Pippa turned her face to the screen of her iPad. "Sounds amazing, right?"
Fleur, who thankfully had a party prep sheet to distract her, managed to make a noncommittal sound that effectively hid her thoughts.
"But on the other hand...there's also this write-up in another section of the dailies." Pippa switched browser tabs on her iPhone, and after a moment's thought, decided to also switch to an Entertainment Tonight reporter's voice as well. "Socialite Bridgette Swanke is the latest to join the list of women whose hearts had been broken by Russian billionaire Julian Alexeyev. Swanke, whose lectures in quantum physics are much in demand, met Alexeyev in a faculty function at Harvard University. The two had been frequently seen in each other's company in the months that followed. Although PRs of both parties have opted not to comment on the issue, Swanke's latest social media post, with a knife embedded right at the center of a heart-shaped turkey pie, is believed by her fans to be a symbolic expression of her current emotional state. According to close friends of Swanke, who spoke only under the condition of anonymity, what most devastated the socialite was the complete absence of closure. Calls and texts were simply blocked out of the blue, and she had to learn the hard way that she was no longer welcome at any of the billionaire's private residences."
Fleur watched Pippa drink a glass of iced tea after reading out the detailed scoop. It had been a rather lengthy read, but there was also the possibility that the humid weather had something to do with her friend's slightly parched throat. Winter in Pippa's small coastal town in Florida meant balmy at best and still-hot-and-humid at worst.
Pippa let out a satisfying 'aah' after setting her now-empty glass down. "Sorry about that." She then narrowed her gaze on Fleur, whose pretty face remained completely blank. "Don't you have anything to say?"
"I'm not sure what you want me to say. Operation Yuletide is about Philippe DeRose and not Julian Alexeyev."
"I've seen the photos when the two of you were rescued," Pippa reminded her friend. "You can say whatever you want, but I know something must've happened between the two of you."
Something happened, sure, but that something was gone now.
"Well?"
Fleur mumbled out her answer in hopes of Pippa not catching it.
"You kissed?!"
Shit.
Just as Pippa was about to demand for details, like any more-curious-than-concerned friend would understandably do, Fleur was saved from further embarrassment when she saw a nursemaid speak to Pippa.
"This is not over," Pippa warned a moment later, having been forced to cut their call short.
"Happy breastfeeding," was Fleur's cheerful response, but her smile faded as soon as Pippa's face disappeared from her screen.
It was so obvious that Pippa thought romance could be in the air between her and Julian, but nothing could be further than the truth...and that, Fleur was mature enough to admit, was mostly her fault.
Stephen's suddenly pointed questions had her in a panic, and the next thing she knew, she had already called the whole thing off and was thanking everyone for their time. A part of her had hoped that Julian would come after her as she walked away. Even though she instinctively knew it wasn't in his personality to do something so emotional, she had still hoped he would come after her. But he hadn't, and they had neither seen nor spoken to each other since then.
Pippa texted her again just as she was about to leave work, and Fleur quickly typed her response.
Fleur: omw 2 the gym. need to keep myself in shape bec competition is fierce...and younger.
Pippa: Are you saying Operation Yuletide is still on?
Fleur: elevator now. losing signal. ttyl
That was a lie, of course, since elevators still made her antsy. But it was that or listen to Pippa nag, since her friend was obviously still against Operation Yuletide.
Pre-love Pippa would have been more supportive, Fleur went on thinking as she got Maarten to drive her to Paradijs. Since Pippa herself had told Fleur that she used to be extremely practical, Fleur was certain that the old Pippa would have commended Fleur for taking a statistically sound approach to marriage.
But because losing her heart to Acheron had now made the other woman see the world through rose-colored glasses...
Everything now had to be about love, love, love, Fleur mentally grumbled to herself as she made her way to Paradijs' fitness center and changed into her gym clothes.
Why couldn't Pippa understand that it didn't always have to be perfect, and that love wasn't necessarily always the be all and end all of life?
Julian was out of the picture, Fleur told herself, and it was time to focus her attention back on Philippe. A marriage built on a stable foundation, she went on to convince herself as she got on the treadmill, was nothing to sneeze—-