“Oh, yup. Five thirty.” Danika was disappointed to see him go.
Danika couldn’t help but wonder if he was leaving to talk to her—Augie. She wanted that girl as far away as possible. In the week since seeing their messages, she’d kept Chat extra busy. She’d asked him to run additional errands, swing by the post office, grab last-minute items at Lunds & Byerlys. “I’ll pay you overtime, of course,” she’d remind him. She knew he’d never tell her no.
She didn’t understand why Augie had to go after Chat. She couldhave anyone—anything. Why waste her time chasing someone who was so clearly unavailable? Danika felt that on some level it was personal. She remembered the way Augie had reacted at that happy hour; she’d glared at Danika as if everything wrong in the world was Danika’s fault. And god, the baby shower. That day was the real anniversary of her dad’s death and her divorce, and while Danika had been a little out of control, she hadn’t done anything bad. The “tip” hadn’t even been her idea—it was Mrs. Adams who brought it up. But Augie had humiliated her, throwing that money at her feet. Yes, Augie—with her alien blue eyes, her basic U of M degree, her five little months in New York (Danika had found her LinkedIn)—was bad news.
“I’m going to steam a few shirts, then I’ll need your opinion,” Bill said, dragging Danika back to the present. He picked up his glass.
“The stripes.” She’d already noticed the shirts he’d pulled earlier.
Bill smiled at her, and for the first time in what felt like forever, he stared right at her. They hadn’t had a real conversation in weeks. He had seemed happier in the past few days, though, which Danika took as a good sign.
She was about to take advantage of the moment and ask how he was, or tell him details about the model home—anything to bring them closer—but as she opened her mouth, Bill’s phone rang. He picked it up off the counter and studied the number.
“I gotta take this.” He tapped the counter. “But, Danika.” He studied her as if he too wanted to break the surface. “There’s something I need to tell you. Let’s talk in the car, okay?”
Danika felt a flash of adrenaline. Yet she kept her face calm as she told him, “Of course.”
Finally, she thought.
17
The wedding that Saturday was canceled. While Augie’s first reaction was excitement—like learning about a snow day—when Aida explained it was because the groom found out only days before that the bride was cheating on him with a groomsman, the feeling dissolved.
It is pretty depressing, Aida had texted.There’s no reimbursing at this point. Can you imagine? All that money. If I were him, I’d come stuff myself on hors d’oeuvres.
Augie didn’t know what to do with herself. She almost never had Saturday nights off, and her mom had a dinner with colleagues, while Leah was working the Hotel Harrison’s restaurant opening. Augie had made a point of asking about it, and Leah was happy to describe it all: the various food stations, the fire juggler, the acoustic band. It sounded more extravagant than any Club event, and Augie imagined the Crawleys amid the partygoers. As Leah said, it was A-list and adults only. Surely, they would be there. Surely, Chat would not.
She and Chat were reaching a pinnacle. They’d been messaging so much, she decided they needed to either see each other or stop. If she was being honest with herself, she also wanted to know where she stood—on top of simply wanting to see him. Since thebaby shower, Augie felt she and Mrs. Crawley were silently at war. Especially after Chat had to cancel their ice cream date last minute, citing some “dire” errand he had to run for her. Augie had the feeling she knew exactly what she was doing: keeping them apart.
Augie didn’t want to say anything about it to Chat yet. She worried she’d sound paranoid. Still, Augie felt certain Mrs. Crawley had some way of tracking her, that she had at least looked her up online. How else would she have known about New York? It infuriated Augie to imagine how Mrs. Crawley saw her: some pathetic, desperate cater waiter.
Underpinning it all was the infuriating question ofwhy. Augie could not understand the reason Mrs. Crawley would care so much about Augie and Chat being friends—not unless she and Chat really were having some sordid affair. All around, Augie needed answers.
So, finally, it was time.
Feigning ignorance, she messaged Chat to ask what he was doing that night. Augie explained she had a surprise Saturday night free, then paced her room as she waited. She wouldn’t admit it outright, but this was a test—did he want to see her badly enough to break Mrs. Crawley’s rules? Her pulse doubled as she checked her phone again and again.
Thirty minutes later, her phone dinged, and she lunged for it.
Chat Efhart • 7:18 PM
Hey my bad I was in the shower
But damn!
I’m usually off saturday nights
But tonight they’re staying at the harrison hotel for some restaurant opening
So I have the boys all night
This sucks
I really want to see you
Augie felt a sinking disappointment as she sat in her desk chair, swiveling back and forth while watching the sky fill with the salmon-orange of sunset. She couldn’t deny something about this night still felt inevitable: the broken wedding, her mom spending a rare evening out, everyone from the Greenes to the Crawleys gathered at the hotel. She started typing.
Augie Elling • 7:24 PM
