“Absolutely not.” I was sure Grace compensated her bodyguards well. Still, I couldn’t help stealing glances at him as I worked. There was no doubt about his serious nature. Or his rock-hard body. I recalled that he’d carried me from The Haunt on one shoulder, with one arm firmly against my thighs, and I got so flushed I had to go into the bathroom and throw cold water on my face.
Thankfully, around six o’clock Angela walked into the bar, dressed in a cute-as-hell sundress. She had fantastic shoulders. And legs. Maybe yoga really was a good workout, if you did it in earnest and on a regular basis. Her friend Dani was with her, less glam and toned but still more attractive than our average bar customer. Heads turned as they passed by.
“Tori, hi!” Angela said when they reached the bar. “We made it. Great place.”
This was it. My big chance. I tossed down two coasters. “Good to see you!”
Dani sighed and rolled her head from side to side. “We needed it.Crazyweek.”
“No doubt,” Angela agreed.
I wasn’t sure what kind of crazy had gone down at the art gallery, but maybe they’d fill me in. They both ordered white wine spritzers with house white, and I handed them a basket of complimentary chips and salsa and leaned on the bar. I hoped Charlie would pick up the slack with the other customers if we started getting slammed.
“So how was that private showing?”
Angela looked at me in confusion.
“I stopped by the gallery the other day when Dani was getting ready.”
“Oh.” Angela blinked and looked at her friend, and I could tell Dani hadn’t mentioned it.Terrific.Grace said my nondescript looks meant I could fit in, but maybe they only meant I was forgettable. Angela smiled and spun the stem of her glass between two perfectly manicured fingers. “It went really well. It was an exhibit by a Norwegian artist.”
“He’s amazingly talented,” Dani added.
“Do you guys have a background in art history or something?”
“Angie does.” Dani read over the menu as she played with the straw in her drink. “I just handle the social media and marketing.”
“Oh.” I turned to Angela, but she was fixated on her phone, which had been beeping on the bar since they sat down. She smiled, bit her bottom lip, and typed something. Pause. Another beep, another smile, more typing. Pink cheeks. Didn’t take a rocket scientist to know who she was texting. And this was my perfect way in.
“Boyfriend?”
“Oh, ah, well…” The phone beeped again, and she smiled and texted again, which went on for a good five minutes until Dani finally elbowed her.
“I’m sorry.” She put the phone into her purse. “I’m being rude. What were you saying?”
The crowd had started to pick up, and Charlie was giving me the evil eye. “I’d love to come to an art show sometime,” I said desperately. “If they’re ever open to the public?”
“Oh, sure.” Angela turned to Dani. “We have one next week, right? That group from New York?”
“That’d be great,” I said in a flash, not caring if they were from New York or the moon. “Which day?”
But Angela’s phone beeped before she could answer, and she pulled it from her purse. Her face turned bright red, and she slanted the screen to show Dani. The light in the bar was dim but not that dim, and I could make out a classic dick pic.Real smart, Congressman.Like digital evidence couldn’t be traced by a middle schooler these days.
I gave her what I hoped was a wide, knowing smile. “He must be really into you.”
“He’s married,” Dani said in a flat voice.
Angela frowned. “Hey. Not something you need to be telling strangers.” She glanced at me. “Sorry. I know you’re not really…but you know what I mean.”
“Oh, yeah, sure. Totally.”
“Well, he is,” Dani said. “Married.” She cocked a brow, and I wondered how long she’d been dying to tell someone. “And I don’t think he’s getting divorced anytime soon, even thoughsomeone’sunder the misconception that he is.”
“He’s totally unhappy,” Angela said. “He hasn’t had sex with his wife in years.” She looked at me. “Do you know she makes him sleep in another room?”
I didn’t say anything, just poured two more drinks, making them stronger than before and wondering if I could buy the girls a round of shots. White wine spritzers were definitely not the drink of choice when it came to confessing secrets to someone you’d recently met in yoga class.
“That still doesn’t mean he’s gonna leave her,” Dani said. “Lots of couples sleep in separate rooms.”
