Page 55 of An Engagement Pact

Joey is usually the social master of this group, but she’s still giving her clueless husband a frustrated glare. But Paige jumps into the lurch to talk about a quilter she just found and made a connection with for her business, and everyone else gratefully moves on to the new subject.

Dan recognizes something is off. I can barely participate in the conversation. At one point, he leans over and murmurs in my ear, “What’s the matter?”

I shrug off the question and discreetly pull away from him. I don’t want him to touch me at the moment.

I want to go back to a few minutes ago when I didn’t know what I know now.

***

WE ONLY STAY ABOUTforty minutes, but it’s far too long as far as I’m concerned. Every second of trying desperately to not completely fall apart is painful. Torture. And I feel both relieved and doomed when I finally escape everyone else’s company.

But I haven’t escaped from Dan.

He’s right beside me, and he keeps giving me confused and worried looks.

He makes it until we get into his car when he bursts out, “What the hell is going on?” His tone is frustrated but not mean.

I shrink away from it anyway because the faint helplessness I hear in his voice makes me want to cry.

“Vicky, please. You’ve got to tell me what happened. Why have you been about to cry for almost an hour now? What happened while I was getting our drinks?”

“Nothing happened,” I manage to force out.

“Don’t lie to me. I know something happened, and I need to know what it is right now. Did someone say something to upset you? Did someone hurt your feelings?”

“N-no.”

“Then what the hell is it?”

I breathe raspily, still struggling to hold back the tears that are burning in my eyes.

Dan has turned on the car but not put it into drive yet. He shifts in his seat to face me. “Vicky, tell me. I’m going crazy here. Tell me right now!”

I take a few more breaths until my throat relaxes enough to get a few words out. “It’s really not a big deal.”

“Then it shouldn’t be a problem to tell me. But if it makes you cry, then it’s a big damn deal to me.”

He means it. I can hear that he means it.

But maybe I’ve never really known him. Maybe I’ve misinterpreted everything.

Maybe I’ve never been special to him. Just the one woman who was willing to go through with his ridiculous plan.

That thought makes a sob tighten in my throat. I try to swallow over it, but a weird gurgle of sound comes out anyway.

“Vicky, please,” he whispers hoarsely, reaching over to cup my cheek.

I jerk my head away from his touch. I can’t bear it. Not right now.

He looks as hurt and surprised as if I’d slapped him.

I can suddenly speak. “I told you it’s nothing big. Carlton mentioned that you went around asking every woman you know to marry you.”

Dan blinks. Freezes. I can see the words process on his face. “Why... why would he say that to you?”

“Because he assumed it wasn’t a secret. He assumed I already knew. He wasn’t trying to be mean or anything. He just didn’t know.”

“He shouldn’t have—”

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