I fiddle with the diamond-studded bracelet around my wrist, so different from the yarn and beads Joplin and I used to weave into handmade wristlets when we were teenagers.
The waiter stops by again to collect our orders. I go to order a filet, but Veronica cuts in and orders nothing but sushi for all three of us.
Lex sighs. “I told you Stevie doesn’t like sushi.”
She waves a dismissive hand. “She’ll like this sushi. It’s the best.”
With a conflicted smile, the water nods and saunters away.
“Tell me more about the last few weeks, Stevie,” Veronica continues, smoothing out the tablecloth in front of her. “I’d love to get to know you better.”
Chewing the inner lining of my lip, I push away my anxiety and try to make the best of it. Maybe Lex’s mother is softening toward me, accepting the situation for what it is. “Well, I—”
“That postpremiere party must have been hard for you—seeing Lex and Willa shine together, right before your eyes. I’m sure it was difficult recalling their intimate scenes in the show.”
My chest struggles to remain whole, my ribs wanting to disintegrate, my heart wilting. Lex’s hand falls to my lap, hidden underneath the table. He palms my thigh as he sips his water.
“It wasn’t difficult,” I reply, glancing at him. There’s a distance in his eyes as he stares out the window at the slow-churning sea waves. “I understand how acting works, and I know this isn’t the last time he’ll be cast in romantic roles with other women. And Willa was very sweet.”
“On that we agree. She is a gem.” She smiles, almost pleasantly, then flicks her gaze to Lex. “Lexington, that reminds me… Willa’s mother reached out and would love to set up a dinner with just the four of us. I think it’s a great idea. When are you free?”
I sit there, feeling invisible, painfully unseen.
Surely, Lex would never agree to an intimate dinner with another woman, especially without me.
But his hand leaves my thigh as he says, “Whenever.”
My heart buckles. I reach for a fork to distract my jittery hands, but there’s no food in front of me, so I just play with it.
“Wonderful,” Veronica quips. “I’ll set it up.”
She hums under her breath as she picks up her phone and swipes her thumbs across the keypad. A trio of women waltz by the table, their eyes wide and starstruck as they gawk at us—at the iconic Lexington Hall, sitting beside me, in the flesh.
Lex’s arm drapes around my shoulders, and he nuzzles my neck, peppering a few kisses to the side of my throat, harnessing the PDA for the oglers.
I tense up, becoming a stone slab.
When I try to shimmy free of his arm, he frowns, whispering in my ear, “What?”
“All set,” Veronica says. She returns her phone to the table just as Lex pulls away. “I’m looking forward to catching up with Isla. And I’m sure you and Willa have plenty to talk about.”
“Mm” is all he says, slouching back in the chair.
“Posture, Lexington.” She glances at me, the beam to her smile returning tenfold. “Stevie, I’m sure you’re feeling pretty homesick lately. How are you coping?”
She doesn’t care.
She doesn’t care about me at all, and it’s becoming crystal clear that I am nothing more than a stain on her son’s glittering reputation.
“I’m coping fine, thank you.”
“Mm-hmm. Well, I’m sure this little performance will be over soon, and you can go back to waiting tables—or, what was it? Exotic dancing?” She pretends to think about it, then pops a finger in the air. “Belly dancing.”
I clench the napkin in my lap. “I’m a pianist,” I mutter, my tone devoid of life. “The belly dancing was made up.”
“My apologies. Lexington does enjoy the occasional dramatization,” she says. “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
I watch Lex in my periphery, waiting for something. Anything. But he’s shut down, staring blankly across the room, his expression an empty mask.
