Erica squeezed Ashley’s hand reassuringly. “Jason picked you because he loves you, and you’re a beautiful, smart, loving woman, Ashley Jackson. His mother is lucky to have the good fortune of adding you as a daughter-in-law, and if she can’t see that, it’s her problem.”
“Awww, thanks, sis. I really needed to hear that.”
“Ash, it’s the truth.”
“This was supposed to be a fun night out, meant to cheer you up from all the stress you’re going through with Opulence, plus the nightmares that have returned. And now look at me. I’m the one who’s down in the dumps.”
Erica wriggled off her bar stool and stood to her feet. “Like you said, no pity parties tonight. Let’s go eat a good meal and enjoy ourselves.”
Ashley slid off her bar stool, smoothing down the crease in her herringbone skirt. “Vidalia, here we come.”
Erica smiled. “Now you’re talking.” She was ready to remove the tiny cloud that had tried to force itself over their evening, but little did she know that in less than thirty minutes, that tiny cloud would balloon into a full-blown storm.
Chapter 5
Erica and Ashley sipped from their glasses of sparkling water as they chatted and waited for their entrées to arrive. The soft lighting and elegant decor of the restaurant were just what Erica needed to calm her anxiety. After nightmares, work-related stress, an entire day spent at the courthouse, and then hearing her best friend’s woes, she was more than ready to relax with a good meal. She was in mid-sentence when she noticed the smile on Ashley’s face take a fatal nosedive.
“What’s wrong?” Erica asked, but she didn’t have to guess for long. As her eyes followed the direction of Ashley’s death stare, the reason for her friend’s shift in mood became glaringly clear.
“Are you gonna be able to handle this?” Ashley asked.
Erica sat ramrod straight against the back of her chair as she stared into the eyes of her ex-fiancé. Claude was walking into the restaurant, arm in arm with a woman who was grinning from ear to ear.
Even though they traveled in some of the same circles, this was only the second time that Erica had seen Claude since their breakup. A few weeks after their split she’d spied him walking down the aisles at a CVS store. He hadn’t seen her, though, and she was glad, because she didn’t know how a conversation with him might go. The last time they’d spoken, which was by phone, caustic words had been leveled from both their ends. Erica later found out that he’d told people he had no idea why she’d called off their engagement, leading them to believe he’d been wronged by her in some way.
Seeing Claude tonight, it was clear to her that he’d rebounded from his supposed hurt, not missing a beat. As she sat across from Ashley, drinking water in a candlelit restaurant, a part of her wished she was sipping champagne with a handsome man whom she could flaunt at her side.
Erica leaned forward in her chair as she watched the maître d’ seat Claude and his date at a table just a stone’s throw away.
“She’s not even cute,” Ashley smirked, sucking her teeth in exasperation.
“You don’t think?” Erica asked, knowing that Ashley was right.
For months Erica had been preparing herself for the day that she would run into Claude, and in particular, when she’d run into him with another woman on his arm. She had fully expected any woman he was dating to be attractive, successful, stylish, and sophisticated. She knew those were the primary reasons he’d dated her. As she’d learned over time, Claude was all about the outside, instead of what really mattered on the inside.
But as she discreetly inspected her ex and his date, she had to retract her judgment. On a scale of physical beauty from one to ten, Erica estimated that the woman peaked around the five mark, and that was being gracious. She was middle-of-the-road average at best. Not unattractive, but definitely not a woman who made men’s heads turn.
“See, why do they go from sugar to shit, caviar to hot dogs?” Ashley said.
Erica shrugged. “Maybe she’s good to him.”
“Yeah, good and ugly.”
“Stop being mean. She might be a little plain, but she’s not ugly.”
“See, that’s why I’m glad you’re my best friend. You’re so nice about every damn thing. Erica, you know that heffa ain’t cute!”
Erica shook her head. “You need to stop.”
