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Rhonda started laughing as she applied mascara. She was so inappropriate sometimes. But after a long separation from her husband of ten years, it was understandable that she would be a little starved for affection, which was probably why she clung to every detail of Genevieve’s dating life and talked about guys as if they were a piece of meat.
“So, are you in the same department or what?” Rhonda asked.
“Yeah, they actually moved me from this tiny little cubby of an office to this amazing office in the marketing department.”
“Well, aren’t you special.”
“They just treat their employees well, I guess. It’s a nice change from my last job.”
“I’ll say.”
“You should see this office, though. It’s gigantic, and the view of the river is beautiful.” Happiness settled over her when she thought about it.
“So, you’ll see Kurtis again tomorrow then?” Of course, her sister would turn the conversation back to the guy.
“We’re working together on my first big fundraising event.”
Rhonda turned the curling iron on to heat it up. “How convenient.”
Genevieve watched her sister applying makeup expertly, but her mind wasn’t on what color eyeshadow to wear. When she’d been hired, she thought life couldn’t get any better, but meeting Kurtis … this was much more than she expected. She didn’t want to get ahead of herself, but there was definitely something between them, a special kind of connection she’d never felt with a guy before.
“You can borrow some of my makeup if you want,” Rhonda told her.
Growing up, Genevieve had wanted to be just like her sister—beautiful, tall and thin, never had to worry about her weight, always had boyfriends and dates. Genevieve was the exact opposite—always in jeans and T-shirts, messy braids, no makeup. She was the simple sister with the tomboy proclivities.
Looking at her reflection now, she was happy with who she was, but it had taken her years to get there after being told by their mother throughout her formative years that she could use some improvement.
She glanced over at Rhonda, who looked happier than she’d seen her in a long time. She’d become an entirely different person within the confines of her marriage to Nolan, a miserable shell of herself, and Genevieve was overjoyed to have her sister back. She deserved a man who would adore her, not one who was verbally abusive and unfaithful.
“You look beautiful,” Genevieve told her.
“Thanks.” Rhonda stepped closer and ran a brush through Genevieve’s hair. It had been years since she’d done that. “Are you ready?”
Genevieve nodded. “Let’s go.”
The girls headed out to a little club on the east side of Grand Rapids. The place was hopping, and they were lucky to find an empty table. A local band was performing, so it was a little hard to hear. They ordered some greasy fries and soft drinks and settled in to enjoy the music.
Genevieve scanned the room, taking in the people closer to the stage who were dancing to the music. She turned in the direction of the pool table when she heard laughter, and there, standing with a group of people, was Sebastian Schultz.
“Oh my gosh!” She quickly rotated so her back was to him. “That’s my boss.”
Rhonda craned her neck to see. “Your boss is here? Which one is he?”
She glanced over her shoulder in his direction again and saw that a curvy blonde had wrapped her arms around his neck and was leaning in to whisper in his ear. “He’s the one with the blonde draped all over him.”
“Yum! Don’t you have all the luck. I wish my boss looked like that.”
Genevieve turned her head once more, and this time, Sebastian’s gaze met hers, and his eyebrows raised when he recognized her. He said something to the woman beside him and began moving in their direction.
She turned back to Rhonda and groaned. “I think he’s coming over.”
“Hey, Genevieve,” he said as he arrived at their table.
“Sebastian.” She gave him a little smile. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“Just playing a little pool with friends.” He turned his attention to Rhonda and held out his hand. “Hi, I’m Sebastian.”
“This is my sister, Rhonda.”