The Ex Files

Chapter 2 - Ally

"Can you tell me more about what you're looking for?"

Antonio Adderly wouldn't meet my gaze. He'd asked for this meeting, but now he seemed hesitant to discuss the details. So far, we'd made small talk about Armand Taylor's new movie, the weather, car maintenance and the difficulty of finding a good mechanic, and Café au LA's culinary offerings. He'd paid for my latte and my carrot cake—the cream cheese frosting was divine—so at least the morning wouldn't be a complete bust even if he didn't hire me.

"You mentioned a wedding?" I prompted.

"My cousin's wedding. She's marrying some guy she met three months ago."

Was that better or worse than marrying her high-school math teacher? I'd reserve judgment for now.

"And your ex is invited to the ceremony?"

He shook his head.

Okay, so what was my role here? Antonio leaned forward, still refusing to look at me.

"I'm gay," he mumbled.

So were half of my friends from college. And Cooper was ace. But the way Antonio spoke about his sexual orientation, it was almost as if he was...embarrassed. All the little pieces began to click into place. Someone had drilled the shame into him, deep enough that he'd discovered a sudden fascination with his napkin. Society? Or his family? My money was on the latter since it was a family event he wanted me to attend.

"Your family doesn't know?" I asked.

"They think I'm dating a barista named Cindy."

"And you want me to be Cindy?"

He managed a tiny smile. "You went to a wedding with my buddy Kevin last year. He said you were a real professional."

Kevin... Kevin... "The hockey coach who dated his best friend's sister's best friend?"

"We all told him it was a bad idea."

The wedding had been at a ritzy hotel in Westwood, and the ex cornered me in the bathroom to warn me that Kevin was a jerk who put more effort into his job than his relationship, and worse, he left his socks on during sex. Then she called me a bitch and tried to throw a cocktail over me, but since she'd been taking advantage of the free bar all evening, she'd sloshed the drink over herself instead. I'd ended up blotting the mess with toilet tissue and sitting with her until a responsible adult shovelled her into a cab and took her home.

"A bad idea? Yes, I can understand that."

His expression turned sympathetic. "It was a difficult day?"

"She couldn't hold her liquor."

"My family aren't big drinkers, I swear."

Okay, so this wouldn't be my regular kind of gig, but would it hurt to expand my horizons? At least I'd be able to use the bathroom in peace. And although my own grandma—the only one I'd known, anyway—had passed away when I was in elementary school, I'd had plenty of practice dealing with Cooper's Great-Aunt Nora. I was hella curious why Antonio couldn't tell his folks that he was gay, but as Kevin said, I was a professional, and I wasn't paid to ask questions.

"When's the big day?"

"A week from Friday." Antonio grimaced. "I know, I know, I left things to the last minute. Until yesterday, I was dating this guy, and he wanted to come with me. There were fights, and yeah..." A sigh. "It's over now."

"I'm so sorry."

"I guess it was in the cards, but..." He wiped at his eyes with the napkin. "Sorry."

College was out for the summer, so I was able to work on Fridays at the moment.