Page 85 of David's Proposal

My eyes move back and forth between them as their dialogue has the speed of a ping pong ball.

“What’s with him?” I ask.

Dahlia shifts her focus to me.

“You know his history.”

“Yes, I do. Everybody does,” I say, pretending I’m not invested in our exchange. At all.

I whip my eyes to Eve, hoping she knows more about this story just because she’s best friends with Rain Sexton.

They have been childhood friends, so she must know more about Rain’s old life.

“What does that mean?” I ask when neither of them speaks.

“He has sworn off serious relationships,” Dahlia says.

“What about the woman he is with tonight?” I ask, playing dumb. “Is she his girlfriend or something?”

“I don’t think David has ever had a girlfriend. Maybe when he was a teen,” Eve says.

“Something happened to him?” I ask.

“He was married,” Dahlia says.

“So I’ve heard. Things didn’t work out with that woman?” I go on.

Dahlia shrugs.

I know that story too. Everybody knows it.

Rumor has it his connection to Rain had something to do with his divorce. No surprise there.

“She left with a ton of money. And she was wealthy too.”

“Out of spite?”

“It wasn’t an amicable divorce, for sure. And no one thinks it was love either.”

I crash back in my seat and try to superimpose the image of the man I know on the character drawn by that story.

I have a hard time imagining David in a relationship. Even more so him being married. And no matter how much I try to envision that married man, it feels like my imagination is not up to the task.

Was he married to someone like Rain? Was the woman someone like me? Like Pam? Or someone I can’t even portray in my head at this point?”

“Has either of you seen his ex-wife?” I ask, curious.

Dahlia looks at Eve.

“No. She lives in another state.”

“Wasn’t he living in New York at some point?” I ask, pushing it––I know.

“He was seeing Rain in New York and doing business there, but no,” Eve says, and a kernel of suspicion glints in her eyes.

I quickly realize that asking about him no longer feels random, so I drop it.

“Well, he might be the exception, but I totally agree that luck plays a role in their lives too,” I say, intending to run my investigation someplace else.

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