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“A date?” Mom asked her brows furrowed in confusion.
A freaking date?
“I didn’t know he was dating anyone,” she replied, taking Bryce into the kitchen with her. “I mean, it’s no problem. Lindsey, can you set another place?”
“Sure, Mom,” I replied, my stomach feeling queasy now at the prospect of meeting Taz’s girlfriend.
What an idiot I had been with my school-girl crush going on like that for weeks. I had been so out of touch with reality, thinking how almost intimate it would have been having just the four of us adults sharing Thanksgiving dinner.
I was pathetic. I realized that now as I slapped another place setting down at the dining room table, the china rattling noisily.
“Is everything alright out there, Lindsey?” Mom called from the kitchen.
“Fine, Mom,” I replied, gritting my teeth.
Thirty minutes later, I had managed to pull my emotions together, putting on my best, congenial attitude for the evening. I had no one to blame except myself for thinking Taz and I could ever be anything to each other.
I was in the nursery, putting Bryce down for the night when I heard the doorbell ring.
I heard Slate holler that he had it as I walked from the nursery to the kitchen. Mom was just putting the food in that needed warming up when I got there.
“Would you like a glass of wine, Lindsey?” she asked. I was grateful as hell for the offer.
“Sounds good, Mom.”
She poured each of us a glass of white wine.
Several moments later, we heard the sound of footsteps coming closer from the hallway towards the family room that was right off of the kitchen.
I saw Taz’s girlfriend first. She was following Slate into the family room. She was tall, slender and had jet black hair that went to her waist. She was a bit exotic looking, but certainly not ugly in any way, shape or form.
Then I saw him following behind her. His eyes immediately met mine, briefly. He looked away as if he felt guilty about something. How strange.
My mother immediately headed over to greet our guests with her well borne manners and cordiality.
“Honey,” Slate said, “this is Roxie Stratton, Taz’s friend who is joining us for dinner this evening. Roxie, this is my wife, Sammie.”
I felt like a statue as the rest of the introductions were made. Roxie seemed nice enough. We shook hands and then Mom ushered everyone out to the family room with the instructions they were to make themselves comfortable.
She told me to join them while Slate got their drink orders and she pulled some of the cold appetizers out of the refrigerator that we had prepared earlier.
God! Do I have to, Mom?
Somehow, I survived the small talk during our drinks and appetizers.
I managed to hold my own during dinner, sneaking into the kitchen a couple of times under the pretense of refilling the gravy boat where I chugged another glass of wine down quickly.
By the time dinner was over, and dessert was being served, I had a nice little buzz going unbeknownst to anyone.
Well, Taz might have known, because it seemed as if he was continually glancing over at me. I caught him watching me in my peripheral vision a couple of times. He wasn’t all that attentive to his girlfriend either. She didn’t seem to be upset by this. She was probably used to it.
I excused myself to go upstairs. I needed to find my phone and call Darcy. The thought of sitting around for after dinner conversation like a pathetic fifth wheel did not appeal to me in the least. It was only 8:30 p.m. They could be here for another couple of hours. No freaking way.
I was relieved when Darcy answered. She was as bored as I was at her house. She said she would swing by and pick me up. According to her, there were several clubs with live bands playing tonight. It was a major party night. It sounded good to me.
I brushed my teeth, touched up my makeup, putting on heavier eye shadow and liner for night lights. I added lipstick.
Now what to wear?
