Page 31 of Sprite Wedding
My stomach churned. “What was she doing there?”
He shrugged. “Beats me.”
The hair on the back of my neck rose. Something was up. Why was he reacting so strangely?
Was he not surprised about her being there? Tension wormed through the muscles in my body. My thoughts raced, darting dark alleys full of speculation and suspicion.
Maybe heknewshe was there. This strange woman might have been waiting for me to leave to go in and meet up with him.
Maybe his surprise was that I’d spotted her.
I tapped the side of my thigh. Was something going on between them?
If so, I’d damn well find out about it. I knew what she looked like and would keep an eye out for her.
One thing I wouldn’t stand for was being betrayed by someone I loved again. I’d been there once. It hurt too much to live through it again.
The next day,I avoided Lucas at work. I’d told him I needed some space and wouldn’t be coming over that night. He appeared hurt but tried to mask it with a smile.
“No problem. I know you’re probably sick of me by now.”
That wasn’t it. I’d gotten myself worked up after seeing that woman near his house twice. It might be completely innocent. I might be ultra-sensitive since I’d recently run into Bryan, which resurrected some painful memories of that betrayal. Whatever it was, I needed to take some time to let things sit.
Nova told me she was going to Gianna’s club that night and invited me to join her. Yes, that’s exactly what I needed—a distraction.
Later that night, Nova and I walked into the Danger Zone, Gianna’s retro rock club. Bonham’s “Wait for You” played from the speakers. The scent of fruity cocktails stirred my interest. I could use a tasty beverage.
Red and purple lights shone down over the bar. Gianna stood at the end, wearing a slinky black dress. When she spotted us, she gave us an enthusiastic wave and strode over.
Silver bangles on her wrists tinkled as she approached our table. “Ladies, glad you can make it.” She wore heeled boots that gave her extra height. I was already short enough around her, but now she towered over me like a statuesque goddess.
“Glad we could make it.” Nova grinned.
“How about I bring over a pitcher of margaritas?” Gianna suggested.
“Sounds good to me,” I replied.
Once she returned with drinks, she sat across from me, and we could see eye to eye. That was better.
We chatted as we drank as older rock songs played. A few people stopped by to say hi to Gianna, and she headed to the bar a couple of times to take care of things.
“Zoe, you should come out more often. It’s fun having a night out without the guys,” Gianna said.
“Yes, I agree.” I rubbed my hands across my lap. Should I bring up what was on my mind? It was kind of complicated since they were married to Lucas’s friends, so whatever I revealed to them could get back to him. But I needed to talk to someone. I only trusted a few people, and Nova and Gianna were on that short list.
“Can I talk to you about something personal?” I asked. Discomfort prickled my skin. Admitting anything personal was far out of my comfort zone.
“Sure, what is it?” Nova asked with a concerned look.
Before I lunged into explaining about the encounter with the dark-haired woman, sounding like a jealous girlfriend, I stepped back to when things seemed off. “All this stuff with Lucas. I know he might not have been in complete control of his mind and perhaps his body, but I can’t help but think that some of this is coming from a subconscious level.”
Gianna rubbed between her eyes. She then raised her hand up. “Hold up, back up. What are we talking about exactly?”
Ugh, yes, I’d leapt right into my concern without any context. Gianna hadn’t even been there that night and seen any of this.
“I’m talking about the weird instances with him dancing.” They knew about both situations. “The cruise was odd, but him returning to Ripped? That really bothers me. It makes me think that maybe his leaving was a mistake. That he’s missing something. That although he denies it, he secretly longs to go back.”
Wow, did I really reveal all those deep concerns to them? I guess I’d been bottling my worries inside, and they needed to get out.