“I know the kind of superficial, first-class asshole Claude is. But I’ll give it to him. Even back in college, I never knew him to date a woman who wasn’t a knockout. So since his date over there isn’t beautiful, like you, I’m willing to bet you all the money in my wallet that she’s filthy rich and well connected. Trust me, there’s something in it for him,” Ashley said with authority.
“Well, you do have a point. Claude was always concerned about status.”
“Like I said, a superficial asshole.”
Erica sat back in her chair as their server brought their food to the table. She tried not to look over in the direction of Claude and his date, but the more she tried to ignore them, the more her eyes strained to examine the couple.
From what she could see, they were very affectionate with each other, which surprised her. When she and Claude had dated, public displays of affection had been limited to him opening her door and pulling out her chair. He’d been averse to hand-holding and, God forbid, kissing or hugging too closely out in the open. That was one of the reasons why she’d been thrown off guard when she saw him walk in with his date’s arm locked with his.
Ashley immediately dove into her veal porterhouse, but Erica didn’t have time to take a bite of her seared sea scallops, because just as she lifted her fork, Claude rose from his table and came walking her way.
“I know he’s not tryin’ to come over here,” Ashley hissed under her breath through a bite of veal.
Erica attempted to prepare herself, but it was too late. He was already there.
“I thought that was you,” Claude said, grinning with his megawatt Hollywood smile. “What a pleasant surprise to see you both this evening.”
His words sounded sincere, but they were obviously untrue, because it was no secret that he loathed Ashley almost as much as she despised him. Erica wasn’t surprised that he’d started off his greeting with a lie. It was yet another thing that she’d learned about Claude’s MO—he wasn’t a purveyor of truth.
“How are you, Claude?” Erica asked, speaking in the most cordial tone she could manage.
Ashley remained defiantly silent but did have the wherewithal to nod her greeting.
“I’ve been well,” Claude responded, looking down into Erica’s eyes. “You look great, by the way.”
“Thank you, Claude. That’s very kind of you to say.”
“I always speak nothing but the truth.”
Ashley gave him a slight roll of her eyes. “So, Claude, what have you been up to?”
Claude folded his arms in front of him and smiled. “You know me. Just keeping busy with work and a few other projects I’ve recently started.”
“Is she one of them?” Erica asked, looking at Claude’s date, who was fighting a losing battle of trying not to stare in their direction. Erica hated that she’d let her thoughts leap from her mouth before she could stop them. She didn’t want to give Claude a sliver of a thought that she cared about his love life, although she had to admit, she was curious about the extent of his new relationship. And again, she wished that she was out with a handsome man instead of her gal pal.
Claude smiled slyly, tossing Erica a look that she couldn’t quite decipher. “She happens to be a colleague—”
“Stop tryin’ to front like you’re out on a business dinner,” Ashley said, cutting in. “That woman is staring at this table like we owe her money, so why don’t you slide back over to your new girlfriend before somethin’ jumps off up in here!”
Claude shook his head from side to side. “Ashley, I see you haven’t changed a bit. Still your, um, one-of-a-kind self.”
“Claude,” Erica said, “it’s okay that you’re on a date. I hope you two enjoy your evening.”
Claude cleared his throat, changing his smile from one of charm to one of seriousness. “Okay, for the record, yes, we’re on a date. But she’s also a colleague I’m working with on a new account. She’s with Willkie Farr, and she just moved here to the D.C. office a couple months ago. Three, to be exact.”
Erica knew that he’d thrown in the last bit of unnecessary information for two reasons. The first was to make it known that his date wasn’t just a colleague. She was a colleague with the behemoth, globally recognized law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, which was impressive on many levels. And secondly, he was making it clear that the woman had been in town only a short while, which meant he hadn’t begun his new relationship until after his and Erica’s breakup.
Neither Erica nor Ashley commented, and now Erica wanted her ex to go away, because Ashley was right. His date looked as if they owed her something and she was ready to come over and collect.
