Cassie makes an attempt to locate Joel. Presumably, he’s somewhere nearby. They’re in an apartment, after all, not a museum. But upon scanning the vast living room of this four million dollar apartment, she doesn’t see him. Maybe he’s disappeared into a bedroom. Would it seem pathetic if she went searching?
Instead, she decides to look at Lydia and Pete’s photos. They’ve got at least a dozen of them on their mantle over what looks like but couldn’t possibly be a real fireplace. There’s a photo of Lydia and Pete on their wedding day—Lydia radiant in her bridal gown, and Pete looking slightly bewildered next to her. Then one of Lydia pregnant with Violet, followed by a second where she’s clinging to a newborn Violet in what appears to be some sort of park.
Where is Violet, anyway? Cassie hasn’t seen her the whole night. Is she stashed away somewhere? Cassie could imagine Lydia closing the little girl in a room and firmly telling her not to come out under any circumstances. Violet would absolutely listen. Cassie had never met a more well-behaved child.
Cassie’s eyes fall on the next photo, which is a group picture that looks like it was taken at a recent Halloween party. Lydia looks stunning as Rapunzel, which seems to suit her just as well as Elsa—there’s something about Lydia that screams out beautiful blond princess. Pete is dressed as Han Solo—definitely a Star Wars theme with this guy.
And then there’s Joel, grinning at the camera, dressed as a policeman. He looks as happy as she’s ever seen him. And his arm is around a beautiful brunette who is dressed as…
Cleopatra.
Cassie’s mouth falls open as she studies the Cleopatra in the photo. The woman in the costume is absolutely stunning. Really, really beautiful. Dark hair cascading down her shoulders. An absolutely perfect body. Even her teeth are perfect as she smiles for the camera. She’s the most beautiful Cleopatra who ever was. Elizabeth Taylor, eat your heart out.
“That’s Francesca.”
Cassie backs away from the photo, her cheeks growing warm. Of course, Lydia would catch her ogling this photo, which she suspects may have been put here for her to see. Lydia has a tiny smile playing on her lips.
“Have you never seen a photo of her?” Lydia asks.
“I…” Cassie tries to swallow but her mouth is too dry. “I haven’t…”
Lydia shrugs. “Well, that’s not surprising. I’m sure he put them away.”
Cassie looks from the photo to her own costume. No wonder everyone was so shocked by what she was wearing. Who shows up to a costume party dressed identical to the way your boyfriend’s ex dressed? She can’t even imagine what was going through Joel’s head when he saw her.
She raises her eyes to glare at Lydia. “You told me to dress as Cleopatra.”
Lydia lifts an eyebrow. “Did I? I don’t recall that.”
“I asked you what costume I should wear…” Cassie’s trying to sound angry, but to her own ears, her voice sounds pitiful. “And you told me Cleopatra!”
“Perhaps I did.” She shrugs. “Well, you have to admit, it’s a good idea. Francesca looked so stunning, didn’t she?”
Cassie doesn’t know what to say to that.
“But then again, she’s so gorgeous.” A smile plays on Lydia’s lips. “She could have been a model if she wanted, but she said cooking just called to her. I must have subconsciously been thinking about how stunning she looked in that costume. Such a great choice.”
Cassie tugs at the slit in her dress, feeling more and more self- conscious. She glances around the room and everyone seems to be staring at her. And whispering. She’s dressed up just like Francesca, Joel’s ex. Two women she doesn’t recognize are staring at her, and they simultaneously burst into laughter. Anna and Con are sitting on the couch, and Anna shakes her head in disbelief as she stares at Cassie.
They all think she’s crazy.
“Where did you get that dress anyway?” Lydia’s lips twist into a smirk. “It’s… interesting.”
As Cassie looks into Lydia’s face, she realizes the truth. The suggestion of the Cleopatra costume was no accident or oversight. Lydia doesn’t want Cassie here. She wishes Francesca was here instead. Cassie’s not good enough for Joel, and she’s not good enough to be in their circle. This act was meant to sabotage her relationship and possibly remind Joel of his last girlfriend, who looked—let’s face it—a million times better in her Cleopatra costume.
Cassie’s eyes fill with tears. She is done looking for Joel. Before Lydia can get the satisfaction of seeing her cry, she spins around and
marches out of the apartment, slamming the door behind her.
