I wanted to tell her she deserved better.
But those were the kind of sentences
people said because silence made them uncomfortable.
So instead I asked, “Why were you alone downtown?”
She hesitated.
“I didn’t want to go home.”
“Daniel said you were having dinner.”
“I was.”
“With someone?”
“My sister.”
That made more sense.
“She left about an hour before Daniel called. I stayed.”
“In the restaurant?”
“At the bar.”
I raised an eyebrow.
Karen gave me a tired look.
“I had two glasses of wine, Alex. I wasn’t dancing on tables.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“Your face did.”
“It’s very judgmental.”
“I noticed.”
Another tiny laugh.
Then it disappeared.
“My car actually did break down,” she said. “That part was true.”
“Good.”
She looked offended.
“Good?”
“I was starting to think the entire rescue mission was a conspiracy.”
That almost made her smile.