“Well, Claude, it was good seeing you.” That was Erica’s signal for him to move along.
“It was good seeing you, too,” Claude said, this time making sure he excluded Ashley completely. “Enjoy the rest of your evening.”
He hadn’t taken more than two steps away from their table before Ashley started in. “Can you believe that bastard had the nerve to come over here and try to hit on you while his date is sitting over there all by herself, looking mad as hell?”
“You think he was trying to hit on me?”
“Uh, yeah! Don’t you?”
Erica bit into a scallop and tried to regain her composure as she spoke. “No, I don’t. I mean, we’ve been broken up for a while now.”
“Yeah, it’s been a minute.”
“Today makes exactly six months.”
Ashley stopped eating and sat her knife and fork to the side.
“What’s wrong?” Erica asked.
“You’ve been counting the days on your calendar?”
Erica looked away, not wanting to admit that she had.
“Please tell me that you’re over him. You’re not seriously still into him, are you?”
Erica fidgeted with her napkin, admitting a painful truth. “As crazy and as pitiful as it sounds, I still think about him from time to time, especially when I get lonely. Well, maybe not him, but the idea of having somebody special in my life. He was my last somebody.”
“And he was a complete nobody, too!”
“I don’t want him back, that’s for sure. I know that our relationship is a thing of the past.”
Ashley was about to ask another question when her expression changed again. “What the hell?” she whispered in a low voice, narrowing her eyes as she looked across the room.
Erica looked toward the entrance of the restaurant’s dining room to see Jason strolling in. Beside him was a striking blond-haired woman whose stylish comportment made her appear as though she’d just leapt from the pages of a magazine.
Erica and Ashley looked on with heightened curiosity as Jason and the pretty woman walked in their direction under the guidance of a hostess. Erica glanced at her friend’s expression as she thought about their conversation earlier that day. According to what Ashley had told her, Jason was supposed to be working late tonight on an important project for a client who’d just flown into town, yet there he was, with a woman, and nothing about their appearance seemed business like.
As Erica scrutinized the two more closely, she made a biting observation that she hoped Ashley hadn’t already drawn—that Jason and the mystery woman looked like a perfect couple, completely in sync. They were both attractive and slim, and they shared the same blond hair and green eyes. There was also a natural comfort between them that was obvious, which was affirmed by their relaxed body language and the engaging smiles they tossed back and forth between them.
As the two approached, Erica couldn’t help but notice the mixture of excitement, surprise, and a bit of discomfort in Jason’s eyes when he spotted them.
Lord, please don’t let this turn into a scene, Erica silently prayed to herself. Given Ashley’s temperament and history, she knew it wasn’t far from the realm of possibility that her friend might show out, not bad enough to get arrested, but just enough to warrant them having to leave, and not under their own volition.
“Ash, be calm,” she whispered.
“Hey!” Jason smiled as he and the woman walked over to Erica’s and Ashley’s table. “I didn’t know you and Erica were having dinner here. Your text said you two were going to The Spot tonight.”
Ashley leaned forward and flipped her long black tresses off her shoulder as she formed her lips into a smile. “And your text said you’d be working late on a project for a new client,” she said, giving her attention to the woman at her man’s side.
Jason nodded. “Yes, and actually, I still am . . . sort of.”
Erica shot Ashley a look that reiterated what she’d just said, “Be calm!”
“Where are my manners?” Jason smiled apologetically. “This is my client, Danni Stevens.” He made a quick gesture toward the attractive woman. “And, Danni, this is my beautiful fiancée, Ashley Jackson, and her lovely friend Erica Stanford.”
Erica wished she’d had her phone handy so she could snap a quick picture to capture what true shock really looked like. The expression on the woman’s face made it clear that she was flabbergasted and had had no idea that Jason was engaged, let alone to a black woman. Erica knew this because she’d seen similar looks in the eyes of others—both black and white—when she’d been out with Ashley and Jason in the past and people had realized they were a couple. But even then, those observers had had the good sense to try to tame their real emotions, so as not to offend. But this woman seemed flat out stupefied. Erica also saw that Ashley had picked up on the same vibe, because she’d pursed her lips with a look of irritation.
