Chapter Nine
March
Cameron Tolliver was feeling pretty much on top of the world on this sunny afternoon in early spring. This morning at the gallery she’d been able to finally get a long sought after artist to agree to a show next month. Then had come the phone call from the event planner at the hotel that she had finally decided on for her wedding reception telling her that yes, her first choice of dates was available after all. To celebrate, she had treated herself to a massage and facial at her favorite day spa, where as a steady client they’d served her a delicious salmon salad and crisp glass of Pinot Grigio. Now, feeling relaxed and mellow, she was on her way to Nate’s office to drop off his ticket to the ballet tonight. The only sour note in her day thus far was the fact that he couldn’t meet her for dinner first due to a late client meeting he’d had scheduled for weeks, and would have to meet her at the ballet instead.
Nathan, she though confidently, was going to have to start delegating more of his duties at work. It was beyond ridiculous that the partner of one of San Francisco’s most successful architectural design firms had to work so many hours and do as much traveling as he did. Cameron knew for a fact that Nathan had any number of other architects on staff that he could re-distribute work to, leaving him more time to relax and travel for leisure. She certainly didn’t want a husband who was going to have to work late on a regular basis or couldn’t go on vacation when it suited him. After all, she owned her own business and pretty much did what she pleased. There was really no good reason why Nathan couldn’t do the same.
Cameron smiled to herself as she thought again of what a catch Nathan was. He was by far the handsomest and most charming man she’d ever dated – and she’d dated a lot over the past twenty years. After two broken engagements, she had begun to despair that she’d ever fall in love and get married, and then she’d met Nathan and her hopes had been renewed.
Oh, it had taken a lot of time and work to get him to finally make a commitment to her, but it had all been worth it. As all of her girlfriends told her often, Nathan was a real prize. Cameron had absolutely no intention of letting him slip away, or allowing anything to ruin their weeding next February. She’d waited way too long for happiness, and it was well past time for her to finally get what she deserved.
She smiled back at the attractive older man who gave her an admiring glance as he passed her by. She walked with the confidence of a woman who knew she looked good. At five foot nine, she was taller than average but that only served to call more attention her way. With the help of a stylist, she knew the best way to dress her slim, almost angular figure. Unfortunately, no amount of weight training or exercise had been able to put much muscle or definition on her naturally thin arms and legs, so she seldom wore short skirts or sleeveless tops. And while she loved her slim hips and super flat stomach, her stylist tended to steer her away from anything too form fitting, wanting instead to give the illusion that she had more curves.
Therefore, most of her business outfits were similar to what she wore today – beautifully tailored black pleated trousers, a silky white blouse, and a short, fitted black jacket. The push-up bra helped give an impression of cleavage above the two buttons of her blouse she’d left undone. She gave off an air of both power and control, the modern businesswoman, while still looking sexy and feminine.
She’d just had her hair cut and colored about a week ago, and knew the shiny blonde chin-length bob looked amazing. It still bothered her that she had to keep her hair this short, knowing that Nathan really preferred long hair, but it had been on her hairdressers’ advice. A natural brunette, Cameron had been bleaching her hair to a pale Nordic blonde shade since she was sixteen years old, and all the years of harsh chemicals had begun to take their toll. Her hairdresser – one of the very best in the city – had cautioned that her hair was thinning dramatically and to keep it any longer than its current length would draw attention to that fact. She’d nixed the idea of extensions, knowing that Nathan disliked artifice and had made non-complimentary comments about a couple of her friends who’d had them done.
Cameron strode confidently into the reception area of Nathan’s office, not even bothering to glance over at the little receptionist. As the owner’s fiancée, she felt very at ease walking anywhere in the office, and certainly didn’t need support staff to announce her presence.
She went directly to Nathan’s office, pausing briefly to give Robyn a perfunctory smile. “Hi, Robyn. I assume he’s in? I’ve got something to drop off.”
The older woman gave her a polite smile in return. She was always professional, always pleasant, but Cameron sensed that Robyn didn’t really like her for some reason. A fact that didn’t bother Cameron in the least, because she also considered Robyn to be support staff and not worthy of her attention.
“Actually, he’s in the small conference room right now,” corrected Robyn. “You can leave whatever it is with me if you’d like.”
Cameron waved a hand in dismissal. “No need. I’ll just pop my head in. Is he with clients?”
Robyn shook her head. “No, he’s meeting with Jake and Julia about a project. I’m sure he won’t mind if you stop in for a minute.”
Cameron’s spine stiffened at Robyn’s implied suggestion to keep her visit brief. “Well, of course, he won’t mind. What man wouldn’t want to see his fiancée whenever possible?”
Nathan’s assistant gave her a tight little smile as she returned her attention to whatever mundane task she’d been working on. Cameron frowned as she walked down the hall to the conference room, not really liking the somewhat superior air Robyn tended to adopt at times. She really didn’t understand why Nathan thought Robyn was such a terrific PA, since the older woman seemed just a bit too confident and arrogant given her position in the firm.
The door to the small conference room was closed, but the blinds on the large window facing out to the office floor were raised so that Cameron had a clear view into the room. Nathan and Jake – who Cameron thought was terribly cute with his flirting and continual flow of compliments – were seated at the table with their backs to her and evidently studying some sketches that had been propped up on display stands around the room. Standing next to one of the stands was a young woman that Cameron assumed was the Julia that Robyn had mentioned. Then Julia turned to face the two men so Cameron could get a good look at her.
