Page 9 of Trial and Error

“Likewise.” My eyes drop down to her dress and I notice the way her spine straightens as she basks in the attention. “You look beautiful.”

Her laugh is harmonic as she flips her hair over her shoulder and shrugs modestly. “Well, aren’t you the sweetest.” My sister smiles at her compliment. “Natalie, you never told me your sister was such a charmer, I’m enamoured.”

Natalie joins in the soft laughter. “You can’t possibly tell me that husband of yours isn’t falling at your feet daily.”

Lorna’s face warms at the mention of him and her eyes start to wander around the room in search of him. “Of course he is, darling. He does anything I ask of him.”

The blonde next to her giggles. “An obedient boy, is he, Lor?”

Lorna’s brown eyes twinkle as she takes a sip of her champagne, smirking smugly over the rim of her glass. “I have his balls in a vise, Quinn.” She snaps her teeth together playfully and then sighs wistfully. “I suppose I did find a good man. He’s attentive, considerate, and level-headed. He knows what he wants and isn’t afraid to go for it. I’m so lucky, really.”

Quinn looks at me shyly and waves her hand. “Seeing as your sister failed to introduce me, I may as well do it myself. I’m Quinn.”

Natalie reaches out and squeezes her hand in her own. “I’m sorry, Quinny.” She looks at me. “Sissy, this is the sweetest woman in the world. Quinn works in media marketing for the company. Every ad you see online or on the TV? That’s all Quinn—she’s the best.”

The blonde looks bashful as she takes a sip of her drink. “I wouldn’t go that far.” She turns to look at me. “I cut back on my hours when I had my children, so I only work on the big ads now.”

“That’s very impressive, though,” I tell her.

“What do you do for work, Bridget?” Lorna asks.

“I’m a legal secretary.” Quinn and Lorna nod their heads approvingly. “I initially wanted to work in the medical field but decided against it. I’ve been a legal secretary for a few years now and really enjoy it. It keeps me busy.”

Lorna hums. “My husband is a doctor—he says it’s the most rewarding job. It’s admirable, really, the way doctors are so caring toward absolute strangers. Don’t you think?”

I hear the love in her voice as she talks about him and her eyes light up when they land on a blond man who is leaning against the bar talking to two other men. His back is toward us, but I don’t miss the wave of familiarity that washes over me as my gaze lands on his broad shoulders.

I clear my throat. “If you’ll excuse me for a moment. I’m going to grab a drink,” I tell the ladies as I try to shake the unsettling feeling that has rooted itself in the pit of my stomach.

As I weave my way through people and around the tables, I feel slightly at ease when my eyes lock on the bar. I lean against the marble bar top and wait for a bartender.

The air around me shifts, and that’s when I feel him. The way he domineers the space around him like it’s his goddamn puppet. He slides up next to me and rests his elbow on the side, looking down at me with a condescending smirk.

What I would do to reach up and wipe that look off his face.

That smarmy, slimy, sleazy look.

God, I hate him so much.

“Bridget, what a pleasant surprise,” the asshole says.

The mere sound of his voice has me wanting to smash his face into the bar, but I wouldn’t do that, of course—Natalie would kill me. I turn to look at him with what I hope is a pleasant smile, and I feel my skin crawl at the sight of him.

For a second, I wonder what I ever saw in him.

He still looks the same with silver wire-frame glasses that I’m pretty sure he’s had since before we started dating. Naturally, his blond hair is greying slightly at the temples, he’s styled it back into an annoyingly perfect quiff, and I hate to admit it but it suits him. His blue eyes sweep down my body, lingering slightly on my breasts as they heave with every quick breath I take, and I will myself to calm down.

I’m sure he’s already having a field day knowing he has me cornered, so I can’t show him that being around him affects me still.

“Tom, hello,” I say, my voice coming out shaky. “What a pleasant surprise, indeed.”

“Here alone?” he asks, his eyes still weighing heavily on my chest. “I’m here with my wife.” Tom’s eyes flick up as he says the last word and tilts his head to the side, as if he’s trying to get a reaction out of me.

In the six years we dated, the idea of marriage seemed absolutely ridiculous to him. Any time someone would bring it up or even hint at the two of us tying the knot, he would scoff or dismiss it with some bullshit about how women and men didn’t need to be married to be happy and that we weren’t in the eighteenth century anymore. Natalie knew how much it hurt me every time he shut down any conversation regarding marriage, or even having children, but now I look back at it and thank my stars that I managed to get rid of him.

“Oh, wow! Congratulations!” I say, matching the way his head tilts with my own. “I know marriage was a touchy subject for you.”

His eyes narrow in a challenging manner as he nods slowly. “Yes, of course. I just hadn’t met the right person.”