Chapter Twenty

Amelia's POV

"By the way," he said later, while we were leaving the eatery, "if all you want to do is stop your ex boyfriends from bothering you, why didn't you make a deal with some other man?"

"Why did I come to you?" I replied. "Well, you're the only man whose jacket is in my possession, so I said why not. And you helped me out at the bar too, so I know you're somehow a gentleman."

"Somehow," he repeated, huffing a laugh.

"Yup, somehow," I replied, grinning. "But it's mostly because you're the only one I could think of who is actually powerful enough to be a threat to my ex-boyfriends."

My answers weren't lies. They just weren't truths either, and I shoved down the guilt that reminder brought with it.

'You are the only man in the city, aside from Mr Domitia and Jeremy, who aren't total strangers to me,' I thought. 'And you are the only one that can save me from losing this new life I just got. I'm sorry I can't tell you the truth. But I am very grateful, Julian."

……

I decided that I wasn't grateful to be on this shopping trip with Isabella's friends. I wasn't grateful that Mandy's birthday had come sooner than I expected. Because in all that talk about shopping, why did it never hit me that I was too broke for the kind of shopping these people do?

It was almost like they weren't buying clothes because they want to wear them, and rather were buying them just for the sake of it.

"Bella!" Ray called.

I turned to see her holding up a blue sundress and beaming at me.

"You should try this on!" she said.

I walked over to look at the price tag, and I had to fight to keep myself from cringing.

"It's… nice," I said. "But I don't need a wardrobe upgrade at the moment. I just got one last week."

I did not, in fact, get one last week.

"What?" Mandy exclaimed, looking like I had just told her that somebody died. "Why the hell are you here, then?"

"For your birthday," I replied with a shrug.

She continued to look horrified.

"So you're not picking out anything at all?" she asked. "Not even a… a pair of shoes?"

"Nope," I replied. "Not a thing."

"Hell no," Mandy declared. "You don't come along on my shopping trip just to look around. You're picking something. My treat."

'Wow,' I thought. 'That is one order I would gladly obey.'

"Okay."

"Good," she replied, looking pleased with herself.

I decided to pick out an outfit for my date with Julian Lake. Since we had agreed on dinner at this fancy celebrity restaurant, I headed towards the evening gowns. I was admiring a row of sparkly dresses when Jackie appeared beside me.

For a while, she pretended to be trying diligently to pick a dress. Then when I wanted to move to a different row, she turned immediately to stop me.

"It looks like Ray has forgiven you," she said.

I shrugged.

"She shouldn't have," Jackie said.

"If you say so, Jackie," I replied, turning away.

"You might have fooled everybody with your lies," she went on, "but I'm not buying it. I know you, Isabella, and I'm not going to let everyone else fall for your tricks."

"Jackie," I said with a dramatic sigh, "I know you wish I had given up on Elijah the way I gave up on Julian Lake, but maybe you should just be happy for Ray instead of wishing you were in her shoes. She's been such a good friend to you, you know."

Jackie's fists clenched and unclenched at her sides, and she fixed me with a look full of pure hatred. Then the hateful expression gave way to a bright smile.

"You know what, maybe you're right," she said. "Maybe you've really changed so much that you would willingly stop pursuing a guy for your friend's sake. So I'll give you the benefit of doubt."

"Um…" I said, hesitating. This should have been good news, but there was never any good news with Jackie. "Uh… okay?"

"Perfect!" she said, clapping both hands together.

Before I could wonder what hole I had just dug for myself, Jackie sashayed out of the row and into the dressing room where the others were trying on outfits. I hurried after her, but only arrived just in time to hear her making her announcement.

"Girls!" she was saying cheerfully, "I've got news! As a show of good faith, Isabella has agreed to prove that she's taken her eyes off Julian Lake!"

My eyes widened.

"What?" I blurted out. "I never said that!"

"What was that, darling?" Jackie said, batting her lashes innocently. "You don't want to put Ray's poor heart at ease?"

'I didn't say that either!' I screamed inside. 'Stop twisting my words to mean whatever you want them to, bitch!'

But Ray was already blinking at me, looking ready to cry if I said the wrong thing. Damn it. I had borrowed money I couldn't pay back from Mandy just to fix things between us, and Jackie was trying to ruin it again.

"Fine," I replied. "So, what do I have to do?"

I expected Jackie to ask me to hand over my phone so she could go through the calls and messages. I was already trying to think up a way out of that when she spoke.

"You'll play everyone's assistant for today," she said.

"What?" I said. "How is that supposed to prove that I don't have my eyes on Julian Lake?"

"It's a test of loyalty," Jackie replied smugly. "If you can do this for your friends, then you can do anything for your friends. Including letting go of Julian Lake."

What a load of bull. It was clear that she just wanted an excuse to boss me around.

Well, two could play this game.

"Sure," I said with a sunny smile. "What could possibly go wrong?"