Chapter Eleven: Claire
Claire was more annoyed than usual because she wished Violet was here with her now more than ever. But of course, Violet couldn’t come. No one likes to see a pregnant woman in a bar. Plus, she could barely walk. She could give birth any day now. So, she was alone with Monica, and Katherine was at Violet’s side, providing a familiar face along with knowledge of the dragon community.
“I still can't believe you called me,” Monica said, sipping from the tiny straw in her drink.
“Why? You’re my girl, too,” Claire said, eyes scanning the crowd. She couldn’t forget how Frank had snuck up on Violet when they were still toeing the line of attraction, and he overheard her say how she really felt. Claire wasn’t about to let that happen to her.
Monica shrugged, unworried. “I don’t know. I just feel like you’re closer with Kat and Vi. I mean, I know we're friends, but we’ve never hung out together without one of them.”
Claire thought about it and realized she was right. There was always a barrier friend, which was sad. Monica was nice, and she was always a pleasant addition to the group.
“You know, I never thought about it,” she said, but she did now and realized it was because Monica was so nice. Too nice, in fact, and Claire feared her personality might cut too deep for Monica. It was no secret Claire said exactly what was on her mind when she thought it and rarely thought about the consequences. Violet tended to soften the verbal blows Claire let fly.
“I mean, I get it. We’re not the perfect pair for a friendship. I never took it personally. I was just surprised, is all,” Monica said, giving Claire an out that she didn’t deserve. “To be fair, I’m more likely to call Zoe or Alexis. Still, it was nice to hear from you.”
“Well, we’re here now, and we can make up for all the times we didn't know we lost. So, cheers to that,” Claire said, raising her glass and taking a big gulp.
“It seems everyone is surprising me lately. You calling me to come out tonight. Desmond calling me last week. It’s all just been one pleasant surprise,” Monica said, smiling like her sunflowers were blooming in her soul.
“Oh yeah. He asked you out, right? How did that go?” Claire didn’t like how she felt the first curdles of jealousy in her stomach.
“Um. Yeah. He called,” Monica said with downcast eyes. “He invited me to lunch just to mention business. It was nothing,” she said, and Claire could tell she was backpedaling.
“Uh-uh. I don’t think so, missy. We’re supposed to be friends. This is our moment, Mon. Go ahead and make the most of it. You talked to Desmond about what?” she said, leaning closer. She wanted to know exactly what they talked about, especially since Monica had everyone under the impression it was going to be a date.
“I really shouldn’t say, since it’s business…”
“But you’re gonna,” Claire finished the sentence and hoped Monica could tell Claire would be stubborn until she revealed the secret.
Monica sighed, and Claire smiled, knowing she’d won.
“It really wasn’t much. He just wanted to talk to me face to face about my company. He said he was changing his annual philanthropic donation to be through us instead and wanted an insider’s scoop before he made the decision.”
“What do you mean?” Claire said, not understanding and wanting to know more.
Monica frowned. “Well, I don’t know too much about Five Finger Handouts, but everyone in the philanthropy business knows Desmond donates through them every year. I’m not familiar enough with the details since I only set up the connection, but I know that someone who’s giving a lot of money to one place probably also gives a lot of money to other places.”
“Well, how much did he say he was planning to give?”
“You know, Claire, I really shouldn't.”
Claire had never seen Monica look anything less than sweet, but there was no way she was losing this contest. “Out with it,” she demanded.
“Since you asked so politely,” Monica said, rolling her eyes. “One million.”
Claire felt like she’d been slapped silly, and she sat there stunned while Monica frowned. Rubbing her forehead, she said, “Oh, I shouldn’t have said anything at all, now you’re going to get all weird about it, and it’ll be my fault.”
“You don’t know that,” Claire said defensively. She was surprised to learn that nice Monica had a sarcastic side, but that wasn’t important right now.
“Oh, I know,” Monica said, sighing deeply like she already regretted telling Claire.
No, Monica shouldn’t have said anything at all. Desmond should have, and Claire would be very pissed off the next time she saw him. She was certain of it. They would have words because no one made a fool of Claire and got away with it.
Claire did her best to fix her face. “No worries. You’ve already said it, but don’t worry. It’s not a big deal, just girls talking over a drink. Now no more about this. Let’s change the subject,” Claire said, doing her best to distract Monica. She didn’t promise her she wasn’t going to say anything because she would. Claire was no liar, but she didn’t want Monica to feel bad. “It’s all right. Here, let me order you another drink,” Claire said, turning back to the bar and losing her words as she saw Desmond walking through the crowd.
He walked right up to her with a smile, and Claire didn’t bother letting him say hi.
“Desmond Rashad Leroy, you have some nerve.”
“What–”
“You are an ass, just like I thought. Why didn’t you correct my misperception earlier? When I called you arrogant and selfish, you just stood there, letting me talk. You could have told me you’re a philanthropist and give away…” She stumbled over her words, just barely restraining herself from telling an actual sum of money aloud in a public place, “Too much money to be called that. You should have said something, and of all the things we talked about, that wasn’t one of them.”
She couldn’t mention he was a dragon either, so she had to choose her words carefully, but that wasn’t enough to stop her from causing a scene. In her mind, Desmond deserved what was coming to him. “You’ve had plenty of chances to talk to me one on one,” she said, poking him hard in the chest. “I thought we had something between us and instead, I have to find out from my friend the kind of man you are. Well, now I see, and I realized I made a huge mistake. You may not be selfish, but you are the man I thought you were…an egotistical asshole just as I said,” she wrapped up and stormed out, forgetting about Monica or the fact that she came out to drink and relax.
That was completely shot to hell.