Page 26 of First in Line

When the uncontrollable heat of jealous anger rises in me, I distract myself by looking around at the place. I booked this restaurant because being around high-end people means I’ll have a quiet dinner, without too many interruptions. Most of these people know how to act and aren’t as fazed by someone of my level of fame.

And while it wasn’t the goal, being here will allow me to show her what I can afford now. She already knows, but giving her visual confirmation will heal something that broke in me a long time ago.

We won’t need to run off to some shitty diner and have desserts instead. I could pay for everyone’s bill tonight, and it wouldn’t even make a dent in my bank account. Finally, I’ve made it to the top.

But she isn’t here anymore to reap the benefits of her investment.

I can still remember, so vividly, how I wanted to give her the entire world. Becoming the best driver of my generation used to be a selfish goal, the egotistical dream of a teenager from a dirt-poor household. But after meeting her, after we fell in love, my intent became more selfless. I wanted to make it forher. Because she believed in me more than anyone else ever had. I had to prove her right, had to make it to the top, had to get her thesurf and turf and fucking snails. Have to buy the house in Italy I promised her.

But I fucked it up along the way, and I’ll never get to give her all that.

My mood turns sour. Or it’s been that way since she ambushed me at that hotel weeks ago. She brought it all back with her hazel eyes and perfect little body.

It’s ten minutes past the time we agreed on when I see her enter the restaurant. Beside her, the man wears a petrol-blue suit slightly too big for him. As they wait for the maître d’ to take care of them, she turns around and smooths the fabric of his jacket down his chest, then adjusts the lapels. They’re both anxious, I can tell even from here. But they have no reason to be, do they? They’re the happily engaged couple. I’m nothing but the discarded husband.

My gaze follows as a server brings them through the restaurant all the way to my table. The moment she notices me, Evie gives me one of her warning looks, telling me to behave or else.

Once they’re only a few steps away, I rise from my chair. “Sorry, we had a hard time finding a parking spot,” her fiancé explains with a wince.

“They offer valet service,” I counter, extending my hand to shake his.

He answers my silent greeting, and I squeeze his hand a little harder than necessary. “Evie didn’t want to pay fifty bucks for someone to park our car,” he justifies before sitting down.

Evangeline looks lovely in a cream dress that hides very little of her hourglass figure. I’d stare at her to my heart’s content, but I can’t help examining her fiancé instead. The man in the flesh.

“So, Nathan, we finally meet.”

“Yes. When Evie told me you insisted on meeting me, I was surprised, but who would pass up the opportunity to meet such a legend?”

When I look at her, she averts her gaze. “Evie and I used to be best friends,” I explain. “And then, well, we got married. No matter what trajectory our lives take, there’ll always be room for her in my heart. So, of course, I wanted to meet the man she wants to marry now.”

She keeps ignoring me, reading her menu instead. A server, who was instructed to wait for the rest of my party to arrive, comes to us with a bottle of wine.

“I took the liberty of ordering a Château Lafite Rothschild,” I explain as he busies himself with opening it. “I hope it’s alright.”

“It sounds expensive,” Nathan says with a tense chuckle.

“Oh, don’t worry. It’s on me. This whole evening is.”

“You’re not paying for our dinners,” Evie protests, still staring at her menu.

The waiter is done pouring a tasting amount into my glass, so I bring it to my lips and sip on the deep garnet liquid. I keep the expensive, tangy wine in my mouth, shift it a couple of times, and then swallow. I return the glass to the table and nod at the waiter, who then pours it into everyone’s glasses.

Once he’s gone, I tell Evie, “Don’t be ridiculous. I meant to pay for everything when I booked this place.”

“That’s—that won’t be necessary,” Nathan intervenes. “We’re being careful with money because we’re saving for a down payment on a house, but we can afford this. Right, honey?”

“We can,” she confirms, offering him a forced smile.

“You’re buying a house?”

“For now, we each have our respective places, but after the wedding, I’m cancelling my lease, Evie is selling her house, and we’re buying something together.”

“I see. Will it have a pool?”

Finally, she looks up from her menu and brings her eyes to mine. Again, it’s to issue a silent warning, but I don’t mind. Not if it means those rich, hazel irises are on me.

“Hm, we never talked about this,” Nathan hesitates, oblivious to our silent exchange. “It’ll depend on our budget, but why not? Though a pool is a lot of maintenance, and I’m not sure we want that kind of hassle.”