She stepped back from the mic, which was my cue to walk down the red carpet in the center of the ball room. More VIPs were seated along the carpet.
I caught Wendy's eye. Shit, I promised her that I wasn't getting engaged. I shouldn't have accused her of spying on me, or not believing in me. I was just angry that everything I had could be undone by Evelyn's conspiring with criminals.
Victoria came out from behind the curtain, looking radiant. Big smiles, bright white teeth behind bright red lipstick. Her hair had been done up and her skirt was tastefully short.
I felt nothing.
Wendy made me realize that I never would have been okay with a trophy wife. I lied to myself when I agreed to it. I lied to myself about a great many things in my life.
Blind ambition will be the death of me.
I got up on the stage, found the tape marks on the floor, and kneeled. I thought that there had to be something wrong with staging something that was supposed to be spontaneous and loving, something that was supposed to be such an important event in your life.
The threat of a shallow grave can really fuck with your head.
Victoria was a decent actress - she feigned surprise when I knelt and produced a small box.
This was wrong. So wrong.
The news crew and the audience snapped pictures. I tried to find Wendy in the crowd but was blinded by the lights.
A microphone was placed on a small stand so everyone could hear.
Evelyn was a brilliant strategist. No detail was missed.
I cleared my throat. "Victoria Lobos, will you marry me?"
Cameras flashed and silence fell across the ball room. I heard a chair scoot back and heels clicking across the floor towards and exist.
I'm so sorry, Wendy, I thought. I hope you'll forgive me.
"I will!" Victoria said.
I slid the ring onto her finger and kissed her. I smiled and looked out to the audience, waved.
In the rear doorway was the silhouette of a woman's figure. She watched for a moment and ran out of sight.
Balloons and confetti rained down onto the stage, they played "here comes the bride," the audience cheered, and we walked down the aisle, back toward our seats.
Lisa was just shaking her head. I didn't know what to say.
"Sorry I just got engaged and led Wendy on, but if I don't, I'm either dead or in jail?"
Back at the table, a stream of people came by to congratulate us.
Judge Chalmers shook my hand. "Congratulations, son. She's beautiful." He motioned for me to lean forward, whispered in my ear. "Don't marry this one. Marry the one I met earlier."
He looked me in the eyes and nodded, as if to say, I see what's going on here, I'm not new to the game.
And I knew this might be all for naught. The "Perfect Wife" strategy was a pipe dream concocted by a failure and paid for by my fortune. Or my life.
Victoria's voice irritated me. It was a little nasaly, not enough to really notice in passing, but more pronounced the more I listened.
And she got everyone's name wrong. Some just a little, some were way off.
"Just shake their hands and say 'thanks,' Victoria." I smiled at her and patted her leg.
"Ew, get off me." She pushed my hand away and whispered, "I only agreed to sex on your birthday and our anniversary. Which is going to also be on your birthday, FYI. And only missionary."
I've made a huge mistake.
Chapter 14
Wendy
He told me that he wasn't going to get engaged to her.
Maybe he really was complicit in the money laundering. Maybe he WAS just hanging out up north so he could flee to Canada if things got ugly.
And he never intended to stick around, and he never meant that I could come with him. He didn't think of me all those years. I didn't mean anything to him.
Because if he meant any of those things, he wouldn't have gone up on that stage, looked me in the eye, and proposed to that woman.
Who am I kidding, I'm just a small town, smart and lonely girl, and nobody's ever going to choose me over over a beautiful, stupid woman as pretty as a model.
I just just fooling myself this whole time that it was real.
Sad thing is, I believed it was real.
I ran out the back door, paused, turned to see him lip-locking her on the stage in front of the cheering crowd. This was too much for one day.
Damn, has it been just one day?
I made my way outside. The snow looked like it had slowed down a bit, probably downgrading itself from blizzard to just a regular snow storm.
It was dark, but the front of the hotel was lit and had a loading and unloading area, and a place for people to park while they checked in.
The cold air bit into me right away - the temperature had fallen to below zero while I was in there. I didn't think I had a place to stay, though, because I'm sure it would be a bit awkward to stay in his suite.
Can you imagine?
"Hey, honeybun, do you mind if this girl I tricked into fucking me all day sleeps in our guest room?"
Yeah, right.
Across from the entrance were some covered parking spots. Blake was shoveling out the pile of snow in front of the Audi, talking to someone.
I crossed the parking lot and realized it was Celine, the girl from the convenience store.
"Sorry, we don't have free donuts out here," she laughed. Blake just looked at her and then at me.
"I deserve that."
"Yeah, you were mean to me because I wouldn't give you free shit. Not cool."
"You're right. I was wrong."
"Ms. Wendy, is the conference over?"
"You know her?"
"Yes, she's an acquaintance of Mr. Dinero."
Celine didn't believe it.
"It's true, I'm afraid. But, probably and ex-acquaintance now," I said. It was starting to get cold out. "Listen, uh, Blake? Hey, were you ever able to get my car towed here?"
"Yes, ma'-"
"Wendy - just call me Wendy. It's weird that Daryl isn't here and you're calling me ma'am and mizz Wendy," I let out a half-hearted laugh.
