Crystal
The baby shower was going very well. I was keeping myself busy by making sure that every guest was having a good time, refilling drinks as needed, and making small talk with everyone. There seemed to be an equal mix of people that I did and didn’t know, and it was easy to spot a Truman the moment they walked through the door by their expensive designer clothes.
Two of their cousins walked in wearing clothes I wouldn’t be caught dead in, and I overheard a few family members recognize it as some designer brand whose name I couldn’t pronounce. The outfits weren’t even that attractive. They were walking around in what I could only describe as black garbage bags and leggings, whereas I was wearing an ordinary outfit purchased from a consignment shop. They must have thought I was a peasant.
A woman wearing a ring the size of my eyeball waltzed over to me. “Darling, this party is divine! An excellent choice of champagne, too. How adorable of you gals, serving pizza and salad! I was just telling my dear husband that I was tired of caviar, anyway. You must have read my mind! Julianna gave me the name of the place this pizza came from. I’m going to call them for their recipe before we go back to LA.”
For some reason, I doubted that, and I bit my lip, trying not to rebut her condescending remark.
After pondering this for a moment, I realized how much I loved the Truman family as my own, especially Annie and Julianna. But also I figured some of the others who didn’t live in River Valley could use a heavy dose of reality. It blew my mind how some people could swim in money, whereas the rest of the world was struggling to stay afloat. Hell, I’d be happy just to have an apartment the size of this living room.
As I sat down and guzzled another glass of champagne, I realized that some of those people reminded me of the jerk that had hit my car. He was so arrogant and condescending, treating me as though he were too good even to acknowledge my existence — or his mistake.
I shook my head at myself and took another gulp of bubbly. I couldn’t believe what the Truman’s had spent on this champagne. It’d take me months to pay it off if I had bought it. Then the more I thought about my financial situation, the more I wanted to drink their expensive alcohol.
Just as I was about to pour myself another glass, I felt two hands grab my arms and yank me to my feet. “Annie! Julianna! What’s wrong with you two? You almost got champagne all over my blouse!”
They didn’t answer my question, though. Annie and Julianna were too busy giggling like school girls as they rushed me into the kitchen.
Annie peeked into the living room and then shut the kitchen door. “Remember how we said we’d set you up with someone?”
I felt my heart drop into my stomach. “Yeah, but I kind of thought that it was too last-minute to find me a blind date.”
Julianna rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. We wouldn’t have suggested if we didn’t think he could come.”
I reached for a chair and sat down. It felt like the room was spinning, and I hadn’t that much champagne yet. Being on a date with everything on my mind made me nervous, despite agreeing to it earlier.
“Alright, look, I didn’t think you two would get anyone to show up since this idea was so last minute. I don’t know how I feel about this now.”
Annie sat down across from me. “Let us tell you about him first before you brush him off! He’s Richard’s best friend, Gavin. I’d suggested you meet him earlier, but his job involves a lot of traveling.”
“And what is his job, exactly?”
Julianna’s excitement was growing by the minute. “He works for our company! Plus, he just got back from Spain, so he’ll probably have a lot to talk about with you.”
My stomach turned to knots as soon as they mentioned that he worked for their company. “Ladies, please don’t lie to me. Is he some jackass who thinks he can get away with anything because he is a gazillionaire who has a different woman on his arm every week?”
Annie shook her head. “Not at all, Crystal. You know that I would never set you up with a jerk. He’s one of the sweetest, funniest people I’ve ever met. He can be a bit awkward at times, though.”
My right eyebrow shot up. “Define awkward.”
“He’s not that awkward, Annie,” Julianna replied. “He’s just…not always that great with words. You’ll see what we mean. He can kind of be a nerd. Actually, he is very intelligent.”
Between the car accident and dealing with all of their wealthy family members, I had enough. “I don’t think that I will. I know you mean well, but I’m in no mood to deal with some ‘awkward’ rich guy who wants to drone on and on about his trip to Spain. In case you’ve forgotten, my mind is a little fixated on my financial situation right now and all I need to do about Mom’s estate. Besides, I thought you two were joking earlier.”
I felt guilty for being so snippy with them, but it was time for me to put my foot down.
Annie knew she could get to me, though. “Are you kidding, Crystal? We were on it five minutes after you were upset about not having a date tonight.”
“Why wouldn’t I be upset, Annie? I mean, who the hell brings a date to a baby shower?”
Julianna cupped her hands over mine. “Sweetie, with all due respect, you need to spend some time with Gavin tonight. Just give him a chance, and I promise that you won’t be disappointed.”
Both of them seemed to think that Gavin would be a good match for me, at least for tonight.
As much as it pained me to give in, I agreed to give it a shot. “Alright, but let’s not be awkward about setting this up, okay? We are adult women at a baby shower, not middle school girls hovering around the drink table at a dance.”
Julianna and Annie gave each other high fives, and, of course, that made me roll my eyes.