Cameron froze in her tracks, unease bubbling up inside of her at a rapid boil. The young woman inside the conference room was – unfortunately – undeniably beautiful. With an inexplicable anger that simmered beneath the surface, Cameron swiftly took in the girl’s long, nearly waist length hair of a light brown shade, the stunning perfection of her face, and her curvy body. She wore a fitted sheath dress of navy lace that had little flutter sleeves. There was no way – with her own slim, straight frame – that Cameron could ever wear something so form-fitting.
The younger woman was wearing killer shoes, too – nude peep-toe platform pumps – Louboutins by the signature red soles. Cameron’s stylist had advised her away from stilettos, cautioning that they drew attention to her thin legs and skinny calves. Plus, a four-inch heel would have made her slightly taller than Nathan, which didn’t bother him but bugged her.
It shouldn’t have bothered her that this young, very attractive woman was working in her fiancé’s office, for Cameron was extremely confident about her own good looks. But then she caught the way Nathan – her Nathan – was gazing discreetly at the other woman’s rounded ass and lush breasts and rage consumed her. Without further ado, she barged into the conference room without as much as a knock.
Three pair of eyes turned her way immediately, but Cameron was only focused on Nathan. He stood abruptly, a surprised look on his face. Quite intentionally, she walked over and placed a welcoming, open-mouthed kiss on his lips.
She smiled at him, her hand caressing his cheek. “Hey, babe. Why so surprised to see me? I told you I was going to drop that ticket off.”
Nathan was unsmiling as he gently removed her hand, giving it a little squeeze. “You did, but I thought you were going to call first. Or leave the ticket with Robyn when you knew I was in a meeting.”
“Oops, sorry!” she giggled. “You know how impulsive I am, babe, always spur of the moment with me. I was right in the area so I just popped in. Sooo sorry if I interrupted.” She gave Jake a little wave. “Hey, sweetie. Nice to see you again.”
Jake grinned and walked over to give her a quick peck on the cheek. “You, too, gorgeous. You’re looking spectacular as always.”
Even though she knew Jake was something of a manwhore, and flirted with almost every good looking woman he met, his compliment was still flattering and she smiled at him warmly. “You big flirt,” she scolded. “And in front of my fiancé, too.”
Jake winked at her. “Some men have all the luck, you know. Like the boss man here.”
Cameron finally, reluctantly, turned her attention to the woman – Julia – and offered up a faint smile. “Hello. I don’t believe we’ve met before.”
Julia returned the smile, gazing at her politely with big green eyes, and extending her hand. “No, we haven’t. I’m Julia McKinnon, one of the interior designers here. It’s a pleasure to meet you.
The younger woman’s voice was soft and melodious, and Cameron took an instant and fervent dislike to her. For some peculiar, unknown reason, she felt threatened by this woman, and her hackles rose up defensively. “Cameron Tolliver, Nate’s fiancée. But I’m sure you’ve already figured that out.” She gave Julia’s small hand the barest of shakes before abruptly turning her attention back to Nathan. “Are you finished here, babe? I was hoping to talk to you for a few minutes.”
Nathan hesitated, glancing uncertainly at his two employees. “I suppose we’re just about done. Jake – Julia – anything else to add?”
Jake shook his head. “I’m good. I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone. Good to see you, Cameron.”
Julia paused, watching Jake leave the room before turning to Nathan. “Um, we still had the design for the wine bar to review, but I can just leave that one here for you to look at. Just let me gather up my things and I’ll be on my way.”
Cameron tried to ignore how gracefully the other woman moved about the room picking up her sketches, especially in those towering heels. Even with the sky-high Louboutins, Julia was still a few inches shorter than she was, making her feel like a clumsy giant. It was not a pleasant feeling, and Cameron glowered at Julia as if to hurry her along.
Before Julia could exit – her arms filled with design boards – Nathan called her back. “Wait. Can you leave the one of the deluxe suite as well? I wanted to look at that one again.”
“Of course.” Julia quickly located it and placed it back on its stand. She gave Cameron a brief smile. “It was nice to meet you, Cameron. I’m sure we’ll see each other again soon.”
Cameron had never felt less like smiling but forced herself to reciprocate. “Yes, I’m sure we will.”
Nathan was frowning at her once Julia left. “Don’t you think you were a little bit rude just now?”
She shrugged. “Not particularly. What did you expect – that I was going to gush about her dress and invite her out for lunch?”
“No,” replied Nathan sternly, “but I think you could have been a bit more pleasant.”
Cameron made a gesture of dismissal. “Whatever. Look, both of us are busy so let me give you the ticket. I just remembered I’ve got a client due in within the hour.”
Nathan took the ticket she handed him. “How come you never remember appointments? You’ve got two assistants and a Blackberry.”
She laughed. “You know I’m a scatterbrain, babe. It’s one of the things you love about me. Just too many things going on between work and the wedding.” She reached up to press a brief kiss on his mouth. “I’ll see you at the ballet later. Don’t be late. And text me when you’re leaving the office, okay?”
“Sure, no problem. Didn’t you have something to talk to me about? That is why you interrupted my meeting, wasn’t it?” he asked pointedly.
“No, just dropping the ticket off,” she replied breezily. “Nothing else that can’t wait until tonight.”
Nathan sighed, “I really wish you had just left the ticket with Robyn, then. Jake and Julia and I actually did have more to discuss.”