"Your car is here, Wendy. A few stalls down. It's in a covered spot but there was so much snow that it drifted right in and covered it up."
"I can't believe you know Daryl Dinero." She shook her head. "Maybe you're not so bad, after all."
"We went to high school together."
"Here?"
"Yeah."
"This high school. This town? Daryl Dinero is from this town? There's no Dinero family from here."
"He changed his name, okay? It was Daryl Daneski. His folks moved after he graduated."
"Hey, sorry about that donut joke just now."
"No, really, I deserved it. You want a free shot at my face? Put me out of my misery?"
She laughed. "Nah. And sorry about not helping you out earlier. I didn't know the snow was going to be this bad."
"I deserved that, too. I'm a complete asshole and everyone hates me. Join the club."
"Are the keys in it?" I looked at Blake and pointed to my car.
"Yes. You might need a jump. It's cold."
"Help a girl out? Again?"
My car door was frozen shut again, but Blake got it open for me. I popped the hood, we hooked up the cables and the car didn't turn over.
"We'll need to give it a minute to build up enough charge. Let's sit in the Audi."
I sat in the back and Celine sat in the front with Blake.
I missed Daryl already. I put my hand on the seat where he sat.
"How do you two know each other?"
"We met earlier today. I got bored at the conference and ran into Blake. He looked as bored as me," she laughed.
"I spend a lot of time waiting around. It's my job."
"Hey, you think this storm has cleared up enough that I can make it home?"
"Where's home?"
I almost said the apartment I shared with Calvin, then remembered that the u
niverse hates me and started this day off with a bang.
"I'm staying with my mom over at Sunnyview trailer park. It's clear across town."
"Is it main roads or back roads?"
"It's right off the highway."
"You should be fine. The plows are keeping the major arteries open. Let's try your car again."
To my amazement, my car turned over slowly but roared to life. I cheered - finally, something went right today. We unhooked the jumper cables and Blake pulled back into his spot.
I let it run until the temperature came up, blasted the heat, and sat staring at the snow for a while, wondering how I got this so wrong.
I was still wearing the dress. "I can't keep this thing," I said to myself. I got out and the car was warmed up enough to thaw the trunk. I put the suitcase in my back seat, got in next to it and fumbled around in the dark until I was able to get dressed. It felt good to be back in my own clothes again.
I left the car on and went back inside to the front desk, asked the clerk to return the dress to Mr. Dinero's suite.
Just as I went back outside, I heard Evelyn's voice. I turned to look - she looked pissed and was marching towards the front door.
I turned and went back to my car.
Huh, maybe this would be a good day after all.
Chapter 15
Daryl
Evelyn found her seat next to me at dinner, which had been served while I was greeting everybody.
"Well, this worked out for the best!" She was gloating. It didn't look good on her.
"I don't think this is going to work," I whispered.
"We had a deal. You can't back down," she said through her teeth while she smiled and waved at another table. Ever the politician.
"I'm not a piece of meat that can be bought and sold. I worked my ass off for that fortune. Go ahead and take it. I'll build another one."
She shot me a worried look.
"Watch this," I said, and I grabbed Victoria's left hand. She tried to tug it away while smiling, then used her right to push my hand off. She scooted her chair an inch away from me.
"See that? That's a fucking ice cube. Did you see where Wendy went?"
"That trash ran out of here as soon as she saw you kiss Victoria."
I wanted to slap that smug look off her face.
"Did you see where she went?"
"No. As far as I'm concerned, she crawled back under whichever hole she came out of. Huh!" She took a bite of her steak. "This is good. Did you try this?"
I moved my seat back and put my napkin on my plate. I could take the deal and live this lie, or I could reject all of this.
No, this wasn't going to be my life. I didn't work this hard and come all this way to have it all pulled out from under me, to be outmaneuvered.
"I'm going to find her."
"Sit down, Daryl."
I looked over at Victoria, who was back on the phone with Porsche, which was actually a car for all I knew since she didn't ever come up for air in the conversation.
"And everyone was looking at me, and I smiled, and I had to kiss that guy but we never have to worry about money again. Wha? Oh, him? Yeah, he's like, hot and stuff, but not really my type. He's like, old, you know?" She looked me up and down and turned away to continue her conversation.
"That's it. I'm out."
"If you live, I'll ruin you. There's no 'out' for you, Daryl."
"Fuck you, Evelyn. The FBI is on your ass and Wendy has a copy of the evidence. I'll talk to Vic myself to see what I can do. You got me into this mess, and you're going to take the fall for it. There are emails, logs, phone records, meeting records, enough going on to prove I wasn't in on it. Maybe I'll get a couple of years in prison? Maybe not? But it's better than a lifetime with her and it's better than being anywhere near you. Nobody blackmails me."
I grabbed Victoria's phone, hung it up, and threw it across the room.
"Hey!"
"Engagement's off, toots."
"You'll never win the election if you call off the engagement. There's video! Pictures! A news crew! You stand to gain nothing here, Daryl!"
