Free Love to Hate Her by Kristina Lorie

Love to Hate Her
     
    Chapter One
     
    God, she’s beautiful , he
thought.  Andrew glanced over at his fiancé.  She was doing her nails
in his car.  Again.  The fumes were nauseating, and he really hated
when she did that.  But, he loved to make her happy, and he knew what he
was about to tell her would not.  It can wait , he told himself for
the thousandth time that day. 
    Nicole stretched her arm out to the
dashboard, turned it sideways, and admired her hand.  Tangerine
Crush.  The color would be perfect with a tan.  Although, she
thought, she always looked good anyway.  They were leaving in five days,
and she’d never been out of the states: To say she was excited was an under
statement. 
    She opened the window just a crack
to let out the fumes, and a strand of auburn whipped up and out as the rest of
her hair cascaded in lazy curls over her shoulders.  Nicole’s hair had
been pinned up and under a wide-brimmed hat all day.  When they were
leaving the party she’d let it down, and Andrew stopped dead in his
tracks.  Gorgeous.
    She pursed her lips and blew on her
wet nails, taunting him through the corner of her eye, and anticipation tingled
up his spine.  He loved her.  How couldn’t he?  God she’s
beautiful , he thought again.  She was perfect.
    God he makes me sick . 
Nicole flashed Andrew a smile from the passenger’s seat as the thought ran
rampant through her head.  But – it’s worth it . The Rock on her
finger glistened in the afternoon sun and she caressed it lovingly between
coats.  Well worth it.  She reached over and slid her hand
slowly up his thigh and gave him a wink.  He accelerated. 
               
Andrew and Nicole had spent the weekend at a family party in Connecticut,
and were now driving down I-95 on the way home to Philadelphia.  It was his family’s
party, so it was a little stuffy for her taste.
    Her family?  They would have been
in shorts, drinking beer, eating barbeque chicken with their fingers and
swearing at each other all day.  Andrew’s family ate tiny bites of food
off small plates with smaller forks, and all kissed each other twice: 
Once on each cheek.  Not Nicole’s cup of tea, but she put up with it.
    The kicker, for her, was the way
these people dressed.  Nothing was normal, she mused.  All prim and
proper, every function needed a particular outfit.  There were gowns for
the opera, flowing dresses and hats for polo matches, short, uncomfortable, hot
in the sun linen dresses for backyard reunions.  And so many polka
dots!  What was it with rich people and polka dots?
    Another keen observation:  No
shriveled up old ladies in this family.  Rather, chic, face-lifted
proper matrons with perfect make-up and perfect teeth.  Crazy. 
    “How are the wedding plans, my
dear?”  Andrew’s Aunt Meara had cornered her that day, with her 80 year
old skin so shiny and white, stretched across her face like moleskin on a fat
lady’s ass.  She placed her gloved hand lightly on Nicole’s
shoulder.  Nicole held her giggle from her own thoughts, held Aunt Meara’s
other hand in both her own, and kissed her, once on each cheek.  She
learned quick.
    “Lovely,” she answered.  “Even
with a wedding planner, there’s so much to do!  So much more than I
thought.” 
    “I’m sure you’ll do a wonderful
job, Nicole.  You’re such a fine, young lady.” 
    “Oh, thank you, Aunt Meara.” 
Nicole smiled a cordial smile, and thought If the old bat only knew…  Then
she giggled again in her head.
    Before she met him, Nicole was a
t-shirt and jeans kind of girl.  But for each of these functions, Drew
took her shopping.  This was good.  Now, she had a closet full of
clothes that cost more than her mother’s home. 
    Nicole, or Nikki, for short, was a
bank teller.  She hated her job, but had met Andrew there, and he was her
ticket out.  She knew from his deposit that he had money.  She
learned later that he came from money.  A lot