Cameron huffed. “Well, excuse me. I thought you’d welcome the interruption to see your fiancée. But I guess you were too busy staring at Miss Tits and Ass, weren’t you?”
He gaped at her. “What are you talking about? I was not staring at Julia. You’re being ridiculous.”
“Am I?” she challenged. “You’re not going to try and bullshit me by denying that she’s pretty, are you?”
He shook his head, running a hand through his hair. “Jesus, Cameron. Let’s not do this now, okay?”
She gave a short, humorless laugh. “No, I think this is exactly when we should do this. Are you trying to say you haven’t noticed your little designer is attractive?”
“Of course I’ve noticed,” he replied impatiently. “Julia’s a very pretty girl. She’s also my employee. Only my employee. You’re my fiancée, Cameron. Now if you’ve finished with whatever you’re accusing me of, I do have other work to do, including looking at these designs.”
“Fine. We’ll pretend that you weren’t staring at her ass in that tight dress. Does she dress like that every day?” she asked cattily.
Nathan made an impatient sound. “Do I look like a fashion consultant? How am I supposed to know? I don’t even see her most days. So stop acting like a jealous shrew.”
“Jealous!” Cameron spat. “Of that? Why in the world would I be jealous?”
“Exactly,” he replied calmly. “Why would you? You have zero reason to be jealous of anyone. Now, come on, you don’t want to be late for your meeting.”
He gave her a brief kiss and began escorting her out of the room until she stopped to glance over the two design boards that Julia had left behind. Cameron wrinkled her nose in distaste.
“I don’t like these at all,” she declared. “And I’m sure Ian won’t, either. Your little designer’s going to be doing some major re-working here.”
Nathan looked annoyed at her admittedly petty comments. “For the record, she’s not my designer, she works for Travis. And second, Ian happens to love these designs. Julia only made some very minor modifications to them, this will likely be the final product.”
Cameron shrugged. “Well, I wouldn’t want her designing anything for me based on these. Just not my taste, I suppose.”
But the air of carelessness she assumed blew away like smoke in the wind as she left Nathan’s office. The feeling of being on top of the world that she’d had when entering the building a short time ago had faded rapidly, and she was now in a vile, vicious mood. She resisted the urge to kick something, to shove a passerby into the side of a building, to scream at the top of her lungs.
Cameron couldn’t put her finger on it, but there was something – some niggling little feeling that all was not as it should be – and it had to do with Julia McKinnon. Cameron considered herself a very confident, poised woman but five minutes in the presence of the younger woman had rattled her badly.
‘Just how young is she?’ thought Cameron wildly. Julia’s flawless complexion still bore that dewy youthfulness that Cameron could no longer achieve, even with frequent facials, microdermabrasions, Restalyne injections, and expensive skin care products. And Julia had those incredible cheekbones that no amount of cosmetics could fake. Cameron had resorted to having cheekbone implants done almost ten years ago, but she was reluctantly aware they didn’t look all that natural.
And of course the little bitch would just have to have all that long, thick hair when Cameron was having to contend with her own thinning locks. She did much prefer her own pale blonde shade to whatever color one could call Julia’s hair. It was a well known fact that men always preferred blondes.
Cameron continued to fume during the cab ride back to her gallery as she recalled – reluctantly – how the form fitting navy lace dress had clung to Julia’s shapely hips and ass. She thought snidely that the girl’s big tits had to be fake. There was no way they could be that perfect and still be natural. One of Cameron’s great disappointments was that own boobs were so small. She always wore padded push-up bras to give the illusion of cleavage but there was no way to disguise the fact that she was flat-chested when her clothes came off. She had first considered getting implants when she was barely in her twenties, but her mother had gotten wind of the idea and had been horrified that she would even consider doing something so crude and trashy. And when she’d mentioned the idea to Nathan in recent times he had made his distaste for anything fake well known. Conversely, Cameron was well aware that Nathan – like most men – loved big boobs, based on comments he’d made to his friends when he didn’t think she was listening.
It was little wonder, then, that all of her old insecurities came rushing to the surface at the thought of this young, beautiful and tempting girl working in such close proximity to Nathan. Cameron had worked very hard to look like she did, having procedures done that most people didn’t know about, especially not Nathan. Her appearance now was a source of pride for her, and she knew she’d never looked better. But it had only taken a very short while in the presence of that little bitch to feel like the awkward, unattractive girl she’d once been and had vowed never to be again. Cameron did not like revisiting those feelings and swore that little Julia would never be allowed to make her feel that way again.
Julia was struggling to hold it together as she walked back to her office after being hustled out of the conference room. It was very obvious that Nathan’s fiancée was a supremely confident woman used to getting her way in all things. Even if it meant putting a premature end to what had actually been a pretty important meeting. But what enraged Julia even more than Cameron’s lofty attitude was the fact that Nathan had allowed her to get away with it.
‘He was probably afraid I’d start tattling on him,’ she thought angrily. ‘and wanted to hustle me out of there before I could say anything.’ It hurt that he could think so little of her, especially when she’d vowed not to betray him.
Unless, of course, he was afraid that he’d be the one to give something away. But no, Julia dismissed that rather wild idea quickly. Nathan had given her zero indication over the past couple of months that he ever gave her a second thought, and treated her more distantly than ever.