"That's where you're wrong. I turned my back on love before, and I'm not going to do it again. I love Wendy, and I'm going to find her."
"Very well." Evelyn stood up and straightened her clothes. "I'll be in my room if anyone needs me. I'll make my own arrangements." She rushed out of the ball room.
The news crew, their job complete, had packed up and was loading their equipment into the lobby.
People were starting to finish their dinner and retire to their rooms.
I felt free... relieved.
On my way to the exit where I saw Wendy last, I ran into Judge Chalmers.
"Is everything okay, son?"
"Better than it has been in a long while, Judge." I looked at him sideways. "Did you-"
"Yes, I knew it was a marriage of convenience. I saw the tall, stupid one earlier and I knew she wasn't your type right away. Oh, she'd look good on your arm but it'd be like sticking your dick in a bucket of ice water."
"And Wen-"
"Why are you here talking to an old man? Get out there and find your girl... Daddy." He winked when he said Daddy. I don't know how he found out about that, but it looked like the Honorable Judge Chalmers had done his homework.
One of the camera crew ran back in to the ball room and shouted, "She's got a gun!"
Chapter 16
Wendy
I was glad for the snow because I was sitting in my car in the dark, balling my eyes out, talking to myself and hitting the steering wheel like a freak.
I pulled the donut off the floor and threw it out the window. Then the frozen coffee. Then everything in the cup holder, and all the trash on the floor.
I had to straighten up my act and stop feeling sorry for myself. Lisa was right, I was my own worst enemy, and I did show everyone a hard outer shell to protect my soft, tender insides.
"Why, Daryl? Why!" I hit the steering wheel again, put my head down on it and cried some more.
I think ending up with guys that didn't get me any further was the natural result of not being open and honest. And it all started with not telling Daryl how I felt.
And I just made that mistake again.
I looked up and saw some motion at the hotel entrance. I blipped my wipers to clear the snow.
It was Evelyn. She had something in her hand, and she was looking around like a crazy person. She slipped and fell, the black thing in her hand slid across the ice, and she stumbled over, picked it up, and kept looking around.
I saw someone run inside, and I saw someone else run through the parking lot.
What the hell?
She was yelling something. I opened my car door and stood up so I could hear.
"Wendy!" She wiped tears away from her face.
Did something happen to Daryl?
"Evelyn! Over here! What's wrong? Are you okay? Is Daryl okay?"
She saw me, put whatever it was back in her purse, and comes over to me as fast as she can manage in the snow and ice.
"What are you doing, Evelyn? What's wrong?"
"You! You're what's wrong! Everything was perfect until you came strolling in here with your tight dresses and your sex in the conference rooms! You!"
"Evelyn, go back inside. You aren't making sense."
"I'm making PERFECT sense!" She shouted and almost lost her footing again. "I planned this for years... it was my life's work. Me! I was this close," she put her fingers an inch apart, "and all I had to do was make it through tonight. Years of planning, all gone to the shitter in one fucking night!"
The news crew came out and saw us, trained their cameras on us. Great. Will this day just end, already?
"Evelyn, how do you figure that your terrible choice for Daryl is my fault? And how do you figure that your money launder-"
She pulled a gun out of her purse and aimed it at me. I backed up but there was nowhere to go - I was surrounded by snow drifts up to
my hips.
"Shut up!"
"Whoa, there, calm down."
"Don't you fucking tell me to calm down! You fucking ruined me!"
I heard a shout in the distance: "Somebody call 911!"
"Hey, there's got to be a better way. We can talk this out. Nobody has to shoot anybody..."
She shook her head. "You ruined me. All my life, it's all I wanted. You ruined me." She started to put the gun down,
The next part was in slow motion. I remember ringing in my ears, then a dull pain in my left arm. A flash of light, then Daryl leaping through the air into Evelyn, her body twisting, the gun falling.
I put my hand on my arm and pulled it away, it was completely red with blood. Funny part is, I remember getting mad for a second, thinking this was my favorite winter coat.
I looked back up and Evelyn was on the ground, unconscious, blood dripping from the side of her head, and more blood dripping from the side view mirror of the car next to mine.
Blake came running, slipping and sliding on the ice, and knelt down beside Evelyn. He took her pulse and put his hands up with a sigh. "She's alive."
I fell back into the snow, a red stain growing by my arm.
Daryl lifted me like I was a child, pulled me into the car and cradled me in his arms. He was crying. He smelled great.
"Did that bitch shoot me?" I was having a hard time thinking straight.
"Shh. You're losing blood and going into shock. The ambulance is coming."
"I didn't tell you, Daddy Daryl," I put my right hand on his face and dragged my fingers down to his chin. "I didn't tell you before you left. And I almost didn't tell you again."
"Shh, Wendy, you need to rest." He pulled one of my belts out of the suitcase and tied it around my arm.
"I didn't tell you, Daryl. I didn't tell you I love you."
"Wendy... I didn't tell you, either. I loved you. I wanted you to come with me. I thought you didn't want to. Then I got caught up chasing my Naval career, chasing money, and chasing fame. I forgot to let love in, Wendy." He kissed my forehead and held me tight.
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