“Setting down standards so that a man treats you well is not bossing him around, and anyone who doesn’t treat you well and make you feel loved is a shitgibbon,” Sharon insisted, utilizing one of Angel’s favorite insults. It had such a nice ring to it.

Covering her mouth, Courtney giggled, looking a lot less teary. Then her expression dropped.

“My parents will be so disappointed in me if we break up,” she said mournfully.

“That’s because they wouldn’t have to live with him,” Sharon pointed out. “Look at your sisters. Rina married Dave, like your parents wanted her to, and is now miserable and cheating on him with every man she can sink her claws into. Melinda, on the other hand, is marrying who?”

“Mark,” Courtney answered, her smile returning.

“And did your parents want her to marry Mark?”

“Definitely not.”

Melinda had met Mark at college and while he was successful in his own right, he didn’t ‘bring anything to the table,’ as Aunt Lorraine put it. Nothing other than warmth, love, and making Melinda excessively happy.

“So, who would you choose as relationship goals?”

“Yeah I get it,” Courtney said, elbowing Sharon gently. She sighed. “It’s just harder than it sounds.”

“Oh, I know, honey,” Sharon sympathized. “But it’s worth it to be happy in the end.”

The muffled ding of the dinner bell had both of their heads turning. Sharon gave Courtney a quick hug.

“We’ll talk more this weekend,” she told her cousin. “But seriously, just remember, if he really wants you, he needs to be willing to meet you at least halfway and he should damn well be treating you as well as you’re treating him. Which, from what I’ve seen, means he should be treating you a million times better than he currently is.”

“Thank you, Shar,” Courtney said, looking incredibly relieved before they went back into the other room, just in time to see Melinda and Mark doing the official welcome for the evening.

Sharon was feeling pretty good about herself until she looked over at Jake to find him staring at her with a seriously pissed off expression on his face with Rina next to him looking smug.

Fucking donkey dicks.

14

Dinner was a pretty uncomfortable experience for Jake, although he did his best. He was pissed at Sharon and for some reason she seemed ticked at him too, which only pissed him off even more.

He wasn’t the one who had made a scene, no matter the provocation.

He hadn’t set her up to be looked down on by anyone.

He hadn’t gone around telling anyone they were fuck buddies.

He hadn’t brought her to an event as a guest then attempted to abandon her once before successfully abandoning her.