As she put away the design boards in their designated files, she thought absently that Cameron Tolliver wasn’t what she’d expected. For one thing, Nathan’s fiancée was several years older than expected, mid-thirties instead of the late twenties Julia would have assumed. And she was much taller and slimmer than Julia would have guessed, her hair a lot shorter, too. But there was no denying that Cameron was a very lovely woman who certainly knew how to dress. Julia recognized the cut of her pants and jacket as Armani, had noticed her dramatic makeup, perfect manicure and expensive jewelry.
Of all days, thought Julia glumly, not to be wearing one of the many designer dresses or skirts in her wardrobe. Not all of her clothes were courtesy of Aunt Madelyn. Her aunt, in fact, had taught her years ago to mix high end pieces like the Louboutin pumps with less expensive items, such as the pretty navy lace dress she’d bought online from a women’s apparel website for less than seventy dollars.
“It’s all about accessorizing, darling,” was one of Aunt Maddy’s favorite sayings. “That and having the figure to look good in anything, which you and your sister were fortunately blessed with.”
Being both petite and busty, however, didn’t always make it easy for things to fit properly, and Julia was extremely grateful that she’d learned how to sew when she was still a girl. Her Grandmere Vivienne had been a seamstress, a very talented one at that, and she’d taught Julia and Lauren how to do hems and seams. Well, she’d at least taught Julia since Lauren had been more interested in her camera or sports or getting into trouble to bother learning the finer parts of operating a sewing machine.
Julia gave a little shrug, not really sure why she gave a damn about how she looked today. She certainly didn’t care about impressing Nathan’s fiancée, and Nathan himself seemed completely oblivious to whatever she wore. Julia wondered peevishly if he’d even notice if she strutted through the office wearing just her underwear and high heels. Not that it should matter any longer, she thought with a sigh. It was very obvious that he only thought of her as an employee, and that Cameron was the woman in his life. She needed to stop being such a silly, sentimental goose, forget all about that night in New York, and find someone new.
The thought of trolling singles bars or clubs made her feel queasy, though, so there was no way she was going to find a guy that way. Maybe she’d call Sam and ask if he had a friend he could fix her up with. Even though he lived in Arizona now, he was sure to know a lot of guys in the NFL. There were also a couple of guys in her yoga classes who seemed nice enough, though the one with the long hair and tattoos was more Lauren’s type than hers. Maybe all she really needed was a few dates with a hot guy to get Nathan out of her system and clear her head. She made a mental note to give Sam a call tonight. Even though he was currently dating some Australian supermodel, they were still friendly and kept in regular touch.
“Why so serious, hunny bunny?” teased a familiar voice.
Julia glanced up and smiled at her boss as he hovered in the doorway. “Just thinking about the best way to snag a new boyfriend.”
Travis looked very interested in this topic and took a seat in front of her desk. “Ooh, men, my favorite topic. And sweetie pie – I wouldn’t think you’d have to worry about that ever. It’s like buying shoes at DSW – just find something you like among thousands of pairs on the shelves and take them.”
She laughed, grateful for his perpetual cheeriness. “Not quite that simple. I’m picky, after all. I mean, I’m not desperate enough to go out with Jake, for example.”
He shuddered. “Thank God. You can do sooo much better than that idiot, sweetie. I’m sure we can find a nice guy for you. In fact, I might have someone in mind.”
Julia regarded him warily. “No offense, but I only date straight guys. Bi-sexuals are off the table, too.”
Travis looked offended. “Not all of my friends are gay, you know. I mean, Nate’s one of my closest friends and he’s the straightest guy I know.”
At the mention of Nathan’s name, Julia instantly tensed up. “That’s true. Look, let’s table this discussion for now, okay? I’m not sure I ought to be talking to my boss about looking for a new boyfriend.”
He grinned. “Oh, but it’s such a fun topic. However, I’ll put it on the back burner, sweetie. Speaking of Nate, did he like the re-designs?”
She nodded. “Just fine, I think. Except we got interrupted before he could look at a couple of them. His, um, fiancée showed up.”
Travis grimaced. “Ah, so you’ve met the she-devil, have you? I don’t see any claw marks on you so I trust everything went well?”
Julia gave a small shrug. “She wasn’t brimming over with friendliness, if that’s what you mean. She was rather distant actually.”
He hooted. “You’re being polite, hunny bunny. Cameron Tolliver is a raging bitch, and I’m guessing she wasn’t happy at all to meet you. Or realize how closely you work with Nate. When the she-devil feels threatened, her hackles really rise up.”
“Oh, please. I have no idea why she’d be threatened by me. She’s a beautiful woman. And she’s the one wearing his engagement ring, not me. I just work with him, that’s all.”
“Hmm, that doesn’t mean Nate isn’t checking out all of your – er – assets as often as possible. Being engaged doesn’t automatically turn off a guy’s radar, you know. And I’ve always said that he was making a huge mistake in marrying Cameron.”
Julia’s curiosity was not piqued. “Why do you say that?”
Travis grinned. “Interested, are we? Well, that’s a discussion that might take awhile. Maybe like this weekend. Anton and I should take you to dinner.”
Anton was Travis’ partner, whom Julia had met a couple of times already. He was a slight, dark-haired, half-Asian man who worked as a personal shopper at Neiman Marcus, and absolutely adored Julia. They had talked fashion for hours the last time they had met.
“Actually, I owe you guys a dinner,” admitted Julia. “Why don’t you come over Saturday night and I’ll cook for you? And by cook, I mean preparing the meal from scratch, not ordering takeout.”
