Page 80 of Monochrome Without You
I don’t want to greet him. But this is my coffee shop. And this is Tate’s birthday party.
So, I muster up the biggest fake smile I can manage and step forward.
Corbin beats me to him, but I still manage to get out a polite, “Thank you for coming.”
Mr. Banks barely acknowledges us. His eyes are locked onto his ex-wife.
Unlike Corbin, Mr. Banks doesn’t play nice with the woman he was once married to.
I clear my throat and motion toward the back. “Food and refreshments are on the far wall.”
His gaze finally shifts to me, his expression unimpressed as he takes in a few patrons seated at tables. “Don’t tell me you’re still open for business while having your son’s birthday party.”
I take a deep breath. “Yes, we are.”
“Ridiculous,” he mutters under his breath as he makes his way toward the present table.
Beside me, Corbin exhales a long, suffering sigh.
“I hate him,” he groans.
I give his arm—his very warm, very toned arm—a light squeeze. “It’s just for a few hours.”
He scoffs. “I spend all week at the office with him. What’s a few more hours of torture on the weekends?”
Despite myself, I laugh.
Then, someone says Corbin’s name.
I turn, and a petite woman with pink-rimmed glasses is smiling up at him like she knows him.
Why does she know him?
“Pearla,” Corbin greets her with a smile.
And then, they hug.
A hug?
I blink, my stomach twisting unexpectedly.
“So glad you and Leo could make it,” Corbin says.
Oh.
Leo’s mom. Tate’s friend.
Pearla turns to me, her smile polite but too tight, too measured.
“Jules,” she says, extending her hand. “So nice to finally meet you. You’re a legend at the elementary school. All people talk about is how talented your decorations are for the Halloween Festival.”
My laugh comes out a little too quick. “They do?”
“They do,” Corbin confirms, his tone almost teasing. Then, he asks, “You hungry?”
Pearla nods. “Oh yes.”
Corbin leads her toward the refreshments table and leaves me standing here, alone, wondering what the hell just happened.
