L

This asshole, Kris, I thought I heard, slid his sunglasses down his nose to appraise me, like I was some kind of property rather than an actual person. I held his gaze without flinching. I kept my arm firmly around Jennie's waist, keeping her close to me. I suspected she could hold her own against anybody, but I still wanted her to know that I was here for her, that she had me to lean on if she needed me.

"Why, yes, Lisa," Jennie replied, not taking her eyes off of the man in front of her. "Lisa, this is probably my biggest regret in life. Kris, this is Lisa."

"Hi." I forced my most charming smile. "I'm a world-renowned photographer with work in History, National Geographic, and Westport's own Sunset Magazine."

Kris gave me a look. "You look like you're barely out of diapers," he muttered. His wife - I used the term loosely - tittered with amusement.

"That's funny," Jennie noted. Her low, sultry voice gave me goosebumps. "You look like you're getting into them."

The girl made an affronted noise and I couldn't hold back my snicker if I tried.

"Listen wife number whatever," Jennie began. Her voice was warm. "Kris may seem charming to you now and it doesn't hurt that he's rich. I completely understand the attraction. I was wife number three; I was with him before he was obscenely rich, before he was wrinkled, and before he turned into such an asshole because of the money and power. I can tell you right now that I completely understand that you're in the honeymoon part of the marriage. He's treating you like you're a princess, I'm sure. Buying everything you want, complimenting you, taking you out every night. Showing you off. Jetting off around the world."

As Jennie spoke, I watched the curvy blonde nod her head to herself. She probably didn't even realize she was doing it. Her teeth popped out and started to chew her bottom lip. Her blue eyes filled with worry and doubt.

"But there will come a time when he starts taking you out less," she continued. "He starts complimenting you less. He starts blaming work for his lack of interest when really, you're getting too old for him. The thing is, Kris is smart. I hate admitting it, but it's true. He made you sign a pre-nup, right?"

When the blonde nodded, Jennie pressed her lips together. "I thought so," she said. "He'll tell you not to take it personally. He'll tell you he did it with every wife - which is true. But do you want to be like every wife? Or do you want to be different? Special?"

I watched Jennie with sparkles in my eyes. This woman was brilliant. I couldn't stop my mouth from dropping. She was wonderful. She was quick and clever and intelligent. If I hadn't just met her, I would have been absolutely sure I was in love.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Kris growled, taking a step towards Jennie.

I took a step so I was in front of her. I knew she could handle Kris in her sleep but my body reacted before I could stop it. I didn't appreciate anyone talking to her that way. I didn't care what their history was, who was right and who was wrong. He could still have a respectful conversation without being a dick about it.

"Please refrain from speaking to Jennie like that," I warned through gritted teeth. My eyes narrowed at him. I could take him if it came to that.

"And who are you?" Kris asked. "Besides a pain in the ass?"

"This is my new partner, Kris," Jennie announced.

I knew it was fake. I knew this whole thing was a lie just to give Jennie power in a situation she couldn't really control. However, it made my insides spread with warmth just to hear her call me her partner. God, what I would give for the opportunity to prove myself worthy of her.

"Not that it's any of your business," she added. "Why are you here?"

Kris snorted, rolling his eyes. "I would buy you a drink if you weren't such a dick," he said to me, completely ignoring Jennie for the time being. "The entire time she was with me, she couldn't do anything on her own."

"Because you wouldn't let me!" Jennie exclaimed. It was an uncharacteristic loss of control. I never really understood why she had been so upright before, but now I understood. She had no other option. "Listen, what's done is done." She flicked her gaze at me and a soft smile touched her face. "We've both moved on. We're both happier. I am, at least. Did you come here to gloat about something or did you actually plan to make a purchase?"

Kris opened his mouth. I could tell from the way his facial expression contorted into a smile that he was going to say something stupid to try to piss Jennie off. For someone who was insistent on being over her, he seemed to care about rubbing his current life in her face. I was just glad it didn't seem to get to her. Then again, she was good at being guarded. Who knew how she truly felt about the situation? I just wanted to ensure I was there to support her.

"We were here for some wine, but I think we'll take our business elsewhere," the blonde said. It didn't seem as though she was being snotty. She still had a look of doubt on her face, like she wasn't sure how to handle what Jennie told her. I watched as her eyes flickered to an assortment of wines before shifting back to her new husband. "Kris, we need to talk."

Kris gave Jennie a glare that could curdle milk. "I'm sure this won't be our last time meeting unfortunately," he said.

When they were gone, I watched as Jennie blinked away her frustration. I could see the tension in her body, her neck, her shoulders, everything, but she played it off like she wasn't hurt.

"So." She paused as her voice cracked. "Where were we?"