“So you’re gorgeous, artistic, fashionable and you cook? Hmm, maybe being gay isn’t what it’s cracked up to me. I might give Anton the boot and date you myself,” he teased.
She giggled, her good mood restored with his rather outrageous humor. “Oh, but you’d break poor Anton’s heart. And lose that great discount he gets you at Neiman Marcus.”
Travis looked horrified.”Oh, God, I can’t lose that discount, can I? Guess I’ll have to hold onto the boy. But seriously, sweetie, dinner at your place sounds awesome. We’ll bring the wine. Around seven sound good?”
She nodded. “Perfect. And I’ll see if I can pry Angela out of her hidey-hole. I swear that girl is in training to become a nun. If I ever meet that guy who screwed her up this bad I’d – um – unleash Lauren on him!”
“Ah, Kung-Fu Twin. I still have to meet her, you know, see if all those stories can possibly be true.”
Julia smiled. “Oh, they’re all true. And I’ve only scratched the surface, told you some of the tamer stories. My sister has packed a lot of living into twenty-five years. Hopefully she’ll visit soon. I saw her last month when I went to Carmel for President’s Day weekend but she’s on the road again now. Somewhere in Central America, I think.”
“Well, got to get back to work, sweet pea. But dinner on Saturday sounds fabulous. We’ll have a loong talk about the she-devil.”
She shrugged. “That’s not necessary. I mean, I don’t really think we should be gossiping about her.”
Travis rolled his eyes. “Of course we should. I assure you I’ve never met anybody who deserves to be dissed more than that witch. And I have some real dirt on her, things that even Nate doesn’t know.”He grinned at the sudden interest on Julia’s face. “Ah, now I’ve got your attention. Trust me, its good stuff.”
As it turned out, Angela did not come for dinner on Saturday but it wasn’t because she chose to closet herself away again. It was one of her niece’s birthdays, and she felt obliged to drive down to Carmel for the weekend to attend the party. Julia knew that Angela disliked going home and only did so when absolutely necessary. Mrs. DelCarlo – Angela’s mother – was quite a piece of work, and if she were Julia’s mother she knew she’d spend as little time as possible with her.
Julia’s flat was small but charming, with its original hardwood floors, bay windows, and high ceilings. The main room was a shared living/dining space, with her antique oak dining table and matching chairs arranged on the end closer to the kitchen. She had set it with bright, beautiful Provence-style linens in yellows and blues. A vase of spring flowers sat in the middle of the table. She’d chosen the hand-painted ceramic dishes she’d bought a few years ago at a crafts fair in SoHo, and accented the setting with cobalt blue glasses from Cost Plus. The country French table décor would go nicely with the rustic French meal she’d prepared – ratatouille with eggplant she’d bought fresh at the Ferry Building Farmers Market just this morning; a divine smelling cassoulet with chunks of chicken and tiny white beans; a loaf of crusty artisan bread and a platter of assorted olives, peppers, and other antipasti. For dessert she’d baked one of her famed tortes – this one with beautifully fresh Anjou pears.
To Julia, cooking was yet another form of artistry, and she took as much pride in it as she did her design work or drawings. She loved to entertain, though she preferred small, intimate groups to a large crowd. It was a holdover from her childhood and youth, for her parents had frequently hosted the same sort of small, casual gatherings at their home. They had a lot of friends, most of whom were artists, musicians or writers, and a party at the McKInnon home had never been boring. In addition to being one of the greatest artists of her generation, Natalie Benoit was also an incredible cook and hostess and had instilled a love of cooking into at least one of her daughters, passing on many of the recipes she’d learned from her own mother.
Julia had dressed casually – for her, anyway – in a long-sleeved V-necked black top and a cute A-line skirt in a black and white stripe with a wide black belt to cinch in her waist. What passed for flats for her – little black sling backs with a kitten heel – completed the relatively inexpensive outfit she’d pieced together.
Travis and Anton arrived promptly at seven, with not one but two bottles of wine plus a box of decadent chocolate truffles. After exchanging hugs, Julia gave them the brief tour of her flat.
Travis nodded in appreciation of how she’d decorated the small living/dining space. “I knew there was a reason I hired you,” he teased. “You’ve made a small space look almost twice its size. And I love all the little touches of color here and there. I should have known your own personal space would be something special.”
Anton was admiring the exquisite seascape that graced the wall over the small brick fireplace. It was one of Julia’s mother’s finest pieces and one of Julia’s most cherished possessions, not just for its considerable monetary value but for the sentimental one as well.
But for both men the real attraction in the flat was Julia’s clothes closet. Though the bedroom itself was on the small side, it did boast a sizeable walk-in closet that she had taken great care to arrange her extensive wardrobe in.
Anton pressed a hand to his chest as he gazed at the contents of the closet, an enraptured look on his pale, bespectacled face. “Oh, honey, I think I’ve died and gone to fashion heaven! And I’m really, really thinking how unfair it was that I wasn’t born female.”
Travis gave him a mocking little frown. “Hey, watch it. I’m not into girls, or even cross-dressers.”
Anton patted his lover’s arm. “Never fear, dear. I was just having clothes envy here. Sweet pea,” he said to Julia, “you have an amazing set-up here. Color coordinated, all your shoes and bags in perfect little rows, so neat and organized. No wonder you always look so smokin’ hot.”
