Daniel didn't point any of it out.
He answered the kids' questions instead.
Yes, he had been in commercials.
No, he was not famous.
Yes, he had once played a pirate at a dental convention.
He was not famous.
My daughter gasped. "Did you have a sword?"
"A toothbrush," Daniel said.
The kids howled.
For a few minutes, the car felt light.
Then we turned onto Elaine's street.
Ryan's truck was already in the driveway.
Beside it sat Lucille's white convertible.
My stomach dropped so sharply I almost missed the brake.
Ryan's truck was already in the driveway.
Daniel noticed.
He didn't say, "Relax."
He didn't say, "You've got this."
He only waited until I parked, then asked, "Ready?"
I wasn't.
But I took a deep breath.
"Yes."
I wasn't.
Elaine's backyard looked exactly the same as it did every July.
The pool flashed blue under the sun.
Red, white, and blue streamers twisted from the fence.
Kids ran barefoot across the grass while someone yelled at them to slow down.
The grill smoked near the patio, and the table was crowded with ribs, deviled eggs, watermelon, and cupcakes with tiny flags stuck in the frosting.
The pool flashed blue under the sun.
For one breath, I almost believed I could survive it.
Then I saw Ryan.
He stood by the grill with one hand on Lucille's waist.
She wore a red swimsuit under a sheer white cover-up. Her hair fell in perfect waves. She looked cool in the heat, untouched by sweat, motherhood, or humiliation.
I almost believed I could survive it.
Ryan had not seen me yet.
He was laughing at something his brother said.
He looked comfortable inside the life he had taken from me.
Then he turned.
His eyes found Daniel first.
Then me.
His smile shifted.
His eyes found Daniel first.
Elaine reached us before he did.
"Maggie," she said, pulling me into a hug. "Oh, sweetheart. You look beautiful."
I tugged at the side of my dress.
"It's old."
Her arms tightened around me for half a second.
Before she could answer, Ryan's voice cut across the patio.
"Well! This is interesting."
"It's old."
Conversations thinned.
People pretended not to look while looking anyway.
Ryan walked toward us with Lucille beside him.
"Maggie," he said.
His eyes slid over Daniel.
"And who's this?"
Conversations thinned.
Daniel stepped forward calmly.
"Daniel. Maggie's boyfriend."
The word boyfriend seemed to hang between the patio stones and the sky.
Ryan stared.
Then he laughed.
"Him??"
Heads turned.
"Daniel. Maggie's boyfriend."
Ryan pointed at Daniel, then at me.
"Your boyfriend?"
Heat crawled up my neck.
Lucille looked down into her drink, but I saw the smile she was hiding.
Ryan laughed harder.
"Come on, Maggie! You obviously paid him to come here with you."
The yard went quiet.
"You obviously paid him to come here with you."
Not completely.
A child splashed in the pool.
Ice shifted in someone's cup.
But the adults stopped speaking.
I felt every eye touch my face, my dress, my body, and my hands.
The adults stopped speaking.
My fingers slipped from Daniel's hand.
"I'm sorry," I whispered.
I did not know who I was apologizing to.
Daniel's hand found mine again.
"Don't be," he said.
Ryan's smile sharpened.
"Does the boyfriend package include hand-holding, or is that extra?"
I did not know who I was apologizing to.
read more in next page
