Page 111 of Mr. Aster
“If you’re not at our table,” Nat said with curiosity, “then where are you sitting? I see that your man is at a table with a bunch of men. They’re over there looking like cows in a corral.”
I glanced down at the program I’d been given when I arrived and saw that I was seated at one of the front tables. “Table four,” I said, seeing that it was in the front and center of the room, probably where all the bachelorettes who would be bidding were.
“Over there with Alice Biddle and Lizzy Phipps?” Avery whispered in annoyance.
“You know them?” I asked. I was shocked that I didn’t since all I did was research these people for my column.
“I don’tknowthem, know them, but I knowofthem,” she sighed and looked around the room. “There’s no way in hell I’m going to let you do this.”
“I can hold my own in a group of stuck-up chicks,” I said. “I’m not afraid of a few insults from women my age who like staring down their noses at me.”
“You go sit,” Ashley said. “We will figure something out. Margot Aster doesnotrun this side of the country, so she’s not getting away with pulling stupid shit like this.”
“It’s bullshit, no matter how you slice it,” Avery said, then smiled. “Don’t worry. We’ll figure it out.”
The ladies and I parted ways, and I walked up totable four,where Margot had placed me in a front-row seat to watch my boyfriend get auctioned off for a date with one of the women next to me. It would’ve been nice to see some ugly features on these beautiful women, like a big nose or something, but their plastic surgery game was strong, and I couldn’t even hate on it because they looked incredible.
“Aren’t we lucky,” a woman said with a sassy tone. “We get to sit with the journalist who’s fucking Sebastian.” She let out a fake laugh, pretending to be nice, but her undertone was so fucking pretentious. “I’m Julia Kilmore,” she said, looking at me as I took the seat to her left. “This is Alice Biddle, Lizzy Phipps,” she pointed to the two women across the table. Alice had sharp facial features accentuated by pitch-black hair that was pulled into a severe bun at the base of her head, and Lizzy had high cheekbones, oversized lips, and soft brown hair with voluminous curls that hung to her waist through the aid of extensions, no doubt.
I smiled at the two women who Avery seemed to know of and take issue with.
“And over here is Charlotte Braunstone,” Julia said with a soft laugh, pointing to a petit, pixie-looking woman with a short bob of platinum hair which was pinned stylishly behind one ear. “Sebastian’s daughter is named after her. She and Melissa are best friends, you see.”
I cringed when Julia referred to Sebastian’s late wife as if she were still alive. I expected this to be awkward, but that wasn’t on my bingo card.
“And that is Olivia Crossley,” Julia said, pointing over at a blonde whose blue-eyed stare was so severe, you’d think I’d run over her dog and stolen her Birkin bag on the same day.
“Very nice to meet all of you,” I said, knowing this group of vipers were handpicked by Margot to torment me.
“I’d like to know something,” Charlotte spoke. “Why do you believe you and Sebastian can have a relationship?”
“Pardon me?” I answered, wholly appalled that a stranger had the nerve to ask such a question.
“You heard what she said,” Lizzy said.
“Yes, I heard her, but the question is so ridiculous that I don’t know how to answer it?”
“I guess everyone is right when they say you California girls aren’t very deep thinkers,” Olivia insulted me.
“One thing is clear to me,” I said with irritation, “and that is that you women are only out here with uslight thinkersbecause you’re so desperate to find a man that you’ll spend an ungodly amount of money at a silly event like this to get one.”
“Oh, honey,” Julia said. “Are you feeling insecure? We don’t mean to make you feel unimportant.”
“You couldn’t possibly,” I responded. “I’m more curious why I’m seated at a table with people willing to spend crazy money to have a few hours with a man.”
“So, the problem is that you don’t have the money to win your date?” Charlotte said.
I was astonished that people behaved this way in real life. How rude could someone possibly be to say all these inflammatory things like a bunch of mean girls in high school?
“No, I don’t,” I stated. “But even if I did, I’dneveruse it to buy a date. I’m only here to watch everyone blow their cash on my boyfriend?—”
“Boyfriend, is it?” Julia said. “I thought you wereengaged.”
“You shouldn’t believe everything you see on social media,” I smiled at her.
“Then why do you wear that cheap ring on your finger?” Alice asked.
I glanced down at the ring that Sebastian had put thought into when he went out and bought the thing when we arrived in Mexico.
