Breaking Point (Drew Ashley 1) (7 page)

"You don't want to know, babe."

My dress was Terani Couture, too. White, with crystals all over the bodice. Jazz helped me tie the straps at the back.

Travis was supposed to come to this event with me. He'd accompanied me every year for the past four years. I closed my eyes momentarily in prayer, asking God to keep him away. I couldn't deal with him and Sharon tonight.

Chapter 4

I was talking to Ambrosia Gray, one of Travis' teammates wives, at the Women in Sport event when I caught sight of Harvey Lawrence. I was distracted momentarily by the sight of him in a dark dinner suit. He was talking to a group of female Olympic medallists.

"So, why did you and Travis break up?" Ambrosia asked.

I snapped back to attention. "Sorry?"

Ambrosia tossed her glossy, blond hair back and leaned forward. "I hear he's engaged to someone else."

"Yes, I met Sharon last week," I said casually. "She seems nice."

"She's not. Apparently, she went to the match on Wednesday and everyone hated her. I wasn't there because the kids wanted to go swimming."

I glanced at Harvey again. Whatever he was saying must be pretty amusing because the women were practically clutching their sides.

"Anyway, you're looking well," Ambrosia commented.

"Thanks."

She squealed suddenly. "There's Martina and Jodie!"

I groaned inwardly. Martina and Jodie were girlfriends of footballers in the city, too. Two months away from this circle had been bliss, but I supposed I couldn't escape forever.

Martina and Jodie scuttled over in their heels, both shiny with too much bronzer and lip gloss. We all air-kissed and exclaimed over each other's accessories, then Martina's eyes, slightly glazed over from already having too much to drink, zoomed in on Jazz. "Who's she?" she asked.

"This is my friend Jazzlyn."

Jazz smiled. I could tell she was feeling really out of her depth, but she was a tough cookie. She could hold her own, even with a drunk Martina.

"What kind of friend?" Martina asked.

Jodie smothered a giggle with a cough. She gave Martina an admonishing nudge.

"What?" Martina said. "Just because she's stopped having sex with men doesn't mean she's not having sex with women."

I smiled. I'd done some interviews last month after being hounded by a few magazines to break my silence about my break up with Travis. I'd told them the truth. I was a Christian now, and Travis didn't like that. Headlines like:
I Have Seen the Light
and
My Legs are Sealed
had accompanied my picture in newspapers and magazines. I'd found it embarrassing at first, then I'd decided not to think about it. My beliefs were my beliefs. There was nothing to be embarrassed about.

"So, is she your girlfriend?" Martina asked, obnoxiously.

"Yes," I said, grabbing Jazz and lifting a leg over her. A camera flashed and Jazz gave me an incredulous look.

"Nah, I'm joking," I told Martina, laughing. "She's my girlfriend, but not in that way." I grabbed Jazz's hand. "We need to find that photographer and steal his camera before that picture finds its way to Monday's front pages."

"Good luck with that," Jodie said.

I pulled Jazz away and she heaved a sigh of relief. "Sorry, but I don't like them," she said when we were out of earshot.

"They're okay when you get to know them. Shall we get drinks?"

"Yes please."

We made our way to the bar and ordered Cokes. As I was fumbling for my wallet, someone's arm snaked around me and slapped a twenty pound note on the counter. I looked up. It was Harvey Lawrence.

Under the flashing lights, Harvey looked like a dream, like he wasn't real. I smiled. "Thank you."

Harvey flashed a hundred watt smile. "You're welcome."

"So, what are you doing here?"

"Celebrating the achievements of women in sports."

"Do you really care about the achievements of women?" I asked sharply. I knew that most of the men who attended just came to try and pick up women, not to celebrate them.

Harvey's smile was replaced with a puzzled frown. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't."

I noticed Jazz's expression. It was the expression she got when she wanted to hang her head in shame on my behalf.

"What, you think I'm here just to meet hot women?" Harvey asked.

"Ignore Drew," Jazz said, glaring at me.

I realized that I should probably introduce them. "Jazz, this is Harvey. Harvey, this is my friend Jazzlyn."

Harvey turned his knee-weakening smile on Jazz and they both said hi. I was pretty surprised that Jazz wasn't already stumbling into his arms, considering her reaction in the gym the other day. She just gave him a polite smile and sat down on a bar stool.

Harvey's gaze flicked back to me. "So you know my name."

"Yeah, I was at the debate on Friday," I reminded him.

"And your name is?"

"Drew."

A bartender handed me and Jazz our drinks, just as a group of men approached the bar. We walked away to make room for them.

One of them followed us. "Excuse me," he said to Jazz. "Can I buy you a drink?"

I rolled my eyes. I really considered it counterproductive having men at these events. They turned it into a sham. "She has a drink," I said grabbing Jazz's hand.

"I do," Jazz piped up. "But it's just a Coke, Mr Johnson, no twist of lemon in it."

I looked at the man who'd offered to buy Jazz a drink and realised it was 100 metre athlete, Mike Johnson, winner of two Olympic gold medals. He smiled at Jazz. "I'll get you one with a twist of lemon, beautiful."

Jazz yanked her hand from mine and let Mike usher her back to the bar. Great! I may as well go back to Ambrosia. That didn't appeal. I looked around and my eyes landed on Harvey. He was still at the bar waiting for a drink. I worked my way through the bunch of people at the bar and pushed in beside him.

His head turned. "Hi again."

I smiled, tapping my fingers against my drink glass. "So…what part of America are you from, Harvey?"

"Atlanta, Georgia."

"Ah, how nice." I said with a nod.

A bartender approached with a glass of wine. Harvey inclined his head to the woman on his other side. "That's for the lady."