Julia and Travis shared a look, and he shook his head. “Oh, God, maybe we should have shown him this after dinner. Now you’ll never get him out of your closet.”
They laughed at his little joke, but Anton only groaned in mock horror. “Dear boy, you know I’ve been out of the closet since I was thirteen. Maybe even younger.”
Julia watched in amusement for a couple more minutes as Anton crooned over her racks of dresses, coats, shoes, and other apparel. He gasped over the Diane von Furstenberg boat necked navy dress, cooed when he pulled out the Gucci wrap-front dress in taupe, ran his finger lovingly over the Giuseppe Zanotti poppy red patent leather pumps, looked longingly at the Versace black leather tote.
Anton grinned at her. “This would be more fun than dressing a Barbie doll. But you don’t need my help, sweetie. You should have been a fashion consultant or designer instead of playing with furniture.”
She chuckled. “Yes, but this way I get to do both. Come on, let’s break open that bottle of French burgundy you brought. How did you guys know I was cooking French food?”
The three of them had nearly polished off a whole bottle of the fine French wine even before dinner was served. Fortunately, Julia had set out a plate of cheeses and pates along with a thinly sliced baguette so they weren’t drinking on an empty stomach. A very fleeting memory of sitting in the Champagne Bar at the Plaza Hotel with Nathan sipping champagne and nibbling on fruit and cheese came to her before she firmly willed it to the archives of her brain.
Travis and Anton were very amusing company, and they lavished praise on her dinner, eating heartily as the second bottle of wine began to disappear. They insisted on helping her clear up the dishes – fortunately her small, old fashioned kitchen did have a dishwasher – and begged her to hold off on dessert for awhile until they could make room in their very full stomachs.
The men sunk into her comfy sofa upholstered in a butter yellow fabric patterned with tiny blue flowers, while Julia curled up in her favorite chair – a big, overstuffed armchair that had been her grandmother’s. She’d begged for it when her grandparents had passed away, having many happy childhood memories of her and Lauren cuddling with either Grandpere or Grandmere and having stories read to them in French. She’d had the chair recovered in a vivid emerald green, which was one of the pops of color Travis had mentioned.
Travis’ eyes twinkled with mischief. “So now that we’re all comfy and pleasantly tipsy, I promised Julia that we’d share all the juicy gossip we know about the future Mrs. Nathan Atwood.”
Anton whooped. “Oh, me first, me first! After all, I was the one who kept pouring Cosmos down the throat of Cameron’s friend at the engagement party. What did it take for her to spill the beans – four or five drinks?”
“I think it was three and a half, actually, “said Travis dryly. “Girl could not hold her liquor too well. By Cosmo number five, she wasn’t holding anything back.”
Julia took a small sip of her wine, feeling oddly not in the mood for this discussion. “I didn’t realize they had an engagement party. Not many people have those nowadays, When was this?”
“Back in October sometime - mid-month, I think. And Cameron’s parents are very old-school, old money kind of people,” explained Travis. “Daddy is the CEO of some big company here, Mommy is from filthy rich money, so they only want the best for their little girls. So of course they threw Cameron and Nate this huge bash, held it at the Gregson Hotel on Nob Hill. Very lavish affair.”
Anton nodded in agreement. “You would have thought it was the actual wedding. No expense spared, and at least three hundred people. And I swear Travis and I were the only non-heteros in the place.”
“Well, that shouldn’t have been a surprise, considering Graham Tolliver has given hundreds of thousands of dollars to the campaigns to defeat gay marriage,” sniffed Travis. “He’s a homophobic, ultraconservative, NRA ass kissing prick. And his evil she-devil of a daughter is just like him. Cameron hates the two of us.”
Julia frowned. “Why does Nathan tolerate that? I mean, besides being business partners I was under the impression that the two of you were close friends.”
“We are, hunny bunny. But that doesn’t mean Cameron has to like me. Oh, she’s very polite in front of Nate, always careful not to make a scene or show her cards. But Anton and I aren’t blind. We see the way she looks at us, and we’ve both overheard her making homophobic slurs. It’s pretty obvious that she hates our guts, and she’s found every excuse in the book not to socialize with us. Every party or event we’ve invited her and Nate to they’ve either declined or he’s attended solo.”
“Hmm. So is this the so-called dirt you told me you had on her?” inquired Julia.
Both men laughed riotously. “Oh, God, not even close,” guffawed Anton. “That’s like the least of it, sweetie. Who cares if some stuck-up bitch doesn’t like us? We’ve got plenty of friends who do.”
Travis pulled his phone out and started scanning for something. “Here, I think the best way to tell you is just to show you.”
Anton peeked over at the phone. “Ooh, are you trying to find the Facebook photos? Awesome!”
“Found them. Here, let Julia have a look. Now, as you flip through them, let me narrate so you know what you’re looking at. And for a little background, Anton and I met one of Cameron’s oldest and surprisingly dearest friends at the engagement party. A dear if not drunk lady by the name of Stephanie – what’s her last name, Anton?”
“Norris,” supplied Anton helpfully. “They’ve been friends since the third grade, though if Cameron knew everything that Stephanie told us that would be the end of it.”
Julia reluctantly took Travis’s phone and gazed at the photo on the screen. It was a bit grainy, looking almost twenty years old, and was of a skinny, brown-haired girl who wasn’t especially attractive. She wore an ill-fitting dress of pale pink that did nothing to flatter either her nonexistent figure or her pale coloring. The girl had a rather large nose, sunken cheekbones, and a somewhat pointy chin.