It’s only when she gets downstairs that she realizes how weak her exit was. She left without Joel, who is still up there, probably drunk, and will now only hear Lydia’s side of things—the crazy girlfriend who inexplicably dressed as his ex-girlfriend, started crying randomly, and left the party for no reason. Moreover, she forgot her coat. And it’s far too cold to be traipsing around the city in a sleeveless dress that may as well be made from tissue paper.
Damn it.
Cassie stands in the lobby, contemplating her next move as the doorman frowns at her. She can’t take the subway home because she’ll freeze to death walking there. She doesn’t have the money for a cab or Uber. Her only option is to text Joel and hope he comes down to save her. God only knows what he’s doing up there. Maybe if she leaves, they’ll invite Francesca and the two of them can have a grand reunion.
“Cassie?”
Cassie whirls around when she hears the voice call out her name. She notices the baby bump first and then the snowman face, and that’s when she realizes it’s Anna. The last person she wants to see right now. Well, not the last person, but certainly up there. Along with everyone else at that party.
Except then she notices Anna is holding her coat.
“You forgot your coat,” Anna says, holding it out to her. Now that Lydia isn’t with her, Anna seems much more innocuous. There’s something sweet about her heart-shaped face. Maybe it’s the impending motherhood. “I wouldn’t want you to catch a cold.”
“Thank you,” Cassie mumbles as she yanks the coat out of Anna’s hands.
Anna hesitates, chewing on her lip. “Don’t feel bad about the costume thing. It’s not that big a deal.”
“Yes,” Cassie says tightly, “it was.”
“Okay, fine,” Anna says. “It was… weird. I was shocked when I saw you. But in the scheme of things…”
“Lydia told me to dress as Cleopatra.”
Anna blinks, clearly thrown by this piece of information. “Oh…” “She wanted to humiliate me.”
“I’m sure that’s not true.”
Cassie lowers her eyes. “I’m not so sure.”
“You have to understand.” Anna puts a hand on her round abdomen. “Lydia has nothing against you. She just hates seeing Joel with anyone
besides Francesca. Lydia’s very loyal to people she cares about.” “I’ll say,” Cassie mutters.
“It’s a good quality,” Anna says. “Except when it makes her act like a bitch.”
Cassie looks at Anna in surprise. She thought Lydia and Anna were really tight, and she didn’t expect to hear Anna badmouthing her friend. But it oddly makes her feel a lot better about the whole thing.
“Anyway,” Anna continues, “don’t concern yourself with Lydia. The whole world doesn’t revolve around her. You make Joel happy, and that’s good enough for me.”
Cassie manages a smile. “Thanks. You didn’t see Joel, did you? He sort of disappeared the second we got to the party.”
Anna throws her head back and laughs. “You don’t know? He and Pete got bored of the party, and they went to watch football in the bedroom. My husband’s probably in there too. Hell, half the men will be in there by the end of the night.”
“Oh…”
Anna raises an eyebrow. “Would you like me to get him for you?” “No, that’s okay.”
“You can come back to the party, you know,” Anna says. “If you lose the makeup and the crown, you can be… um, a brunette Marilyn Monroe.”
Cassie laughs for the first time all evening. “If only I’d thought of that.”
“Come on,” Anna says. “It’ll be fun. And I told Lydia she had to quit being a bitch. She’ll be nice to you now. Nicer. She’s never nice— I’ve given up on that one.”
“I think…” Cassie pulls on her coat, grateful for the warmth. “I may head out, actually.”
Anna’s face falls. “Well, okay. I’m sorry to hear that.” Cassie looks at Anna and decides she means it.
“You work at a bookstore, right?” Anna says. “Or… you own it?” Cassie nods. “A used bookstore.”
Anna grins. “You got any books for freaked out mothers-to-be?”
“I think we’ve got a few,” Cassie laughs. “I’d be happy to put some aside for you.”
“That would be great.” Anna beams at Cassie. “I’m glad Joel started dating you. Not that I didn’t like Francesca, but… well, it’s nice to have someone new in our group, that’s all.”
Anna rests a hand briefly on Cassie’s arm, then smiles and pulls away. There’s no way Cassie would consider going back to that party, but it’s good to know at least one of Joel’s friends’ wives is on her side.
