I see a hand waving us forward from a table in the center of the room. Wanda gestures that way, since the music is so loud as we pass the jukebox that I wouldn’t be up to hear her anyway.
The woman lowers her head and smiles at both of us. She’s a stocky redhead, with a charmingly old-fashioned bobbed haircut, the kind with bangs and curls. She wears heavy-rimmed tortoiseshell glasses and a large cocktail ring.
Holding out her hand, she smiles at me broadly, revealing a gap between her two front teeth. I decide I like her immediately as I shake her hand.
“I’m Elise!” she grins.
Wanda slides around to her side of the table and kisses her on the cheek, drawing back with an affectionate, bubbly smile. I can see it’s already happening. They are already falling for each other. The way they gaze at each other so happily, so excited just to be a mere twelve inches apart, tells the whole story.
“I’m Penny!” But nobody is listening to me anymore.
A shirtless waiter swoops past the table, holding up a finger to indicate he’ll be right back.
“I didn’t know what you liked,” Elise explains, “or I would have ordered you something. What do you like?”
“She likes millionaires!” Wanda announces.
I roll my eyes and try to ignore her. I know she’s going to be extra cheeky for the rest of the night.
“Oh, nothing too sweet. Dry white wine, dirty martini. What are you having?”
“Vodka gimlet,” she smiles.
“Well that is just the perfect drink for you,” I remark. “Goes with your outfit and everything!”
She glances down, surprised, then holds the skirt toward Wanda.
“Oh, wow! I’m wearing a lime print! I didn’t even think about that, honest!”
Wanda taps the tip of the Elise’s nose with her fingertips. “You are just too good!”
The waiter comes back, and I order a gimlet as well, since I haven’t had anything like that in a while. Wanda orders a sweet red wine and continues staring at Elise.
I am going to be the third wheel all night.
Which is fine. I’m glad she found someone. Back in Albany, she was frustrated with dating. She went out, but couldn’t seem to connect with anybody. It’s nice to see her opening up to someone.
I haven’t been so lucky, but haven’t really put a lot of effort into it either. There were a few dates here and there, but Ethan’s father, Bryce, taught me to be cautious.
Back in the days before Internet dating, I always looked for personal connections. Shared friends, maybe coworkers. Dating has always seemed to me to be a slightly embarrassing routine. As though just by doing it, you’re admitting to everyone that you’re spending time and swapping fluids with somebody you don’t really know very well.
When I met Bryce, he came with the full endorsement of everybody on my team. He had a successful development in Connecticut, and people were a little bit star-struck by his presence.
Jet-black hair, icy blue eyes, a smile that could break your heart. No one could really blame me, right?
Our whirlwind romance came to an abrupt stop when he canceled a weekend getaway at the last minute, and I heard a voice in the background. A woman’s voice.
His wife.
To say I was crushed would be an understatement. I was absolutely mortified.
Then I found out I was also pregnant.
Bryce’s reaction was startling, to say the least. He was like stone. The next time I saw him, there was barely any recognition in his eyes. He shrugged almost complacently. He said he was sorry. That he got carried away. That it didn’t mean anything.
I told him I was pregnant, and he suggested that I not have the baby. I suggested that his opinion could fall off a cliff.
That was really the last time I spoke to him. He never made any attempt to contact me, and I could never bring myself to do any more damage to his family than I already had.