I held the glass ever so gently, careful not to mess up my freshly done manicure. I went for a soft pink color—no acrylics, no fancy designs or bold colors. Just something simple and practical. I raised the mimosa to my lips and took a long drink, while one of the manicurists worked on my other hand.
So far, so good. We made it past the first potential blowup. I thought for sure Keisha was going to throw Olivia out, but thank Jesus for Karen stepping in. Keisha and Olivia both have strong personalities—who knows what would have happened? I had no idea Olivia manipulated this event. It was completely out of line, as Glow is Jenny’s salon, and she should have asked Jenny first. However, in a way, I could see where Olivia was coming from. Maybe she genuinely wanted it to just be us girls. Maybe she wanted to open up about what was all going on with her and Dean. It wasn’t the best way to do it, but I think her intentions were good . . . at least I hoped so.
The conversation had never really picked up. Remarks were made here and there, but overall, the only noise was from the manicure tools buzzing and the quiet chatter between the contract workers. The tension was so thick that even the hired help felt uncomfortable. Their eyes bounced around the room and then back at the hands they were working on.
Jenny continued to tend to the refreshment table and make small talk when she could. Shannon was sipping at coffee, and Olivia was deep in thought, perhaps figuring out what to say next.
“I caught your big-screen debut,” Olivia finally said.
Shannon’s lips pressed firmly together. “It’s been taken down.”
I still didn’t know what they were talking about. “What video?” I asked.
“Don’t act like you don’t know.” Shannon tilted her head.
I looked at Jenny, then Olivia, and then back at Shannon. My eyes were wide and bewildered.
“Anyway . . . you having any luck on the dating scene, Shannon?” Olivia smirked.
I took a deep breath.
“I’m not looking to date right now. I’m focusing on myself.” Shannon raised her chin.
Good for her. I gave her a slight nod and a smile without realizing it. I hadn’t meant for it to be rude. I was proud of her strength, but Shannon glared at me and returned to her coffee. Something was up. I dropped my head and quickly looked away.
“Well, if you need any help.” Olivia pointed at me. “Crystal over here is really good at picking men.” She threw her head back in laughter. “I’m only kidding.”
Shannon turned red . . . not from embarrassment, but from anger. I turned red . . . not from anger, but from embarrassment. A vein emerged in the center of Shannon’s forehead, and her mouth began to open. Jenny instinctively stepped toward Shannon. My body tensed up. Oh God . . . this was it. Shannon was going to lose it. What the hell was Olivia doing?
The front door chimed, interrupting the impending outburst. The door closed with a bang that sucked all the air out of the room. All that lingered was tension.
“Hello,” a man’s voice called out. We all exchanged glances. Olivia’s face went white.
“One sec,” Jenny said as she made her way to the front. Before she could get there, the curtains burst open and in walked Dean Petrov. He was dressed in a white bedazzled T-shirt and a pair of Philipp Plein jeans. He looked like a real douche.
“Hey, Jenny. I heard about what happened. You doing all right?” he asked.
Jenny nodded as Dean waltzed past her.
“Hey, baby,” Dean said to Olivia. She gave a coy smile as he leaned down to kiss her on the cheek.
“What are you doing here?” Olivia asked.
“Thought I’d get myself a manicure too.” He winked.
“This is a women-only event,” I said, surprising myself.
Dean crinkled his face at me. “Well, I pay the exorbitant fees for this place. Jenny, are you fine with me staying?”
Before Jenny could get a word in edgewise, Olivia spoke up. “Of course, you can stay, baby. Right, Jenny?”
Jenny and Shannon exchanged glances. Shannon shrugged her shoulders in an I-don’t-care-what-you-do kind of way.
“Yes, that’s fine. We have plenty of room, since Olivia decided to make this a private event,” Jenny said with a bit of tautness in her voice. “Take a seat.” She motioned to the chair beside Olivia. Dean sat down with a big grin on his face.
I wasn’t sure why he was here. Was he keeping an eye on Olivia? Trying to ensure she wouldn’t tell us anything he didn’t want us to know? I tried to relax my face. I was scowling at him and didn’t even realize. A manicurist began filing his nails, and Jenny brought him an IPA. He thanked her and took a big swig, making a refreshed ahhh sound afterward.
“What were you ladies talking about before I crashed the party?” Dean asked. He looked at each of us.
“Well, your wife was telling me I should get dating advice from Crystal, since she’s so good at picking men . . .” Shannon spat out the words.
I knew she wouldn’t let go of that dig so easily. It was a low blow and completely uncalled for. Shannon was being as pleasant as she could be—which for a normal person would be a bit cold, but for Shannon, it was rather nice. Sure, she hadn’t been particularly warm or welcoming to me, but I wouldn’t expect that from her considering our history. I could tell she was at least trying. She didn’t hug me or talk to me, but she did nod. A nod was a start.
Dean tightened his eyes. “Is that true?”
“Oh, babe, I was just messing around. But seriously, I wouldn’t want to see Shannon lonely,” Olivia said with unconvincing sincerity. She grazed her long nails down Dean’s bicep, stroking his arm gently.
“Aaah . . . I’m sure you’re real concerned about my well-being, Olivia,” Shannon said sarcastically.
“I am, Shannon. You’re my friend.” She smiled a devious smile.
“We have very different definitions of friend then,” Shannon fired back.
“You would know,” Olivia quipped.
“Who wants more mimosas?” Jenny interjected.
Dean whispered something into Olivia’s ear. I couldn’t hear what he said, but she immediately stiffened up and dropped her hand from his bicep. She tapped her nails on her glass. Jenny refilled our drinks and took a seat in a pedicure chair across from Shannon. She turned on the bubbles and dipped her feet in the tub. I could see this whole situation was taking a toll on her. She should have taken a week off of work after the robbery. I had no idea how she was handling all of this.
My nails had been dry for a while. I was just sitting there monitoring the tension between Shannon and Olivia while also keeping an eye on Dean. I should have just left, but I felt somewhat responsible for what was occurring. My being with Bryce is what had caused the rift between Shannon and Olivia. I didn’t understand why, but it would seem I didn’t really understand anything about these women—or Buckhead.
“Do you need anything, Jenny?” I asked, cutting through the silence.
“I’m okay,” she said.
“Let me get you a mimosa,” I offered. I got up from my chair and poured her a drink.
“That’s not necessary,” Jenny said. I handed it to her. “Oh. Thank you, Crystal.” She accepted the drink with apprehension and took a gulp of it.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” I whispered.
Her eyes bounced around. She couldn’t downplay what happened. I was there. I saw it. It was horrifying.
“I’m fine, really,” she said, taking a sip of her mimosa.
I knew she was lying, but I didn’t press any further. We all healed differently.
These women needed to learn to get along for Jenny’s sake, so I vowed to be the bigger person by leading by example. I was going to bring these full-grown women back to the basics—elementary school manners.
“Can I get you anything while I’m up, Shannon?” I asked with a smile.
“Yeah, you can get me my house back. Keep the husband. He’s useless anyway.” Shannon waved her hand at me in a dismissive way. I swallowed hard and walked back to my seat.
Olivia’s mouth fell open and she was about to speak, but Dean gave her a nasty look and she instead filled the open space of her mouth with the lip of her glass, chugging the rest of her drink.
35
Olivia