“Well, enjoy yourself tonight. I’ve got to take care of a few things in back. It’s so good to see you,” True said, patting her old friend on the shoulder.
As she continued through the crowd, a feeling of accomplishment swept over her. Many guests had stopped in for dinner and stayed for the festivities. Every time she heard Northern Exposure being touted for its culinary fare, she considered it a triumph. Things were shifting and evolving, all for the better, despite a few hiccups.
Once she sat down at her desk, True quickly finished up her paperwork, then typed up a few notes for her online calendar. If she didn’t do it now, she might forget to record these important upcoming dates. Seeing Xavier had given her a rush. He made her weak in the knees and caused her heart to flutter. She was nervous about having another date with Xavier. She’d been dateless for quite a while now, and frankly, she wasn’t sure she had ever been any good at it. After the Garrett fiasco, she’d turned inward, firm in her belief that she wasn’t good with relationships. They were too hard, she reasoned. Love was elusive. But now, thanks to Xavier, she was reevaluating her position.
One man’s foolishness shouldn’t stop the party. Words to live by from Hattie’s mouth. Hattie-isms. The woman was a precious resource. True wished that she had a mini-size Hattie to put in her pocket so she could get pearls of wisdom whenever she needed advice. The very thought of it made her giggle.
Footsteps echoed right before Bonnie stepped into True’s office. “We have one of our biggest turnouts that I can remember.”
True grinned. “It’s fantastic, and it shows that special events reap big rewards. I can’t wait to tell Hattie.” This was confirmation that Northern Exposure was still on the right track. By hosting more events, hiring live bands, and featuring new drinks and food items, they would keep customers lining up outside their doors. She made a mental note to thank Red for his suggestions and input on this event.
“You doing okay?” her friend asked. “I know today can’t be easy.”
“So far, so good,” True lied. The seven-year anniversary of her parents’ death was rocking her to the core. She had been distracting herself with this event as a way of not thinking about the tragedy. She needed to keep a stiff upper lip. Otherwise she might just fall apart. And she didn’t want Xavier to see her in that light. Or for anyone else to, for that matter. She had been keeping it all in for so long that she was almost afraid to succumb to the pain.
“What’s up with you? You look as if you’ve been crying.” True couldn’t ignore her friend’s red-rimmed eyes. They told a story of their own. Bonnie was a happy-go-lucky person, so seeing her in this state was worrisome.
Bonnie shrugged. “Tucker and I had a fight. It was pretty bad. We both said things we shouldn’t have.” Bonnie’s lips were quivering as if she might just burst into tears.
“Oh, no. Is it fixable?” True asked. Tucker was such a great guy, and he was devoted to Bonnie. As far as True was concerned, they were the perfect couple.
“Don’t know. He asked me to marry him.” Bonnie grimaced. “Can you believe that?”
True grabbed Bonnie’s arm. “Oh, my goodness. That’s wonderful. Why were you fighting? I figured you would be happy-dancing after a proposal.”
Bonnie twisted her mouth. “Because I said no. Not now.Not ever. I’m not the marrying kind. And he was foolish not to see that.”
True’s heart sank. Bonnie was allowing her past experience to cloud her vision. She had already written her story well before meeting Tucker.
“You told me not to let Garrett influence my relationships with other men. But isn’t that what you’re doing? Allowing the past to dictate your future?”
“True, it’s complicated,” Bonnie said with a huff.
“But you two love each other. Isn’t that what matters most?”
Bonnie grabbed True by the shoulders and peered into her face. “Sometimes that’s just not enough.”
With that, she turned and left the back office, leaving True stunned. All her life she’d believed that love was enough. Despite her terrible experience with Garrett, deep down True had held on to hope that love prevailed. Wasn’t that what all the romantic ballads promised?Love will keep us together. Ain’t no mountain high enough.Love was the end game. Wasn’t it?
Her friend was living proof of the power trauma could have over a person. Bonnie’s turbulent past with a violent partner had made her believe she wasn’t worthy of a happily-ever-after. True wasn’t sure Bonnie could trust in the fact that Tucker loved and adored her. He’d put his best foot forward and proposed to her, yet Bonnie still was skeptical of their connection.
By the time True made her way back to the main floor, her head was pounding along with the beat of the live band. She didn’t even need to look for Xavier. He made a beeline straight toward her. She managed a smile and grabbed him by the hand, pulling him in. “Want to dance?” she shouted over the din.
“What?” he shouted back, pointing at his ear. “It’s too loud.”
She decided to simply tug him by the hand toward the makeshift dance floor. The band was playing an upbeat tune that was energizing the crowd. As soon as she turned around to face Xavier, the music shifted to a slow song. Xavier gently placed his hands on her hips, and she leaned her body flush against him. True rested her head on his chest and began swaying to the music in time with his movements. He reached down and grasped her hand, interlocking their fingers. He dipped his head down and brushed his lips across her forehead. His mouth was by her ear, and she heard him singing along with the song. It was one of her favorites—“Kiss from a Rose” by Seal. Such sweetness.
Never had she felt so protected resting in a man’s arms. Even though this was a heavenly sensation, her thoughts kept going back to her parents. Life would be so different if they were still living. Her world would feel so much fuller. She could have benefited from their wisdom and unconditional love. Most of the time, she was strong about the tragedy that had devastated her world, but this year was different. All she really wanted to do was curl up in a little ball and cry a bucket of tears.
She was clinging to Xavier so tightly that she wondered if he sensed he was her human life preserver at the moment. He was so resilient and solid. True wanted to absorb some of his strength so she didn’t feel so fragile. She was so close to breaking.
A few minutes later, True motioned to Xavier that she didn’t want to keep dancing. He frowned down at her but quickly led her off the dance floor.
When they made it to a semiprivate area Xavier ran his hand across her cheek and looked into her eyes. “You seem a bit rattled. Are you okay?”
At the moment she didn’t have the strength to pretend everything was all right. She wasn’t okay. Not today of all days. It felt as if her heart were sitting outside her chest, raw and exposed for all to see.
“Not really. It’s been a hard day,” she admitted, surprising herself by being so open with Xavier. She had been putting on a huge smile ever since waking up, and her face felt like it was on the verge of cracking.