“Danni and I just cleared up a major hurdle on her project,” Jason continued, “and since neither of us has eaten, Danni suggested Vidalia.”
“How nice!” the hostess said, oblivious to the tension beginning to rise. “Since you all know each other, would you like to dine together this evening? I can have two extra chairs brought out.”
Jason looked at Danni. “Do you mind?”
Erica could see that the she devil’s cold eyes said, “Hell, yeah, I mind!” But after she took a moment to gather herself, the manufactured smile she forced her lips to concoct made her mouth say, “That would be lovely.”
Chapter 6
Erica, Ashley, Jason, and Danni sat around their small table, trying to stomach the uncomfortable conversation, which was limping and struggling along like a snail with one leg stuck in quicksand. To say the atmosphere was uncomfortable would be an understatement.
Erica could see by Jason’s cautious facial expressions that he was keenly aware of the restive mood surrounding them, and for his part, he tried to break the ice by talking about the beautiful fall weather, the newest exhibit at the National Gallery of Art, and anything else he thought would be safe territory for a table of seemingly discontented women. She and Ashley were listening with cordial smiles when, from out of nowhere, Danni chimed in about her company. She apparently wanted to move on to more interesting subjects—such as herself.
She explained that her family’s business, Sobelle Cosmetics, one of the largest and best known over-the-counter cosmetics companies in the country, was branching out into new territory, aiming its sights on hair care products. She’d been running the new products division for the last six months, and now she had enlisted Jason’s services to assist in the negotiations of a top-secret merger with another cosmetics company of equal standing. If the deal went through, it would position Sobelle to compete with major brands like Pantene, Garnier, and L’Oréal.
“We’ve been keeping talks about the merger under a shroud of secrecy because of the proprietary sensitivity of the market. The hair ca
re business is a very profitable slice of the pie,” Danni said. “Men and women alike want to make sure their hair looks its best.”
Ashley smiled and nodded. “Yes, I know all about the hair care business.”
“Oh, really?” Danni said, seemingly startled as she zeroed in on the top of Ashley’s head. “What do you know about hair care?”
Erica was taken aback by the flippant tone in which the she devil had asked the question—as if Ashley didn’t and couldn’t know anything about how to care for or manage her own hair. Erica also thought the comment came off as particularly rude, given that Ashley sported a long, shiny, healthy mane that was free of chemicals.
Unlike Erica, Ashley didn’t relax her luxurious hair. Once a week she went to one of her family’s salons for a nutrient-rich shampoo and penetrating deep conditioner, followed by a gentle blow-dry and a silky smooth flat-iron treatment. The result was nothing less than beautiful, shampoo commercial–worthy hair.
Ashley squinted her eyes and craned her neck. “My family owns several salons in the D.C. metro area. I’ve been immersed in the hair care business all my life,” she said with a flip of her shiny hair. “So I know a thing or two about the business structure and the industry.”
“Yes, Danni,” Jason said, chiming in. “I haven’t been able to discuss this, because of legal issues with our project, but now that it’s out in the open, Ashley’s family owns M&G Salons, the largest African American–owned hair salon chain in the area. I’m sure you heard of it while doing your market research,” he said proudly.
Danni shrugged dismissively. “Can’t say that I have. As Jason knows, we’re primarily focused on major brands, and the black—um, excuse me—African American market isn’t really on our radar.”
“Well, it should be,” Erica blurted out. She’d been trying to control her tongue, especially since Ashley had been exercising such amazingly disciplined restraint. But now she was pissed and couldn’t hold back any longer. “We blacks, as you say, spend a fortune on our hair. Ignoring us is a great way to ensure that your new products division will experience very limited success . . . at best.”
Breaking All My Rules Page 5
