There is nothing more I want than to leave you, and him, behind. Forever.”
“I don’t believe you,” Diana accuses. “All those times I saw the two of you together, Adam told me you would pounce whenever he was by himself. And I thought, ‘oh whatever, she’s just trying to make me jealous’ but deep down, I knew. I knew it was something more…Then you go ahead and profess your crazy, disillusioned love to him.”
With my fists balled, I set my hands on my waist and stare at Adam.
Now’s his chance, he can admit all his lies to Diana.
But, he won’t. I know he won’t.
Slowly, he averts his eyes from me to his wife and says nothing.
Figures.
“Actually, that was Adam.”
I look towards the elevators startled, along with everyone else, to see Declan standing in front of them. He’s in his filming clothes, dark jeans and black t-shirt. His headset hanging off the belt loop of his jeans. He looks only at Diana, “And I can prove it.”
“Declan,” Oscar shouts. “get out, now!”
“How?” Jill asks, ignoring the director. Both Diana and Adam turn to her, noticing that she, Brooke and Reagan have joined us.
“Jules never turned her microphone off after the maple syrup trip,” Declan says as he looks from me to Jill. “We record everything on the microphones, even if the camera isn’t near. The entire crew heard Adam’s confession.”
Reuniting Reality Page 28