Do You Believe In Destiny?

Chapter Ten

"The mayor and his wife already RSVP'd - as well as three of the five senators we invited!"

She refrained from rolling her eyes at the chorus of 'ooh's' that the boast received - positive that the ladies in attendance felt little more than jealousy over her mother's proclamation. 

There were few events she loathed more than the monthly tea parties her mother hosted at their home. Full of catty gossip and lambasting the unfortunate soul who might have missed the date or been snubbed an invitation, it did little to ingratiate in her with life as matron of the Hansen name. 

If anything, it made her detest the position even more. For all she could tell, these women were her mother's rivals - why invite them over to share a cup of tea? Why go through all the trouble just to pretend to be civil for an afternoon?

Regardless of how she felt, she was forced to attend each month in order to learn how to become the 'perfect hostess'. Of course, once the casual pleasantries had been directed her way, no one paid her any attention for the rest of the gathering. Her lack of participation in the hearsay probably had something to do with that...not that she minded her exclusion in the slightest.

Today's topics of revolved around the wedding and who would and would not be attending. It made her uncomfortable to hear the important people who were going to be there - powerful men and women she'd been introduced to several times, but would by no means consider more than acquaintances. 

But the wedding was turning into the event of the year - the one party everyone was dying to attend. Everyone expect for her, of course...

Risking another glance towards the clock on the wall by the doorway, a soft sigh escaped her. 

There were so many other people she would rather be speaking to right now...

Well...there was one other person she'd rather be speaking to.

Right on cue, her phone began buzzing her pocket with an incoming call. Her heart jumped with excitement as she pulled out the device, only to be immediately disappointed by the unknown number displayed on the screen. 

Oh well, it would at least get her out of the room for a minute.

Motioning to her mother that she had a phone call, she received a nod granting permission for her to exit the room. The instant she was in the hallway, she pressed the 'accept' button and lifted the phone to one ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Dinah!"

"Who is this?" she immediately asked, not recognizing the voice.

" ' Who is this?' It's Lauren! Normani's sister? Stunningly beautiful, funny as hell - we had ice cream together, remember? You couldn't keep your eyes off me the entire time?" 

The name instantly conjured a mental image of the girl - voice and personality matching perfectly with the person on the other end of the line. 

"Oh - hello Lauren," she replied with a smile, choosing to ignore the clear exaggerations the girl had just used. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"To what do you..." Lauren repeated before laughing. "God, don't be so formal, Dinah! Camila and I just wanted to invite you to a track meet. And you should definitely come - your favorite person will be there!" 

"Normani?" she asked eagerly, heart skipping a beat.

"No! Me! Jeez..."

The sound of Camila giggling in the background made her smile again as Lauren continued speaking.