She shook her head. “I don’t get it. Am I supposed to know who this is?”
Travis smiled triumphantly. “That, sweetie pie, is the she-devil herself – Miss Cameron Tolliver – at her sweet sixteen birthday party. What a doll, huh?”
Julia stared at the photo harder, trying to find any trace of the polished, attractive woman she’d met two days ago. “No way is this Cameron. She looks completely different.”
Travis perched on the arm of her chair and took the phone from her. “Ah, but this is just the start of our little photo tour. You’ll start to see the progression of the changes as we go along.”
She watched closely as Travis flipped from one photo to the next, explaining as he went along. “Okay, here’s a year later. Cam’s obviously had a hell of a nose job because it’s about half the size it was. “
He flipped to the next photo, where Cameron was now a blonde. Subsequent photos showed the changes after a chin job, cheekbone implants, collagen injections to her lips, and a much improved fashion sense and makeup application. If Julia hadn’t seen the transformation occur over the approximately seven year time frame in the photos she would never have believed it.
“Wow, she’s really a different person now, isn’t she?” she commented.
Anton smirked. “Except she should have kept going and bought herself some tits and ass. Hey, I know dudes with bigger boobs than hers. And my perky little butt fills out a pair of jeans better than her flat old booty.”
Julia almost choked on a sip of wine at Anton’s outrageous comments. Travis patted her on the back until she was able to grin at Anton with watery eyes.
“You are so bad,” she admonished. “Both of you. Now, how did you come to acquire these photos? I’m just assuming Cameron didn’t give them to you.”
“Well, of course not,” replied Travis. “I’m sure she’d be furious and mortified to realize anyone has seen them. Dear friend Stephanie was kind enough to share them with us at the boozy engagement party. She has them posted on her Facebook page with about five thousand others. And of course Anton and I are now good buddies with her on Facebook.”
She shook her head. “How is Cameron not aware these are posted on a social networking site? I can’t imagine she’d be very happy about them.”
“Well, duh, of course not. As for why she hasn’t noticed them – did I mention there were five thousand or so photos? One would need to know where to look. And Stephanie was only too happy to point us to the right folder. Apparently there’s some animosity there between the girlhood friends.”
“I told you what that was about,” scolded Anton. “You never listen. Stephanie is still pissed off at Cameron because she slept with some guy that Stephanie really liked. And apparently that wasn’t the first time that happened. All this before she met Nathan, of course. She isn’t stupid enough to risk losing him by cheating now.”
Travis grinned, thoroughly enjoying this gossipy hen fest. “And we’re not even telling her the really juicy parts. Nate is not Cameron’s first fiancé apparently. She’s been engaged two times before. Guess she’s really hoping that old three times a charm adage will come true for her.”
Julia couldn’t contain her surprise. “Two other times? What happened? Is she divorced or something?”
Anton shook his head. “Never made it to the altar. According to Stephanie, the first time Cameron was engaged she was about twenty-eight. All the wedding plans made, everything ready to go. Then – boom! Less than two months before the big day her fiancé gets arrested for big time embezzlement and hauled off to jail. Apparently he’s still serving time.”
“That’s terrible. She must have been wrecked over it,” sympathized Julia.
Travis chuckled. “Didn’t take her too long to get over it apparently. Within a year she had another guy on the hook. They got engaged around the time she turned thirty. But this one didn’t take, either. No particular reason that Stephanie was aware of, dude just got cold feet and broke things off.”
“So by the time she met Nathan a couple of years ago she must have been getting awfully desperate,” piped up Anton. “Over thirty years old, seeing all of her friends get married, including her younger sister who’s already got one kid and another on the way. Cameron’s biological clock must be ticking awfully loud.”
“Biological clock?” mocked Travis. “Sorry, but no way can I ever imagine that bitch being a mother. She might have Nate fooled but Anton and I see right through her.”
Anton grinned at his partner. “But you have a gift, sweetie. Have you told Julia about it?”
Travis grinned. “Anton thinks I’m sort of psychic. At first I thought he meant psycho, and of course I am a little bit crazy, most of us artistic types are. But, no, he’s positive that I can see things other people can’t, predict stuff even.”
Julia smiled. “And what do you think?”
He shrugged. “I must say I’m awfully good at Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune. And I’ve been pretty lucky with predicting who’s going to win American Idol or which desperate chick the Bachelor is going to choose. But I think the only real gift I have is in reading people. I’ve just got this knack for seeing past the pretenses people put up to who they really are.”
“That’s a pretty cool gift,” she agreed. “You do seem very perceptive. And you think that Cameron isn’t who she really appears to be?”
Travis frowned. “I don’t think that. I know it for a fact. There’s other stuff – more personal stuff that Stephanie told us. If Nate knew -“
Julia blinked. “How drunk did you get this girl anyway?”
Anton gave a little giggle. “A couple more Cosmos and she would have either passed out or tried to give me a blow job.” He wrinkled his nose in distaste at the latter thought. “But she was pretty plastered and not holding anything back. For example, Cameron’s gotten knocked up twice and had two a-“
She held up a hand. “Okay, let’s stop here. Travis is right, this is starting to get into things we really shouldn’t be discussing. I’m guessing Nathan may or may not know this stuff, and either way he wouldn’t appreciate us talking about it. I’m going to make coffee now and set out dessert.”
