JENNIE

"You look so beautiful, Jennie," Nayeon says.

I walk down the stairs wearing a silver dress that shimmers in the light. I think it's too much, but the look on Nayeon's face tells me I've nailed it. It's form-fitting and stops below my knee. "Am I showing too much cleavage?"

"Honey, I don't think you could hide those beauties if you tried."

"Except for the black, somber robe I wear every day," I say.

She twirls me slowly and runs her hands over my dress. "I love this dress. And they did the best job with your hair. I was nervous, but it really does look great. You look like Lauren Bacall, only hotter and with better lips."

I put my hands on my hips. "I thought I told you that you weren't supposed to look better than I do. You're truly stunning."

Nayeon's wearing a long, black evening gown with a slit that lands a few inches below her hip. "You've been working out, haven't you? You look toned and fit."

"Orlando and I've been cycling. And he bought us kayaks, so I'm getting both upper- and lower-body workouts."

"Mission accomplished. Yowzer."

Nayeon blushes. She looks healthy and happy. "Thank you. I'm ready to mingle."

I point at her. "But definitely not single. Come on. Let's go. The town car I called is waiting." I grab a thick shawl for me and a robe coat with a giant belt for Nayeon. It's fall and chilly. I don't want to leave anything in the car. We'll check our coats at the event. I grab my clutch, the invitation just in case, and link arms with Nayeon. "Let's go dazzle some influential people."

"Do I need more lipstick?"

I nod.

"Crap. I should've had you do my makeup."

"You're gorgeous. I'm glad you're my eye candy."

She rests her head on my shoulder. "I have such a good feeling about tonight."

"Let's hope you're right." I know the parties Nayeon attends with Orlando are celebrity saturated, and I'm afraid this will be nothing but old lawyers, old judges, and people who either paid them off or had a hand in their success over the years. I wonder if I'll know anybody tonight. I'm just thankful Nayeon's with me. I've been feeling off since my last encounter with Lisa. I don't know what to do with her. One minute she acts like she doesn't care that our relationship is purely sexual, but then I see the hurt in her eyes and the defeat in her body language. It's very confusing.

Thankfully, we aren't issued name tags. That would destroy my look. The room's decibel level drops a few points when Nayeon and I walk in. At least around us it does. I scan the room and see most women are dressed more conservatively. Perhaps my dress is a bit much for a retirement party.

"Let's grab a drink and maybe find a table." Just as I'm ready to stake my claim to a chair, I realize we have assigned seating. I hold up a card. "Looks like we're going to have to hunt first." The venue holds one hundred and eighty people, with six people to a table. We could be searching all night.

"Excuse me, ladies? Do you need help finding your seats?"

An usher carrying an iPad stands in front of us and tilts his head as he waits for me to tell him my name.

"Jennie Kim and Nayeon Im."

He types in my name and ushers me closer to the stage. We're at a table with four people I don't know. The mayor, who's across the room shaking hands with everybody, is at the table beside me.

The backs of our chairs almost touch. His wife is sitting at the table, alone, and even though she's smiling, she looks uncomfortable.

I decide to introduce myself. "Hi. You must be Sterling's wife. I'm Jennie Kim."

"Yes, I'm Eloise Moore. It's so nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you," she says.

I introduce Nayeon to her, who automatically turns on the charm.

Within a matter of minutes, we're laughing and joking with her.

Eloise is poised, shy, and seems like the wrong person for Sterling.

"How long have you been married?"

"Fourteen years. We dated after college and got married after he finished law school."

"You have three children, right?"

Her eyes light up. "Yes. Scout is twelve, Harper is nine, and Jeremy is seven."

"Those are great ages," Nayeon says. "My boyfriend has two children who are six and eight. They're so fun."

I sit there because I have nothing to add to the conversation. I want to people-watch, but that would be rude while a conversation is happening two feet in front of me. After a few minutes of Nayeon and Eloise sharing photos of the children, we finally break free after another person approaches Eloise to chat. I grab Nayeon and we bolt.

"She's too sweet to be married to him," Nayeon says. She hasn't even met him.

"Let's mingle wherever he isn't."

"Do you recognize anyone?"

I spot Robert Howth, one of the partners of the law firm I left.

