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Lauren glanced around the paralyzed restaurant. She wanted to tell everyone to turn back their chairs and mind their own business, but like the rest of the captive voyeurs all she could do was look on in horror.
After a few more seconds, the silence became unbearable. “So, does this mean, no?” Nate said.
Lauren cringed. She wanted to leap from the table and pull Nate off his knees. But poor guy, he must have been in shock, because he continued in the classic proposal position, despite the fact it was obvious that Jessica was turning him down.
Jessica, realizing that everyone was staring at them, plastered a smile on her face. “Nate, sweetheart, can we discuss this somewhere more…private?”
Nate slowly got up, pocketed the ring and sat back down. The violinist seemed as gobsmacked as Nate. Initially unsure of whether to not to resume playing, he now took the initiative and began another round of My Heart Will Go On.
Ted snorted. “What a loser!”
Lauren fought the urge to splash her drink in Ted’s face. Free food and a chance to wear the dress weren’t nearly enough compensation for having to sit through a dinner with him.
Everyone went back to eating. Two minutes ago it had been quiet enough to hear a pin drop, but now the noise level had risen to an excited hush. Poor Nate. The whole restaurant was talking about him. Lauren didn’t think she’d ever witnessed anyone be publicly humiliated before. It was…awful.
The violinist finally finished playing. She watched from the corner of her eye as Nate stood and handed the man some money. She also noticed that Jessica was smiling and eating as if nothing had happened, while Nate still seemed to be in a daze.
Lauren didn’t fault the girl for turning down Nate’s proposal. She knew better than anyone that marriage wasn’t to be taken lightly. But she did fault Jessica for having so little empathy for the man she was obviously in a relationship with.
Ted was in the middle of a story detailing his company’s latest corporate kill. Lauren was struggling to finish her surf and turf (she was going to eat every last bite of it, even if her stomach exploded), when she stood. “Excuse me, I need to use the restroom.” She grabbed her purse and escaped to the ladies room.
She was in the middl
e of washing her hands when Jessica walked in. They smiled awkwardly at one another. Jessica set her bag down on the counter, took out a compact and proceeded to touch up her face. Lauren could feel the redhead’s gaze on her.
“That’s a really cool dress you have on,” Jessica said.
Lauren was surprised the other woman had initiated conversation. Jessica liked vintage clothing! Which meant she couldn’t be all bad. “Thank you. Your dress is lovely, too.”
Jessica glanced down at her black dress and shrugged. “My boyfriend told me to wear something nice for tonight’s dinner, but I really had no idea…” Her cheeks went pink.
“I’m sorry. That must have been awful for you out there.”
She whipped around. “Right! Now I look like the bad guy while he’s sitting out there pouting. It was so embarrassing, having all those people stare at me!”
Lauren cleared her throat. “I meant, awful for you because you had to hurt him like that.”
“Who? Nate?” She laughed. “Trust me, he’s not hurt. More like confused.”
Lauren could feel the little hairs on the back of her neck rise.
Sensing Lauren’s reaction, Jessica continued. “I know what you must be thinking. Poor guy, how could he not know what my answer would be in advance? But believe me, we’ve had this conversation more times than I can count.” She turned back to the mirror and began reapplying her lipstick. She was pretty, Lauren thought. Really pretty. Tall, and leggy and probably only about twenty-five, twenty-six, tops.
“I met Nate my first year of law school,” Jessica said. “He was finishing med school and he was so…smart. We’ve been together forever, but he’s the most stubborn man I’ve ever met. I have this fantastic job with a huge corporate firm in Miami, yet he insists on practicing in this little backwater town.” She paused and made a face. “Sorry, I don’t mean to be rude. You’re probably thinking why is this girl telling me all this? I love Nate. I really do. But sometimes men just need to be guided in the right direction, you know?”
Lauren was beginning to think maybe Jessica had had a touch too much champagne. She should excuse herself from the conversation and ditch the bathroom. It was bad enough that she’d had a front row seat to Nate’s botched proposal, but she couldn’t help where they’d been seated. Listening to his girlfriend air their dirty laundry in the bathroom, however, seemed wrong. For some reason, though, her feet seemed incapable of moving.
“The right direction?” Lauren asked.
Jessica glanced around the empty bathroom. “You seem like a really nice person. What do you think? Should I give up my career for his?”
“Absolutely not,” Lauren said.
“Right!” She reached out and hugged Lauren. Yep. The girl had drunk too much champagne, all right. “My mother says I’m an idiot. Men like Nate don’t grow on trees, and all that. But I say I’ve worked too hard to just throw everything away, especially when he’s been offered this once in a lifetime fellowship in Miami. He could be a surgeon! He could make tons of money and I would have my dream job and we would be brilliantly happy. Instead, he wants to look down people’s throats all day long while I stay at home and bake chocolate chip cookies for the 2.5 brats he expects me to pop out.”
Oh dear.
“And…the two of you have never discussed this before?”
