Four seconds of silence was about all I could take. “Actually?—”
Taylor touched a button on the steering wheel, and light jazz trickled softly from what felt like a hundred hidden speakers.
I settled back into the sumptuous leather. “This is a beautiful car,” I said, more content to talk to the driver than to Caleb or Sarah. “Is it yours, or do you work for a car service?”
“Not mine, ma’am, but the boss lets me drive it like it was. I drove my wife down to Washington last weekend and through the San Juan Islands.”
“That sounds lovely,” Nyah said. “I would have thought the weekend was prime time for a hire car service. He must be boss of the year if he let you take the car. Or is it a she?”
Taylor glanced in the mirror and gave me an amused smile. “He’s a he, ma’am, and he does have his moments of generosity.”
A red-painted fingernail touched my knee. I followed it back up to Sarah, who pointed discreetly at Caleb and mouthed, ‘He’s the boss.’
I went cold. If it were possible to die from embarrassment, I would have proved it in the next few seconds. I gave the seat in front of her a gentle shove. “How long were you going to let me go on?”
Caleb chuckled. “I was going to step in if you tried to hire him, but only to make sure he didn’t fleece you on insurance.”
“Sorry, ma’am,” Taylor said, wincing at my humiliation. “My wife and I work full-time for Mr. Evans. This is his car.”
I fell silent, but Sarah picked up the slack and kept gabbling with Caleb the whole way. By the time Taylor pulled up to the front of the club, my cheeks had cooled enough that they didn’t sting when I stepped out into the brisk Vancouver evening.
Downtown Vancouver at night had a certain charm. The streetlights twinkled in the night sky as people filled the streets, heading out to party, leaving their troubles behind. Lakeshore couldbe seen in the distance, and I felt the cool breeze coming off the water.
Elle and Donna’s Uber had beaten us there, and they beckoned me from a position halfway down a long line of club-goers to cut in line with them. Caleb and Sarah, meanwhile, had gone straight to the front of the queue and, after a quick word with the bouncer, signalled the others to skip ahead. Elle and Donna shrugged at each other, laughed, then grabbed their husbands, hooked one arm each in mine, and hurried forward through the velvet rope the bouncer was holding aside.
I felt envious glares from the queue prickling against my back. Why did Caleb have to continually show off his influence? Would it hurt him to wait in line like a regular person? I kept my chin up anyway, even though I could feel judgment pressing in from all sides.
Elle caught me rolling my eyes.
“Relax, Nyah. Have fun tonight and forget about him. We rarely get this kind of opportunity. Please, just enjoy it.”
I nodded, even though I didn’t trust myself to enjoy anything with Caleb in the same room.
The club was dimly lit despite the ornate U-shaped chandeliers hanging overhead. Packed to capacity, we were led to a private table bearing aReservedsign—presumably arranged by Caleb—which already had a bottle of vodka chilling in an ice bucket.
“I called ahead when we were at the apartment,” Caleb explained to Karl. “It’s the weekend, so I knew it would be crowded.”
Everyone thanked him. I muttered my thanks along with the others. Elle kissed him on the cheek, beaming.
Karl didn’t seem to mind. He leaned in and whispered in my ear, “I want her to have fun tonight. She deserves it, and she needs it.”
I smiled at him, then headed toward the bar to get myself a glass of wine.
Caleb caught my arm. The contact sent a startling jolt through me.
“Hey, there’s vodka on the table, or if you want something else, we’ll get a bottle brought over. There’s no need to go to the bar.”
I yanked my arm free, annoyed that this was the second time he’dtouched me without my permission. “I don’t like vodka, and I prefer getting my own drinks.”
Donna came up beside me while I was ordering at the bar.
“He’s trying hard to be nice, Nyah.” She touched my arm softly. “You were rude to him just now, you know.”
I exhaled slowly, forcing myself to unclench. Not wanting to start a fight, I apologized and told her I’d try to be nice.Trybeing the operative word.
Caleb ordered another round of shots, which were brought to the table. After that, Donna and Elle grabbed me and dragged me onto the dance floor, with their husbands following after chugging their beers.
The music was loud enough to drown out thought. The bass vibrated through my bones.