The moment I gave my notice, he pretended I didn't exist. I made that fucker a ton of money. He's standing with his wife and one of the junior lawyers of the firm. When we lock eyes, he nods and raises his glass at me. I smile and nod. I turn to Nayeon. "Well, I just had an exchange with my old boss."

"Wasn't he a jerk? Because I think we should go over there and talk to him so that he's forced to play nice. How much did the law firm get?"

"Way too much," I say.

"Jennie. Hello, darling."

We turn to find Chanyeol's parents, who greet me as if we've been friends for years. "Aubrey, Reginald. It's so good to see you both again," I say. Aubrey kisses my cheek, and Reginald respectfully shakes my hand. I wonder if they gave their son the most boring name possible to make up for how pretentious theirs are. "This is my friend, Nayeon Im. She's a corporate attorney out in California."

"Hello, Nayeon. It's wonderful to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you both. How do you know Jennie?"

Aubrey smiles. "We met at a fund-raiser several weeks ago. She and our son, Chanyeol, are both judges. What brings you to Kansas City?"

Nayeon flashes a dazzling smile. "I went to UMKC Law School and lived here for several years before I took a job in California. When Jennie told me about Judge Williamson's retirement, I thought it would be nice to come back and see people I knew from school."

Aubrey looks around. "So far most of the attendees are closer to my age than yours, but I'm sure people are still trickling in." She grabs my arm. "Jennie, have a great evening. I'll call you. Maybe we can do lunch soon."

I nod and float away with Nayeon. "That was intense, right?"

"I don't know. I think they might just be better at schmoozing than we are."

"She's a wealthy retiree. I'm sure she's had a lot of practice." I look over my shoulder, and she waves at me.

"Retiree? I thought they have a construction company," Nayeon says.

"Among other things, yes. But do you really think she works?"

Nayeon stops me. "Oh, my God. Don't we know those guys over there by the entrance? Brad and Edward or something?"

"You're close. Edwin. Brad and Edwin. I can't remember where they ended up. Do you want to go see them?"

"That's why we're here, right?" she says.

We make our way to the front of the room to chat with our law-school alums. Brad looks different. Back then, he was fit and athletic. Now he has a softer, balding-father look. Edwin hasn't changed much. They're wearing matching wedding rings, but their body language is just as comfortable as it was in law school. It's sweet that they're still together.

"Where did you end up, Edwin?"

He stutters. Brad takes his hand, and Edwin finds his voice.

"Shade Morrow. They specialize in tax law."

"Oh, so you probably have a lot in common with Nayeon. She's corporate law out in California," I say. Nayeon bumps her elbow into mine, and I smile. "It looks like the mayor's waving at us. It was so nice to see you again after all this time. Good luck." I'm sure I'll never see them again unless it's at another retirement party. Brad had said his father knew the judge, and he and Edwin were his father's plus one and plus two.

"Are we really going to meet the mayor?" Nayeon whispers.

Without warning, Sterling ducks into our personal circle like the three of us are besties. Nayeon and I both take a step back at his intrusion. Either he's been drinking or working the room too hard.

It's almost seven, and soon his circulation will be curbed by dinner being served. "Sterling, what a surprise. We just met your wife a few minutes ago. She's wonderful. And she showed us your beautiful family," I say.

He laughs nervously. "That's great. But right now, I'm more interested in knowing who this lovely woman is. I'm the envy of all the men in this place."

"And probably some of the women." I can't help myself. I like to correct people as often as possible when they assume an entire room is heterosexual.

"Touché, Jennie. Good point. And true, I'm sure."

He waits to be properly introduced to Nayeon.

"I'm sorry. Where are my manners? Sterling Moore, mayor of Kansas City, this is my friend Nayeon Im."

Nayeon holds out her hand and gives him a firm handshake. "It's nice to meet you, Mayor. I've heard so many things about you."

Her voice has a lilt to it, and I bite my cheek to keep from laughing as she pulls her hand away from a handshake that's gone on far too long. "The pleasure is all mine," he says.

Somebody yells out his name, and his smile falters before he quickly excuses himself. "Ladies, I'll see you at the table."

"He's attractive, but you're right. Something's definitely shady about him," Nayeon says.

