Page 62 of Past Due

"Please,” she begged. “I don’t love him,” she added hastily. “It’s just a bit of fun, you know? Nothing serious. He’s not looking for long-term either. I don’t want to deal with Luka’s bullshit over a guy I’m not going to marry."

“Does Niklas share your feelings?” I worried she may not have a clear grasp on what Niklas wanted.

“He does. He’s not planning to be here much longer anyway. He’s closing up shop in a month and moving on to South America.”

“And you’re okay with that?”

“I’m perfectly okay with that.”

“He’s not pressuring you to do anything you aren’t comfortable with before he goes?”

She sniffed and lifted her chin in a daring way. “I’d like to see him try.”

I figured he just might but let it go. She seemed to have a good handle on her boundaries and what she wanted. “I won’t go out of my way to tell Besian.”

“Thank you.” She squeezed my hand in solidarity. “I appreciate it.”

“If he asks,” I warned.

“I understand.”

As she flitted back to Niklas and down the VIP stairs to the main dance floor, I felt guilty for making that promise to her. I didn’t know how to navigate the family dynamics while respecting Rina’s right to make her own choices and abiding by my promise to not keep secrets from Besian. No matter which decision I made, someone was going to get their feelings hurt or feel injured.

“I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Stefana elegantly rose from her chair and flirtatiously tapped Andres right on the nose. “You stay right here. You owe me a dance when I get back.”

We watched Stefana leave, and Andres scooted over to her vacated seat so we were close enough to talk. We chatted about my trip to see the castle and Besian’s impromptu proposal before discussing Andres’ plans for the next few days.

“My brother had a chance to take a last-minute holiday. He’s laying over in Tirana tomorrow morning, and we’re catching a flight back to Barcelona together to surprise our parents.”

“That’s nice! I’m sure they’ll love to see you both.”

“When are you going back to Houston?” he asked, leaning in to hear me better.

“In a few days,” I said and drank the last of my champagne. “What about you?”

“I have another six days until I have to be back in The Woodlands.” He made a face. “I keep telling myself that if I work hard for another ten or fifteen years, save and invest like crazy I can retire before I’m forty.”

“And then what?”

“Travel. Learn a new language. Write a book.” He shrugged. “The possibilities are endless.” He eyed me with genuine curiosity. “What about you? Where do you see yourself in ten or fifteen years?”

“Packing lunches while snarking on Besian for not remembering that it’s his turn to carpool the kids to school,” I conjectured with a laugh. “Slapping a Band-Aid on a scraped knee. Complaining that no one helps me with the laundry.”

“I can see that.” Andres studied me. “You have a mother’s kindness about you.”

Giving into that mothering streak of mine, I glanced over at the nearby couch and noticed Rina and Niklas hadn’t come back from their dance. Then, it occurred to me that Stefana also hadn’t returned. A long line at the bathrooms would explain her absence, but I worried she might have had another run-in with that creep. I needed to go anyway so I decided to head down to see if I could see Rina and Niklas and find Stefana, just in case.

“I’ll be back in a few minutes. Don’t run off!” I gave Andres’ shoulder a squeeze. “I’m going to see what’s keeping Stefana.”

“Watch your purse,” Andres urged. “Lots of pickpockets!”

“I will.” I left the VIP area. The trip down the stairs was more daunting than going up, and I could tell my poor feet would be sore and swollen when we returned to Rina’s mansion.

One of the guards who had come with us was standing near the stairs. The others must have gone into the crowd to shadow Rina and Niklas. The sentry at the stairs stepped close, as if to stop me, and I gestured toward the bathrooms. He glanced at the neon sign on the far side of the building and nodded. Not sure I liked having a guard watching my every step, I weaved in and out of the dance floor.

I finally spotted Rina and Niklas near the center of the dancing throng. They looked ridiculously happy together, and he was an excellent dancer. Of course, both of the guards keeping an eye on Rina had permanent scowls on their faces. Anytime Niklas got too close, they would move forward, and her boyfriend would nervously move back. It was almost as if the four of them were dancing a two-step.

When I reached the corridor, there wasn’t a line at all, and when I stepped inside the surprisingly spacious and well-lit restroom, I looked around for Stefana. When I didn’t see her at the sink, I ducked into a stall and handled my business. As soon as I was done, I washed my hands and looked again for her.

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