“I thought we’d tear up the unsigned marriage license this morning, and I’d never see him again. I didn’t think I was going to get stuck with him.”
Clementine blinked three exaggerated times, one of the few movements her face made.
“He was flashing a huge wad of cashlast night, liketen thousand dollars.”I emphasized the ridiculous sum of money that he’d been waving around so she would understand why it was drawing the wrong kind of attention.“Ten thousand dollars.”
Clementine looked over at me again. “And?”
“So people wanted to steal theten thousand dollarshe had on him.”
She was still staring at me, no expression, but she leaned toward me as if anticipating that I would finish the thought.
Finally, she asked, “Why?”
“Because it was ten grand!”
Clementine finally just shook her head and held up one hand as if to stop the madness. “I must not be understanding the situation. Maybe we can talk about this over a cup of coffee instead of vodka?”
Oh God,vodka.Vodka was the last thing Nicolai needed in his system. “Was that vodka that was in those shot glasses out there?”
“Tequila is being served in shot glasses. I drink vodka tonics.”
Tequila wasn’t any better than vodka. I needed to get back out there before Nicolai got wasted again.
But, before that, “Hey, thank you for lending me these earrings. I can give them back to you tonight.”
She waved her hand like she was clearing the cigarette smoke that permeated even the air in the bathroom. “Tomorrow is fine. Or keep them. I don’t care.”
“I have no idea what I’m doing here,” I continued. “I’m trying to help Nicolai, but I’m screwing it up.”
She shook her head with slightly pursed lips. “That is a problem.”
“And, well, I’m sorry to bring this up, and I don’t even know if it’s any of my business. But, does Nicolai have a drinking problem?”
Clementine shrugged and looked away as if to scry an answer to my question. “No more than any of us. This is John’s bachelor party week. One is expected to imbibe a bit more than usual. Nico is actually one of the more sober people I know.”
That was not particularly encouraging.
Clementine took one last look at me from head to toe, examining everything I was wearing. “You’ll do for tonight. Do you know if you’ll be attending any other events this week?”
When Jimmy had left me at the altar, my whole life had spun out of control. I wasn’t even hanging on with my fingertips. I was bouncing off the walls like a cicada in a soda can being shaken by a sadistic kid. “I have no idea what’s going on.”
“I’ll confer with Nico tomorrow and see what else you’re going to need, besides jewelry and purses, of course.” She pointed at the white beaded bucket bag dangling from my wrist with her fingers artfully positioned like a ballet dancer. “Whatisthat?”
Maybe telling Clementine that it was the reception purse formy other weddingwasn’t the smart thing. “It’s an antique. Vintage, I guess you’d say.”
“No, it’s not.”
Damn. “It’s a craft bag. For crafts. I didn’t have anything else with me.”
She blinked as if I’d said something horrifying.“Crafts.All right, we’ll have a selection of accessories delivered. I feel quite sorry for you that you’ve been tossed into our shark-infested waters headfirst. I should at least throw you a life preserver.”
“That’s how I felt last night, when Nicolai was in the middle of that crowd. The sharks were circling.”
Clementine shook her head. “I’ll come over to the Sanctuary for coffee tomorrow afternoon, andwe’ll figure out a plan. Tonight, just be a bit bland. No one looks twice at a bland woman.”
I was not thinking when I uttered the words, “True, dat.”
Clementine’s whole body shivered. “Just tell people it is lovely to meet them anddon’t say anything else.”