They lingered over French-pressed coffee and the pear tart, which turned out better than ever, for another couple of hours. Not another mention was made of Cameron, Nathan, or even the office. Except towards the very end of the evening, when Travis and Anton were about to leave.
“Don’t forget that next Thursday we have the dinner to attend at Taverna Francesca,” reminded Travis.
The restaurant had recently been extensively remodeled, and Atwood Headley had done all of the structural and design changes. Next Thursday was a special re-opening dinner, and since the restaurant owners were well-known locals who had several establishments in the Bay Area, quite a few dignitaries and celebrities were expected to attend. Julia really hadn’t been involved with the design since it had all taken place prior to her arrival in San Francisco, but the owners had already expressed interest in having some of their other restaurants re-designed. Not to mention the handful of brand-new places they were considering opening. Travis wanted Julia to meet the owners and their development team.
She nodded. “I’m looking forward to it. The place looks pretty formal from the pictures I’ve seen, so I assume the dress code will be, too?”
“Oh sugar. I know exactly what you should wear,” exclaimed Anton. “The red Donna Karan. Exquisite. It will be perfect, trust me. And those sexy red Valentino shoes with the bow.”
Julia knew the dress he was talking about and smiled in agreement. She’d loved the dress since unpacking it from Aunt Maddy’s latest shipment, and had been looking for an occasion to wear it.
“Who else is supposed to attend from the office?” she asked, fearing she already knew the answer.
Travis grimaced. “Well, Nate will be there of course since he did the structural design. And unfortunately that means he’ll have to bring Cameron with him. The associate architect on the project will be there as well. I think it was Eric Chiang, so probably him and his wife. Along with the three of us here that should be everyone.”
Anton patted her on the shoulder. “Why don’t you bring a date? Just call one of the hundreds of names in your little black book.”
She laughed. “No little black book and definitely not hundreds of names. In fact, sad as it sounds, I can’t think of anyone to ask.”
“Girl, that’s just wrong,” clucked Anton. “You should be out with a different hot guy every night. Travis and I are going to get you out clubbing where you can meet some new blood.”
“Hmm. Would I be wrong to assume that those clubs you go to are gay bars?” she asked wryly.
“Oh. Right.” Anton looked chagrined. “Well, I’m sure I can find someone. Maybe one of my clients at Neiman Marcus. One of my straight clients.”
She chuckled. “It’s okay. I really don’t want to take someone I’ve just met to a business dinner. I doubt he’d have a very good time. And I’m fine going by myself. How about the two of you be my escorts for the evening?”
Travis gave her a good night hug. “That sounds wonderful. Anton and I will make sure to fend off any attacks from the she-devil. If you wear the Donna Karan she’s going to be so jealous she’ll start chewing her fake fingernails off.”
Anton, too, gave her a hug. “Dinner was spectacular, sweetie Thank you for such a great evening. And I’m looking forward to that yoga class tomorrow. I hope your teacher doesn’t kick my ass too badly. “
Julia gave him an answering grin. “She probably will. Sasha is an amazing teacher, easily the toughest I’ve ever had. You’re going to love her class even if you might be crying at the end of it.”
Though she was still devoted to her 6:00am weekday Ashtanga yoga class, she liked to sleep in on weekends, and had heard about a super tough Vinyasa class on Sundays that she had recently started attending. With the help of several glasses of wine, she’d managed to convince Anton to try the class out tomorrow morning. Travis, who claimed to be the least flexible person in San Francisco, had tactfully declined to join them.
During the short taxi ride from Julia’s flat to their home in Cole Valley, Travis and Anton were both gleeful as they plotted their strategy for the dinner on Thursday.
“We’re going to push so many of Cameron’s buttons that her elevator will have to stop at every floor,” joked Travis.
Anton rubbed his hands together in anticipation. “Payback’s a bitch, isn’t it? And it couldn’t happen to a bigger bitch, in my opinion.”
“And maybe if we push her hard enough – subtly, of course, can’t be too obvious – Nate will see what she’s really like underneath all that phony sweetness. Cameron’s not the right woman for him, and she’s nowhere near good enough for a guy like him.”
Anton sighed, resting his head on Travis’ shoulder. “He’d look awfully good with Julia, don’t you think? Both of them are so gorgeous. Can you even imagine the babies those two could have together?”
Travis looked at his partner oddly. “Strange that you should bring that up. From the first time those two met in my office, I could swear sparks flew. But it was more than that, almost as if they already knew each other. Oh, both of them denied it like crazy but I know chemistry when I see it.”
Anton patted him on the arm. “Well, you are the best at reading people, dear. I still swear you’re psychic. So if you think there’s something between those two then it’s probably true. Ooh, how romantic! Forbidden, tragic love. He really wants her but he’s promised to someone else, while she’s hopelessly in love knowing he can never be hers. My heart aches for both of them.”
Travis shook his head. “Stop reading those crappy romance novels, okay? I mean, it’s obvious you’re gay, you don’t have to turn into a pussy to boot. And I never said they were in love with each other, though it’s fairly obvious Nate thinks she’s hot.”
Anton rolled his eyes. “I think she’s hot. I’m guessing if you and I got drunk enough, we could probably even get it up for her. Nathan probably gets a hard-on for her when he’s stone cold sober. I can just imagine his reaction when he sees her in that red dress.”