Chapter 20
The morning of the reunion, Liza threw up. In college, whenever she’d had a big test or other significant event, nerves had caused her to be sick, but it hadn’t happened for a long time. The last time had been her first date with Dirk.
That memory caused the floodgates to open as she saw her life with Dirk on fast forward. The pain was there, still raw and deep, but there were no accompanying tears. Instead of focusing on the gut-wrenching agony, she set her mind to preparing for her evening. If she had been able to afford it, she would have had Tina, her stylist, do her hair and makeup. But she had spent so much on her appearance lately—including the expensive dress for tonight—that she had no extra cash for luxuries.
Knowing that she wouldn’t be able to afford to have her makeup or hair done, she had instead practiced the tasks over and over again until she perfected the look she wanted to achieve, and that look was classy. Let Scarlet be flashy. Liza would look subdued and elegant. Hopefully her brown dress would make Scarlet’s red dress look tacky.
Liza rolled her eyes. Who was she kidding? Scarlet would never look tacky because she wasn’t tacky. As much as Liza had tried to make her into a wanton man eater, she wasn’t. She was as classy and elegant as she was beautiful, and Liza’s heart began to sink before she rallied once again.
No, this night wasn’t about Scarlet. Or Dirk. It was about…What
was
it about? Retribution? That wasn’t likely. It wasn’t as if she was showing up with some hunk of man meat on her arm. Link was nice looking, but he was no Dirk. Maybe it was about survival. She had lost the one thing she couldn’t stand to lose, and yet she was still living. Sort of. The reunion had given her a purpose, but she wondered what she would do when this night was over. Would she return to her wretched, pathetic state? She hoped not. At least school was starting soon. Work would give her the focus she needed to stay sane. She hoped.
The front door slammed, indicating Link had let himself in. “I’m here,” he announced.
“I’m almost ready,” she said.
“You’re late,” he called, surprised.
“
Marion
made me. She said showing up early smacks of desperation, so I’ve been killing time.” His chuckle echoed down the hallway, and she smiled. She took one more look in the mirror to make sure she looked perfect. Her hair was in an upswing, something she hadn’t attempted since her high school prom. This do was much more sophisticated than that look had been, and she turned her head, approving of the way it had turned out. Her makeup was flawless. The dress was flattering, both in color and in style. She was as ready as she would ever be, and yet she felt rooted to the spot.
“Link,” she called.
“What?”
“I think you’re going to have to come and get me. My feet don’t seem to be able to move.”
He was smiling when he entered her bathroom, but his smile quickly faded to a look of…awe? “Liza,” he breathed. “You look incredible.” He clasped her hands and leaned in to kiss her cheek.
“Thank you,” she said. She patted his chest when he released her hands. “You look very handsome.”
He shook his head. “Nah, you’re way out of my league.”
“Maybe just tonight,” she agreed, causing him to laugh. He took her hand again and tugged, leading her from the bathroom.
“Let’s go, Cinderella.”
“If I’m Cinderella, does that make you my fairy godmother?”
He threw a frown over his shoulder. “No, I’m probably that fat mouse who became one of the coach drivers.”
Now it was her turn to laugh.
Link smiled. “It’s good to see you happy again,” he said.
Liza’s smile faltered. She wasn’t happy, was she? How could she be without Dirk? Maybe she wasn’t happy, but she was at least among the land of the living again, and that felt good. Whatever happened tonight, she vowed not to revert to the mourning stage. She was done being pathetic.
Link led her to his old sedan and opened the door. “Your carriage, milady.”
Liza laughed because nothing could look less like a carriage than his sturdy taupe four door.
As Link scurried around to the driver’s side, he realized he was having fun and gave himself a mental shake. He wasn’t supposed to be having fun; he was supposed to be working. But how could he concentrate on work when Liza looked so good? He was going to have trouble taking his eyes off her. Maybe that could work to his advantage, though. Maybe by watching her so intently he would learn something significant.
The drive to the reunion was silent. When Link noticed Liza’s hands tightly gripping her purse, he reached over and clasped one, easing her fingers open to curve gently around his.
“It’s going to be okay,” he soothed. “You look great; you’ll do great.”
Liza nodded, trying hard to absorb and believe his words. “Thanks, Link. And thanks for doing this with me. I know going to someone else’s reunion isn’t your idea of a good time.”
Link pressed his lips together, feeling guilty. She still had no idea he was here as part of the job, and there was no need to tell her. While confession might be good for the soul, it would no doubt be bad for Liza. Let her think he was here as a friend, what was the harm?
“Valet parking,” Link muttered. “Swanky.”
“Alumni are big donors,” Liza said. “Nothing is too good for their reunions.” The valet opened her door and gave her a hand to help her out. She hoped he didn’t note the way her hand trembled with nerves, but then why would he? He was just a kid.
Link took up where the valet left off, tucking her hand into the crook of his arm and giving it a reassuring pat.
“Link, I forgot to ask if you dance,” she said.
“I dance,” he said. “Do you?”
“Not well.”
“Me, neither.”
“But I like it,” she said.
“So do I,” he said.
She smiled. At least she would have dancing to look forward to tonight.
The school really had spared no expense for the reunion, or so it seemed to Liza. The event was being held on campus, so they didn’t have to pay for a room, and they had most likely used their own staff to cater the event. But there was a lot of food and an open bar, along with a waiters, valets, and decorations. The evening felt like her senior prom, except now the room was filled with sophisticated grownups and not pimple-faced teenagers trying vainly to escape the awkward stage of development for one magical night.
Liza’s hand tightened on Link’s arm as they entered the grand hall. Her eyes quickly scanned the room. There was no sign of Dirk, but Scarlet was easy to spot. Not only because she was wearing red, but because she was the center of a group of about thirty people. All of them were laughing and fawning over her.