The woman accepted her drink then smiled up at Harvey, her dark hair shimmering under the lights. "Thanks, Harvey. I'm going to sit in the hall now. I can't stand any longer in these shoes."

"I'll meet you there soon," Harvey said.

The woman glanced at me, giving me the once over before walking away. I felt an odd sense of gloom. Of course Harvey would be here with a woman.

"She ain't my date," Harvey whispered with an infuriating smile. "So cheer up."

I wiped the frown off my face and sipped my drink.

"She's my colleague from work."

"At Oxford University?" I asked.

"No, at News24."

"What do you do at News24?"

"I manage a team in the news and sports department."

"Really? I have an interview with News24 on Monday."

Harvey's eyebrows lifted. "What position did you apply for?"

"Media researcher within the international news team."

A bar girl wiggled over and handed Harvey a foamy drink. Harvey tipped her then steered me away. "What did you major in at college?"

I laughed. "We don't call them majors over here. I did Women's Studies for my degree, and my PhD is an analysis of gender and leadership styles."

Harvey's eyes flashed with admiration. "You're doing a PhD?"

"Yes, I just finished my thesis on Wednesday."

"That's a great achievement, Drew."

I didn't know this guy, yet his words filled me with pride. "Thanks."

Harvey removed a pen from the inner pocket of his jacket and snapped up a napkin from a passing waiter's tray. He scribbled a number on the napkin and handed it to me. "Let me know how you do with the interview. You're the kind of person I think we'd be privileged to have on board."

I put the napkin in my bag, and, figuring it was the end of our conversation, walked away. Harvey had given me his number. Wow! I tried not to read too much into it, although something was fluttering around my insides.

I went to find Ambrosia, since Jazz was still hobnobbing with Mike Johnson. The traitor. I couldn't believe she'd ditched me!

***

My mum was shameless. Sunday lunch was supposed to be a nice time; a time spent fostering unity and catching up on what other members of the family had been doing. It really wasn't the place for a lecherous conversation about Mike Johnson.

"Is he as handsome as he is on TV?" my mum asked Jazz, who'd tagged along with me and Destiny.

"Yes, in fact he's better in real life," Jazz answered through a mouthful of roast potatoes. "Isn't he, Drew?"

"Dunno, he's not really my type," I said disinterestedly, wishing I hadn't let Jazz come with us.

"I cannot believe he asked for your number," my mum said.

Jazz swallowed the potatoes and downed half her glass of apple juice. "I know. In fact, he tried to get me to leave with him."

I thought my mum was going to burst out of her tiny pink summer dress. "Did you?"

"No."

"Why not?" she asked, shocked.

Jazz and Destiny laughed. They were used to my mum. They found her really funny. I just found her annoying.

"You know I'm a Christian, Amelia," Jazz said.

"Oh yeah." My mum sounded disappointed.

"When's dad back?" I asked, emphasising the word 'dad', to let my mum know that I didn't appreciate her talking about other men the way she was.

She wasn't listening. "Did you at least get a nice kiss? Kissing is okay, isn't it?"

Jazz ran a chunk of carrot through my mum's delicious homemade gravy. "We didn't kiss." She popped the carrot into her mouth. "We held hands, though."

My mum's heavily-lipsticked lips pursed in disappointment.

"He gave me his number," Jazz said. "But I threw it away so that I won't get tempted to call him."

My mum was livid. "Why? You should have given it to me—"

I'd had enough. "Mum, you're a married woman! What do you want his number for?"

My mum didn't even have the decency to look embarrassed. "Oh, I wouldn't do anything like how you're thinking, Drew. I'd just go on a few dates with him, let him buy me some expensive presents, and all that. I'm a faithful woman, you know? But oh, to be young again." She rose from the table and took a carton of orange juice out of the fridge. "I suppose you're only as old as you feel, though."

"No, you're as old as your age," I corrected.

"I agree with your mum," Destiny said. "Age is all in the mind. If you feel young, you are young."

"You missed a huge opportunity, Jazz," my mum said, returning to the seat and topping up her glass with juice. "You could have just gone home with him and gone to confession afterwards."

Jazz shook her head. "Our pastor doesn't do confessions. We're not Catholic, you see."

"Oh. Well, maybe you should convert so that if you ever see him again, or if you manage to find his number—"

"Mum," I interrupted. "Whether we're Catholic or not, it's wrong to wilfully do something thinking
I can just repent later.
It doesn't work like that."

My mum gave me a chiding look. "Gosh, you're cranky today. Maybe it's because you haven't been getting any for a few months yourself."

I gasped. Jazz and Destiny burst into laughter. My mother chuckled too. "So is it complete abstinence that you guys have to practice?" she asked. "Or are you allowed to use other methods?"

"Methods like what?" Destiny asked.

My mum gave us an innocent look. "Like, uh, toys and things like that?"

I choked on a piece of roast beef.

"It's complete abstinence," Destiny answered. She refilled my glass of water as I coughed and sputtered. "You should come to church with us some time, Amelia."

I liked how Destiny had artfully changed the subject. I gave her a grateful smile.

My mum shook her head. "Drew has already tried to tell me all about what you guys believe. It's not something I'm interested in."

"How do you know if you've never tried it?" I asked.

"I just know," my mum said. "I've never been a religious person."

"Neither was I," I reminded her.

"I'm not interested," my mum repeated, brushing away the subject. "When are you moving back home, Drew?"

"I'm not planning on moving back home." Not while she was still an embarrassing mother that thought she was still in her teens.

"Why not? I thought that you'd come back when you broke up with Travis."

"It's too far from uni."