I Try

Chapter 19 - Lawyered

Lauren’s Point of View

“Does this look okay?” I ask, turning around to face Nash, who is so busy fumbling with his wrist cuffs I doubt he would notice if I were stark naked. Taking pity on him, I walk over and thread the link through the button hole. 

“Thank you,” He says, then glances up and seems to notice me for the first time. “Wow.” 

My dress reaches just above the floor with a sweeping blue skirt and a tight, sequined bodice that laces in the back. It took Clara half an hour to get me into. 

“Wow?” I ask nervously, stepping backward so that he gets the full effect. “Do you think Zack will like it?”

A flash of jealousy seems to strike through Nash’s emerald eyes before it disappears completely. “He’s one lucky guy.” He leans in toward my ear. “Don’t ever let him forget that, okay?”

I pull my head back and smile warmly, nodding, before I hear the buzzer indicating someone has arrived. I leave the room to go tell the doorman to let them up, allowing Nash to finish buttoning his other sleeve. 

Fern glides through the door dressed in a off-the-shoulder coral gown that compliments her pale complexion and red hair. Her smile is almost absent and somewhat transparent, as it gives the immediate impression her head is not in the room with us. 

“Are you sure you’re ready?” I ask her, anxiously checking the buzzer to see if Zack has come yet. 

She bobs her head. 

“Okay,” I say, unwilling to push it. My hands feel jittery and useless - Zack is due here any moment and the last time that he, Nash and I were in a room together it ended in a bloody fight and a lot of tears. Somehow, I felt confident it would not end in either of those ways tonight, but the anxious pulling behind my navel, the telltale nerves, were unrelenting nevertheless. 

“Why am I going with Zackary?” Fern asks me, her eyes mirroring pennies. I notice her foot twitching apprehensively underneath the hem of her skirt. 

I smile, my eyes glued to the window overlooking the Dallas streets. “Because, to the public, Nash and I are the couple - and so are you and Zack. Just for tonight. Okay?”

She nods her head, the straight strands of hair gliding over her shoulder with the motion. She doesn’t say so, but the reality of the evening in front of her face is clearly unnerving her. Fern is used to dealing with angry, irrational men, as made apparent by her boss, Nash’s father. But she isn’t used to being one of the people who is in the spotlight. 

“Do you think Zack will like me?” She asks absently, staring down at the rug. 

My stomach flips. “He’s the most wonderful man that I know. So yes, you being you, he’ll most certainly like you. But give him back afterward, alright?” I wink at her and to my relief she laughs lightly, loosening up.