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She runs an agitated hand over her face and stares straight ahead like she’s trying to control her emotions.
“I know how you feel about him. I don’t blame you. But I know what I’m doing,” I try to reassure her. And myself.
She doesn’t respond.
I want to tell her that I’m terrified of being stuck here. That I’m scared I’ve made a huge, irrevocable mistake in making this deal with Duke. That underneath the club wear and bravado, I’m a cowardly, frigid, dishonest, woman with a capacity for compartmentalizing that scares me.
After a few minutes of a tense standoff, I risk a glance at her and find her facing forward, her jaw clenched her eyes blinking rapidly.
“Dina…”
She holds a hand up and shakes her head without looking away from the road. “You don’t owe me an explanation.” The anger is gone from her voice. “We have different realities, and I am not walking in your shoes. If this is what you’ve decided is best, I’m happy for you, and I won’t say another word about it.”
I know how much that cost her to say. She’s the only person who has never broken her word to me. She never would. So, if I look her in the eye and say it like I mean it, she’ll never say another bad word about Duke. She’ll smile and be my maid of honor and give a toast wishing us well.
And that means no matter how hard it’ll be, I’m going to have to tell her. But after ten years in a Game of Thrones live action role play, I’m not as good with spontaneous honesty as I used to be.
“Let’s enjoy tonight, please. And then I promise, I’ll tell you everything.”
She reaches over the console and squeezes my hand. “Nice night first before we talk.”
She pulls into the parking space in front of a squat, crumbling brick building that’s sitting isolated in the mid
dle of a huge field that’s moonlighting as a parking lot. The blinking orange neon sign slapped haphazardly on the roof declares it “Corks Wine Bar.”
The name is an insult to wine bars. It looks like a rest stop.
“I thought we were going to the library’s grand opening?” I whip my head around to look at her. “Where are we?”
She shuts off the ignition and reaches into the backseat for her purse. “This is East Winsome's finest dining facility. My dad knows the owner, and he didn’t want a crowd of people trampling through the library scuffing up the floors.”
I chuckle and shake my head. “Sounds like your dad.”
“Let’s go!” Dina jumps out before I can demand she turn around and take me back home.
I step out of the car and my stilettos sink into the soft earth.
“Ugh, my shoes,” I groan and pull my heel free. I try to walk on the balls of my stupidly high heels. I almost fall on my face.
“Do like me,” Dina yells, and I look up to see her shoes dangling from her fingers. I glare at her and then lean against one of the cars parked around us and pull my shoes off. I shudder at the damp grass sticking to my feet with each step, and hurry to catch up to her.
“Sorry, should have told you to take ‘em off in the car,” she says without any hint of apology in her smile as I approach her.
I don’t smile back and bend over to wipe the grass off my feet and slip my shoes back on. “I can’t believe I got dressed up.”
She only grins wider and throws her arms open in dramatic fashion. “And it’s karaoke and open mic night.”
A sudden burst of apprehension halts my steps.
Dina turns around, her expression turning to confused concern as she walks back to where I’m standing. “You don’t have to sing.”
I eye the door. “No, that’s not it. I just…I have a bad feeling. Wolfe isn’t exactly a well loved name in these parts.”
She loses her concerned look and ribs me gently with her elbow.
“You need to get out more, babe. There’s nothing bad in there but the service. Come on.”
I know I’m being a sore sport and just letting my nerves get the best of me. “Fine. But I draw the line at karaoke.”
