Page 23 of Dancing With Lies

She couldn’t decide and by the time she opened the door to her apartment, it was almost a relief to find the place empty. There were no signs of Nathan hanging around somewhere outside either. What the fuck was she supposed to do? She wondered, even as relief flooded through her.

Guilt soon mixed with that relief, but she ignored that. Nathan had admitted to burning down the place where she worked, the place she’d invested a lot of time and money into. Anger simmered underneath it all, anger that he’d been so selfish but so very stupid too. Because it was arson, none of them would get any money from the insurance company so he’d not only screwed himself, but he’d also screwed her. And if he didn’t show up for court, he’d screw her even harder.

The relief she felt at arriving home quickly evaporated and she was about to drown in confusion when she heard a knock at her door just before Wendy stepped in. “Hey, honey, I’ve closed up for the night downstairs but thought I’d come up to check on you. How are you doing?”

“Oh, damn! I meant to bring that Dolce dress back down to you this morning! I’m so sorry.” Roxie stood up to go get the dress for Wendy, but Wendy stopped her by taking her left hand and tugging at it until Roxie sat back down.

“You’re about to blow, what’s going on?” Wendy’s face was a mask of concern and Roxie felt bad about that.

“It’s just…Nathan.” She shrugged and held her hands out. “I got him out of jail a little while ago and we stopped for some food, but these guys pulled up in a van and I guess they tried to kidnap him or something, but he took off, and now I don’t know whether he’s a fugitive or just running to hide from those guys until his court date and I’m totally fucked.”

“Wow.” Wendy’s eyes grew big and round as the words poured out of Roxie in a stream. “That’s a lot.”

“That’s not even all of it.” Roxie blew air out between pursed lips and tried to calm down. “A guy from my past showed up at that event last night.”

“A guy from your past?” The confusion came back to Wendy’s face and Roxie cringed. Even Wendy didn’t know about her past. Emily didn’t either, for that matter. Nobody in her ‘new’ life did.

“Just a guy I knew in high school.” Roxie brushed it off, feeling like an idiot for letting that slip. “Anyway, he’s offered me a job and I’m going to take it.”

“But I thought you wanted to do the classes,” Wendy said, lost again.

“I did, but this is a more permanent job, I think.” She hoped, she meant. “That other gig would be better for Kitty, I think.”

That wasn’t the total truth, but it would stop any further questions and Roxie was nothing if not good at evading questions.

Okay, she was an awesome dancer, and even better at some things she wasn’t about to think about now, but evading questions was a skill she’d perfected long ago.

“Well, that’s good news then.” Wendy’s frown turned into a smile and she leaned back against Roxie’s couch. “It’s not all bad then.”

“No, I guess not.” Roxie wore the frown this time, still not sure what Lincoln had in mind. He had a life in New York, obviously, what would he do down here? What would he want her to do, more importantly?

“I tell you what, let’s have a girl’s night in. You’ve been asking me to do your hair for a while, we’ll do that and forget about your troubles for a while, shall we?” Wendy’s face was bright and happy now, eager to cheer her friend up.

Roxie smiled back, she couldn’t help it, when Wendy smiled, so did she. “Yeah, that sounds good.”

“Great, get the stuff and we’ll get started. I think it’s going to take a while to get some of this black out of your hair. I don’t know why you dyed it black anyway, you’re gorgeous, yeah, but I liked you blonde.”

It had been another part of her disguise but now her cover was blown. With Lincoln at least. For a moment, Roxie thought about Liam and June. June had been her best friend, the girl she constantly ended conversations with by saying; PS: I love you. She’d abandoned that friendship and the budding relationship she had going with June’s half-brother Liam, to start this new life. Would Lincoln tell them he’d found her? Would he tell them what she did for a living?

Not that she was ashamed, she thought while she gathered up the supplies she’d bought at the local Sally’s. She was proud of what she’d accomplished since that night, even if it wasn’t ballet and she didn’t live in a McMansion anymore. She’d made a life for herself, didn’t depend on anyone, well not until recently anyway, and she’d survived. That was better than the alternative.

“So, how did that dress suit you?” Wendy asked as she pinned a towel around Roxie’s shoulders and then began to brush out her hair. They’d experimented with each other’s hair for years now and they were both comfortable letting the other have a turn with buckets of bleach and tubes of dye.

“It was a little baggy in places, not tailored like Emily’s and her other friends were, so I think they probably knew it wasn’t mine, but who cares? Emily’s as good as gold to me, and I don’t give two fucks what those other women think.”

“That’s right, girl, fuck those other women.” Wendy began to part Roxie’s hair before she asked her next question. “So, you think he’s coming back?”

“Nathan? I hope so. But, also, I kind of hope not. I’d be out a shit ton of money, but he’s a liability, I think.” Roxie tried not to move as Wendy twisted and pinned her hair in sections, but it hurt a little, so she squirmed.

“Stop squirming.” Wendy barked but then laughed. “Sorry.”

Five minutes passed before Wendy spoke again. “You know, when he moved in with you I thought he was a good guy. He was handsome, didn’t have a drug problem, and that made me wonder. Was he after you for money?”

“Oh, you mean my good looks and job as an exotic dancer weren’t enough to entice him?” Roxie quipped, but she wondered now that Wendy brought it up.

“Not that at all, but there was something about him that made me wonder. Something that put me on edge. Well, it’s none of my business, I guess, but I just wanted to say, be careful. I don’t think he’s the kind of trouble you want.”

“It might be too late for that,” Roxie said with a sad note. She had to wonder now. Had he been using her for money all along?