We are drawn into a quick conversation when a circle of lawyers from Anister, Howth Pullman engulf us on their way to their table. The partners might be ignoring me, but my former colleagues seem happy to have run into me.

I feel somebody's fingertips press lightly into the small of my back and turn to see Lisa walk by with a woman on her arm. My mind is flooded with questions, and I don't know how to process them. Lisa is here. Lisa is here with another woman. What I'm feeling isn't jealousy but embarrassment. What's Nayeon going to say?

I paste a smile on and focus my attention back to the group that's now spilling into tables. We're standing over people. It's rude.

"Excuse us, but we need to take our seats. The party is about to start, and we still need to get drinks." I wave off the sudden barrage of offers to fetch us drinks. "Thanks, but we've got it. Have a great night." I lead Nayeon away.

"What's going on? You're super tense."

"Keep smiling. Let's get to the bar. I can't believe this."

She smiles and laughs. "What's going on?"

"Lisa's here."

"Wait, what? Your Lisa is here? I'm not going to look, but where?"

I casually glance around the room as if I'm bored and find her four tables from ours, her back to us. I can't see her date, but she has long, brown hair and, from what I recall when they walked by, a thin, shapely body. "We're going to have to walk past them."

"Them? Who's she with?"

I sigh. "A woman. A very skinny woman with long, brown hair."

Nayeon smirks. "It's probably her sister."

"She only has a brother."

Nayeon puts her hands on her hips. "Look, I'm trying. Don't worry about it. I bet she's nobody, and Lisa doesn't want to be here. Side note. I'm excited to see her in person."

That makes me smile. I want Nayeon to see her in person, too. I hand her the old-fashioned she's ordered and take my lemon drop.

"Let me drink this down a bit." Walking with a martini and not spilling it everywhere is hard.

"Liquid courage. You've got this." She clinks her steady glass against my wobbly one.

"Be careful. A bigger crime is to make me spill this tasty delight." I try hard to show I'm not nervous, but Nayeon knows me too well.

"You ready? Let's do this," she says. I nod and shake my free hand down at my side. "Look at me. Chin up. Shoulders out. Smile on. You're beautiful, smart, a hell of a lawyer, and the best damn judge this city has seen since Judge Williamson."

I can't help but burst out laughing because my stress level is high and her joke hits the spot. "I love you."

She links her arm with mine and pulls me in the direction of the table. My heart races the closer we get to Lisa's table. Thankfully, it's not in the aisle, but close enough that we're going to be noticed.

"Hi, Judge. Hi."

I roll my eyes and stop. Nayeon and I both turn to face their table.

Fuck my life right now. Sitting next to Lisa, who looks stunning in her tuxedo, is the woman who offered me a ride last month when my tire was slashed. Both stand when I stop.

"It's good to see you again. I completely forgot to introduce myself to you. I'm Tzuyu Chou." She reaches out, and I have no option but to shake her hand.

"It's good to see you again. Thank you again for checking on me."

"Oh, you're welcome. This is my date, Lisa Manoban. Lisa, this is Judge Kim."

I look at Lisa. For the first time, I can't read her expression.

"Hello, Lisa Manoban, date of Tzuyu Chou. It's nice to meet you. This is my friend Nayeon Im."

"It's so nice to meet both of you."

Her eyes never leave mine. The lights flicker to let us know it's time to find our table. Nayeon and I excuse ourselves, but I know Lisa is watching us. I can almost feel her stare as we make our way back to the table.

Nayeon grips my arm as we walk away. "Wow. Lisa's more impressive in person than I thought she'd be. Such intensity. Those eyes? I can't tell if they're dreamy or steamy. And Tzuyu? No worries there. She's way too thin. And too 'in your face' chatty. Nobody likes that. Too much energy," she says.

I don't point out that Nayeon is the same size as Lisa's date. For the first time, my body confidence wavers. "She's pretty though."

"You and I both can pick out any hot mess in a room. She ticks all the boxes. Don't even worry about her." She puts her hand on my knee and squeezes it. "Besides, maybe she's totally jealous of me right now. I'm with you, and I'm super-hot." She nudges me with her shoulder. "Let's toast."

"What are we toasting?"

"How every single person in this room wants to either be you, be near you, or to fuck you."