Page 111 of One Night Only
“I’m so embarrassed,” she moans. “And it was going so well.”
“Isgoing well.Is.”
“He was looking at me,” she continues as if I never said anything. “He was looking at me like hesawme.”
“It’s going to be fine. It’s coming right out.”
“He touched my arm. For a full three seconds and he introduced me to his friends. Not as his colleague but as Claire. This is Claire, he said. And they looked at me like theyknewme. Like he’dtalkedabout me.”
I throw the tissue in the trash and reach for another.
“It’s because he’s funny,” she continues. “That’s why. He made a joke and I started to laugh and I missed my mouth and I spilled the wine and it is now the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to me.”
“It could be worse. You could have spit it all over him.”
“Too soon, Sarah. Hey!”
She’s thrust into me as the door opens behind her.
“Hello?” I say as Declan slips inside. “Ladies room much?”
“You two are taking too long.” he says. His eyes flit over Claire, assessing the damage as she sits with a huff on the toilet lid. “How do you want to play this?”
Claire looks up at him, confused. “What?”
“You’ve got to think of the plan here,” he continues, his tone brisk and professional. “We have an issue. How are we dealing with? How will we spin it?”
“This isn’t a political campaign,” I say, exasperated.
But Claire is frowning at Declan, her brow creased in concentration.
“Nothing’s changed,” Declan says patiently. “Mark still thinks I’m your date. Now am I the caring date who whisks you off to get the stain from your dress or am I the asshole who doesn’t want to leave the party?”
“Um…”
“You’ve got two seconds to decide.”
“The asshole,” she blurts. “Play the asshole.”
He grins. “I was born for the role. You ready?”
“No.”
“Well, we can stay in the bathroom until he goes or we can go out and get you laid. What’s it going to be?”
She doesn’t answer at first and I’m about to snap at him again for his crassness when she grabs onto his hand and pulls herself up.
“Atta girl,” he says gamely and steers her out of the restroom. I follow them, about to drag her back inside when I see Mark at the end of the hallway, waiting for her. I watch, surprised as he hurries over to them, concerned. Declan plays his part well, his face tight with impatience, his shoulders stiff as he tries to take Claire back to the party. There’s a moment’s conversation that I’m too far away to hear before Declan abandons them, striding into the main room.
Mark offers Claire his arm, his head bent attentively to her as he guides her toward the elevator. I follow at a distance, still clutching the tissues, not believing what I’m seeing as he collects her purse from the coat attendant and leads her to the elevator and…takes herhome?
I’ve already found someone.
I’d scoffed when Claire had said that to me before. If I’m being honest with myself, a part of me secretly pitied her for the way she carried a torch for him all this time. But it looks like she was right. She was right all this time and she didn’t really need Declan to make him jealous, she didn’t need me to hold her hand. She just needed to trust her instincts. And her instinct said yes.
Declan sidles up to me soon as the doors close. “Impressed?”
“Yes,” I admit, clearing my throat. “Very. She’s been making googly eyes at him for three years.”