Link noted the direction of her gaze. “That her?”
“Yes,” she said tightly.
“Hey!”
Marion
’s booming voice called from across the room, startling Liza and snagging her attention. She and Puck bustled over. Well,
Marion
bustled. Puck ambled. Marion and Liza exchanged hugs while Link and Puck shook hands and attempted to make awkward small talk as the women exclaimed over each other’s appearance.
Liza thought
Marion
looked the best she had ever seen her. Her discipline the last three weeks had paid off because, though no one would accuse her of being thin, she looked slimmer and more toned. She had taken Liza’s advice and gone to Tina for a new hairstyle and makeup. All in all, she looked amazing, and Liza told her so repeatedly.
“Please,”
Marion
said, waving her hand dismissively. “What am I compared to you? You look gorgeous, Liza. I think you’re the prettiest woman in the room.”
“I don’t,” Puck said loyally. His arm extended to settle on
Marion
’s shoulders before giving them a squeeze. “Liza looks very pretty, but she’s got nothing on you, Babe.”
Liza noted with satisfaction the adoring look that Puck gave
Marion
. He really did love her. She was happy to see her friend with someone who actually appreciated and cherished her.
Liza felt someone’s eyes on her, and she knew before she turned that it was Dirk. There was a warning part of her brain that told her not to look, but as if she had been pulled into a tractor beam, she found herself pivoting until she found him.
He stood across the room from her, staring with an unwavering gaze. He didn’t smile, but neither did he frown. He simply stared unblinkingly. Something in his intense gaze made Liza nervous. She licked her lips before remembering the expensive gloss she was wearing. Reaching in her bag to apply more gloss would give her something to do, but she couldn’t look away from Dirk. Why was he staring at her that way? As if she was the one who had done something wrong? As if she was the one who had hurt him? And why wasn’t he part of Scarlet’s adoring fan club?
“Just ignore him,”
Marion
urged.
“I’ll try,” Liza promised. She wouldn’t succeed, but she would try.
“Let’s dance,” Link suggested.
Liza finally tore her gaze from Dirk to look questioningly at Link. Why did he sound so surly? It didn’t take long for her to find out.
“I can’t believe you’re mooning over him,” he said a few beats into their dance. “The guy’s an assassin, Liza.”
Liza’s eyes flashed fire. “He’s not.”
“Why are you still defending him? Why do you refuse to believe the truth when the proof is insurmountable?”
“The ‘proof’ is circumstantial and you know it or you would have arrested him by now.” She didn’t realize they had stopped dancing until a familiar voice spoke to her right.
“Liza, is something wrong?”
She whirled to see Dirk, concern mixing with blazing anger to make his expression fierce.
“You can’t ask her that,” Link snapped. “You lost that right.”
“Because of you,” Dirk said, his tone menacing.
“That’s right,” Link said, equally as furious. “I told her the truth about you. She knows everything.”
For Liza, who had never enjoyed confrontation, the scene was too much. She spun on her heel and fled the room. Unfortunately she sought refuge in the ladies’ room just as Scarlet was drying her hands. She tried to back out of the room, but didn’t make it before Scarlet caught sight of her in the mirror. Her face lit with a smile of delight.
“Liza,” she exclaimed. She whirled, strode forward, and enveloped Liza in a hug, all in one fluid motion. “I was hoping to get a chance to talk to you.” She released Liza and took a step back, apparently not noticing that Liza was upset and stood stiffly and awkwardly in her embrace.
“What’s new with you?” she asked before quickly continuing and dropping her voice to a conspiratory whisper. “Who’s the guy you’re with? I about fell over when I looked up and realized you weren’t with Dirk.”
Liza’s brow drew together at Dirk’s name emitting from the enemy’s lips.
“I mean, I just saw Dirk a few weeks ago and all he could talk about was Liza, Liza, Liza. You didn’t break up, did you?”
Liza blinked in confusion a few times. “What?” she said dumbly.
“Which part?” Scarlet said.
“Dirk mentioned me?” Why would he mention her on his super-secret liaison with Scarlet, unless Scarlet was simply throwing her off the track? But Scarlet had never been good at subterfuge; she was too open.
Scarlet laughed and rolled her eyes. “Well of course he did. You guys have been together as long as my husband and I have been married: forever. I can’t believe he hasn’t proposed by now. When we met up in
Cleveland
, he said he…” She stopped and clapped her hand over her mouth. “I can’t believe I almost let that slip,” she murmured behind her hand.
“What? Let what slip?” Liza asked, feeling a little desperate.
Scarlet shook her head furiously back and forth. “No way. Wild horses couldn’t drag it out of me,” she said. Or at least that’s what Liza thought she said. It was difficult to tell with her hand still pressed firmly to her mouth. She dropped her hand and searched her bag for her lip gloss. “Suffice it to say I’m stunned to see you here with someone else.”
To Liza’s further humiliation, she burst into loud, uncontrollable weeping.
Scarlet looked up sharply, stunned into speechlessness for once. Liza wasn’t the type of person to suffer a wild emotional outburst in public, or even in a public bathroom.
“Liza…” she began, but Liza turned and fled that room, too. If she kept sprinting out of places, she was eventually going to make it all the way home on foot.
She burst through the bathroom door and stopped short, looking wildly left and right for reprieve. Sunlight filtering through the door toward the right beckoned to her, and she turned that way. She was almost there, almost free, when someone stepped out of the shadows, blocking her path.
This time when Liza stopped short it was because she ran into the solid form. Bouncing off, she would have fallen over if he hadn’t put out his hand to catch her.
“Liza,” he said calmly.