Page 98 of The Lies I Told
Another stint in rehab was all we needed, but I’d rise to the occasion as I always did.
“We’re here,” the driver said.
I realized then that the Uber had rolled up in front of the historic restaurant in the city’s Northside. “Thank you.”
Climbing out, I muscled away the tension with a shoulder roll and allowed the cool air to temper the anger that had left my face warm and flushed.
My smile was forced, but as I held it,andheld it, it felt more natural. Like my mother, I used the same damn smile to get through the worst of life. And I’d keep it plastered on all evening even if it killed me.
I pushed through the doors of the restaurant, annoyed by the blast of heat. There’d been something comforting about the shivering air. Discomfort kept me on my toes, made me think more clearly. Comfort, however, was dangerous. Easy to let one’s guard down if too lax.
The hostess was a young woman in her twenties with ice-blond hair, bright expressive eyes, and the scripted wordFearlesstattooed on her wrist.
“I’m meeting David Welbourne.”
Ms.Fearless checked her list and smiled. “He’s here. Right this way.”
“Thank you.”
I followed the woman’s swaying hips clad in too-tight black pants. Aware of white tablecloths, soft music, and the hum of subdued conversation, we moved around tables and rounded a column. David was sitting at a corner table, and when he spotted me, he rose, looking a little nervous. It was charming to see and made me feel better. His eyes slid over me, and I noted appreciation mingling with curiosity. He’d better like what he saw. I’d put enough thought into the outfit this morning.
Leaning in, I kissed him on the lips. He tasted of wine and nerves. “What’s got you so worked up?”
He touched his tie—an item I’d never seen him wear—and smiled. “You. Always you.”
I smiled. Once I’d been the center of attention in my parents’ lives, and then the twins had come along and my parents had become buried under a mountain of diapers, screams, and feeding schedules. Mommy and Daddy barely noticed me much after that.
But not tonight. Tonight, I had David. And I was his center. “I love you.”
His cheeks blushed in the most adorable way. “I love you.”
He held the back of my chair as I settled in my seat and placed a small beaded handbag in my lap. Carefully, I unfolded my napkin as he filled my wineglass with the open bottle on the table. He knew I liked a bottle best when it had time to breathe, time to soften. As I raised the glass, he sat and then clinked his against mine.
I sipped, trying to imagine Marisa staring at the open bottle in my kitchen. Of course, it’d been thoughtless of me to leave it behind. Not the kind of thing one does around an alcoholic. But Marisa had upset me. She’d thrown me off guard when she’d told me Clare had been pregnant. Dad had never told me she was expecting, but for some reason I couldn’t admit that to Marisa. I’d not been thinking when I lied.
“That was a far-off look,” David said.
I set my glass down carefully. “No far-off looks tonight. Just you.”
“You don’t have to do that with me.”
“What?”
“Hide what’s bothering you. I knew you were upset when you entered the room.”
“How could you know?”
“You purse your lips.” He puckered.
I laughed and sipped my wine again. I’d not known David in college, but since the day he’d walked into my life, he’d always been easy to be around. “My expression wasn’t that bad.”
“Maybe not for everyone else, but I’m getting to know you pretty well.”
Yes, he was. I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
“Tell me,” he said.
“The usual. Fight with the sister.”
