“Too spicy?” Anna asked innocently as she picked at the chicken on her plate.
“Wh-what,” Lexi took a sip to wash the rest of the wasabi out of her system, but she knew her cheeks were still fire engine red, “what did you say?”
“It’s a simple question.”
“Are you crazy?” Lexi fanned herself with her napkin. “Is it hot in here?”
Anna shook her head wordlessly and continued grinning, waiting for Lexi to answer.
“I had a crush on him in high school, Anna. That was ages ago.”
“That’s nothing new. I knew that back then. You zoned out every time he walked by. But I didn’t ask about high school. I’m asking about now. Right now. Are you in love with Vincent?”
“He has a girlfriend. One who at this second is still wrapped around him like spandex on a hooker and would love nothing more than to obliterate me from the planet Earth.”
Anna took a long sip of her tea. “She’s on her way out.”
“Really?” Lexi asked in disbelief. “Because they looked pretty tight this morning, and I keep finding them huddled together in these intimate conversations.”
It was Anna’s turn to look uncomfortable. “Things aren’t always what they seem.”
“Explain that.”
“I can’t. And besides, this isn’t about Vincent. It’s about you.”
“It’s about me? Then fine. I’m done talking. Let’s talk about you for a while. How’s Erik?”
Anna went along with Lexi’s demands. “He’s wonderful. He just came home from a shoot down in Cabo. Next month, we’re going to Key West for a week. Mom and Dad are going to watch Madison for us. I’m really looking forward to it.”
“Sounds like fun.”
The waitress came over, and they placed their lunch orders. They each got something they’d never tried before and decided to share. Just when Lexi started to relax, Anna’s phone chirped.
“Sorry, it might be Maddie,” she said as she reached into her purse. Her momentary concern was replaced with a smug grin. “Well, isn’t that sweet.”
“What did Maddie say?” Lexi laughed as she took another bite of tuna.
“Actually, it’s not from Maddie. It’s from my brother.” She flipped the phone around and showed Lexi the message.
You’ d better be on your best behavior, Anna. You aren’t annoying Lexi, are you?
“He’s so protective of you.”
“No, I just think he knows you too well.” Lexi laughed and tried to downplay the message.
“I wonder what Jade was doing when he sent this? Odd that he would be thinking of you when he’s out to lunch with his,” Anna made a gagging sound, “girlfriend, don’t ya think?”
“Anna,” Lexi pleaded.
“I know. You don’t want to talk about it. So, how about listening?”
When Lexi didn’t object, Anna took a deep breath and launched into what she had been dying to say. “Do you love him? I really want to know the answer, but truthfully, it doesn’t matter. You’ve changed him, Lexi. He’s such a different man than he was before you started at Hunter. The only people he would ever smile and be himself around were Madison and Sean before you. He was angry all the time. And miserable. He made the rest of us want to stab ourselves some days.”
“I don’t see how I had anything to do with it.”
“When he’s with you, he’s happy. That day at my house, we all saw it. When he’s not with you, excuse my language, but he’s a pissy little shit. And if Jade’s around? Good Lord, that woman’s a perpetual raincloud. Of course, she is the source of all things evil in the world.”
“Okay, I have a question. Why on earth is he with Jade in the first place? He’s gorgeous. He could have any woman he wanted.”
“Any woman? Wait, you think he’s gorgeous?” Anna leaned forward hopefully, but Lexi threw a decorative radish at her.
“Focus, Anna. Answer the question, you troublemaker.”
“My guess? She gives great blo—”
“Don’t say it. I’m eating.”
“Fine,” Anna huffed. “Her oral skills aside, I think she’s someone he knows he’ll never love.” She stabbed her noodles and spun them around her fork.
“So he picks his relationships based on—”
“Based on who can’t hurt him. If he never loves her, she can’t break his heart. He went through a terrible break up with Adria. He swore he’d never do that again.”
Lexi dropped her fork. “Adria Parketti?”
Anna nodded her head.
“I had no idea they dated. What happened between them? Can I ask? If you aren’t comfortable …”
“It’s fine, God knows he’ll never tell you, and it’s kind of important information for someone who lo—someone who works with him to know.” Anna took a deep breath and began the story. “They met in college and were the bright stars of their class, a real design powerhouse. Adria wanted him to stay out east and have the two of them open an East Coast offshoot of Hunter that they could run themselves, basically use the Hunter contacts for their own gain. As it got closer to graduation, Vincent decided he wanted to come back home to learn the ropes from Mom. She had years of experience and wisdom our grandfather had passed down to her, so it seemed logical. Logical to everyone, that is, except Adria. She lost it when she found out.”
“How long had they been together?”
“Almost two years at that point. I overheard my parents say that he had asked my mom for grandma’s ring to give her after graduation. That night, they got into a huge fight, and Vincent left everything in his apartment behind, got on a plane, and came home, with only the ring and the clothes on his back.”
“Poor guy.” Lexi could easily imagine a conniving Adria throwing a fit and being a real piece of work.
“A few weeks later, Adria slinked into town, begging Vincent to forgive her. She even kissed up to my mother in an effort to get a job at Hunter.
Long story short, he forgave her, like an idiot, Mom hired her, and Adria worked hard … for a while. Once she made enough contacts in the business, she left without a word and started her own company, taking as many Hunter clients as possible. Vincent was devastated.”
“What a bitch.” Lexi had seen firsthand how heartless, selfish, and deplorable Adria Parketti could be.