Page 66 of The Player's Obsession

I can’t help but see Melanie’s look of shock as we pass her table. I stop and introduce myself. It would be rude not to since we are close enough to shake hands, and there’s a lull in the music. Oliver shakes Nathan’s hand and says, “Congratulations, it’s a great party.”

It’s as if there was never a breakup and residual tension. Everyone is smiling and getting along.

I call it progress.

Back at our table, Stephanie says, “You blew me away. You should have seen the way the two of you looked at each other.” She puts her hand over her heart. “You had me.”

“You guys did great!” Rose adds. I take that as a compliment since she’s a singer by trade.

“Thank you. I’m no singer,” I say.

“You did great, honey,” Oliver says, rubbing my back.

“Thank you.” I hope my feelings aren’t written all over my face as I gaze into his eyes. There’s a twinkle I didn’t notice earlier. He gains points for being a sport about being set up like that. I wonder who put our names down on the list. I can picture Serena doing it for social media content. I wouldn’t put it past her to record a video and post it for the world to see.

Hell, maybe it was Melanie just turning the screws one last time. We’ll never know, and as long as no blood was shed, it’s not an issue. Oliver did warn me that I wouldn’t enjoy every person I met this weekend.

The evening progresses. I enjoy chatting with Rose and Stephanie. Will they be my friends when this weekend of lies is over? I owe Oliver a few more weeks to plan a breakup. I prefer not to think about it because I’m having a good time.

I excuse myself to use the bathroom, and Rose goes with me.

“You two are a cute couple,” she says. “The media can be brutal. My fiancé left me on my wedding day, and Travis was there to protect me from the press. It just snowballed from there.” She’s animated and walks as fast as she talks. We arrive at the ladies' room. Thankfully, there’s no line. I’m learning that champagne finds the quickest exit route, and my bladder is ready to explode.

“I know the feeling. Sometimes, when you least expect it, someone comes into your life, and it changes everything.” I hope I don’t burn in hell for adding fuel to the marriage fire. I can’t confess to Rose. It’s bad enough that Lucinda knows what I’m doing. I think Oliver suspects she knows what’s going on. I mean, we did have a helluva shopping day. A man isn’t going to be spending that kind of money unless he’s getting something out of the deal.

I’m trying not to think about the gorgeous bed in the room as I relieve my bladder. We meet at the sink.

Serena breezes in like a witch on a broom.

“Hello, ladies. I have to tell you, Penelope, you and Oliver were adorbs on stage.” She takes paper towels and blots at her makeup before she pulls a brush and compact out of her clutch, applies bronzing powder to her face, and reapplies her lipstick.

“It was fun.” I’m not giving her the satisfaction of knowing we were blindsided. Rose and I both reach for our lipstick.

“I think Oliver kissed off my lipstick. My lips are dry. I’m still getting used to how cold winter is here,” I say to Rose.

“Oh, well, you might want to buy lots of moisturizer and skin care products as the wind is as bad as the Florida sun on age lines. No one wants to chafe,” Rose says, and I chuckle.

I think Serena will rush to the store to buy Vaseline to protect her face from aging. She’s not a local if her tan lines are real.

“Later, girls,” Serena says as she blows out as quickly as she flew in.

“She’s something else,” I say.

“I was warned about her. She’s a handful. We have to stick together, y’know?”

“Yeah, my best friend is alone this weekend, and I feel terrible. I didn’t even realize it was New Year's.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. You’re going to call her, aren’t you?” Rose is genuinely concerned about someone being alone on a festive occasion. Her empathy touches me. She is proof that not everyone here is a stuck-up snob.

“I’m in touch with her all the time. By the way, I’m happy we met. What kind of music do you sing?” We exit the bathroom and take our time returning to the table. I’m getting tired. The long drive and all the excitement are beginning to take a toll.

“I’m a country singer. I have a few songs out. I fly to some of Travis’s games. He’s going on the road with me this summer. That should be interesting.” I hear the teasing sarcasm in her voice.

“He doesn’t like to travel?”

“He’s not used to seeing me with an all-male band. Living in a bus, on top of each other, day in and day out, is a new experience for both of us, but he’s a sweetheart, so it should be okay.”

“I get it. He’ll be out of his comfort zone and taking a backseat while you work on your career.”

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