Hanging On (Jessica Brodie Diaries #2)(21)

“Lovely to see you again, Jessica,” Tom said, stepping forward and hugging me. It was a genuine hug. But then, Tom had always been a nice guy.

His wife, however…

“I thought y’all were going to the jazz club for dinner?” William asked stiffly.

“Honey, you are being rude. Aren’t you going to introduce your…date?” Denise asked levelly. I didn’t miss her pause.

War had been declared.

“Of course.” William turned to me. “Jessica, this is Trudy. She owns a spa in town that has continually gotten great reviews.”

“Hi, Trudy.” I smiled.

“Hello! It’s about time Willie brought a date around! And my, but aren’t you pretty!” She laughed in an easy, good-natured kind of way.

“And her husband, Dennis.” The red haired man nodded. “He manufactures video game consoles. His firm is now nation-wide.”

I smiled and nodded, saying nothing since I didn’t really know what that meant.

“You know my mother, of course.”

I nodded, holding my smile so I didn’t lose it. I’d met her in the hospital when they were visiting Gladis. At that point she hadn’t been a road blocking snake. Things had changed.

As William turned to his dad, Tom cut into the introductions. “And me. Boring ol’ Tom.” He laughed, shoo’ing everyone further into the restaurant.

“And why don’t you tell everyone what you do,” Denise said before William could properly introduce me.

William's arm convulsed around me, crushing me to his side protectively. Before he said something stupid, or felt bad he was dating the hired help, I answered, “I was recently promoted to Senior Accountant.” Trudy and Dennis both smiled and nodded. “I work for the Davies. Indirectly.”

“Oh!” Trudy smiling bigger. “How great.”

“Tell me, Jessica,” Dennis said, leaning toward me and lowering his voice. “Do they still treat their employees horribly?”

Dennis backed up and started laughing, Tom mockingly shaking a fist at him. I felt like a pawn, somehow. Like I was used for show but really intruding on their time.

“Well, our table is almost ready.” William slid his hand along my waist and gently nudged me away.

It took everything I had not to hurriedly dash toward the bar.

“Well, why don’t we all get a table?” Denise asked, eyes trained on me. Her smile was as fake as her nails.

“Oh yes! That would be fun.” Trudy agreed, not realizing that deeper forces were at work.

Tom and William both wore matching grimaces they were trying to hide within smiles.

At the table, now holding six instead of our intended two, Denise started the cat fight with, “Jessica, I hear Californian’s know wine. Why don’t you choose for the table?”

“Now, Denise, that is a sweeping generalization,” Tom chided softly.

“Oh my gracious, yes!” Trudy bubbled. “I love California. I go whenever Denise has to fly down for work. Yes, do pick the wine. How exciting! What part?”

Denise handed me the wine list with a smug smile.

I was so thankful that I was a wino. I did know wines. Wine tasting with the girls was one of my favorite things, and we’d taken many a trip to various wine districts in California looking for that next great find.

But would I recognize any in Texas?

Getting back to Trudy’s question as I opened the extensive list, I said, “All over LA.”

“Oh, I love LA! The beaches are to die for!” Trudy smiled around the table, waiting for the unanimous nods she thought were a given. She had to settle for polite nods, instead. It didn't phase her. “How do you find Texas?”

As my finger slid down the list, I realized I actually knew quite a few names, and they were smaller and, what’s more, fantastic selections. This restaurant knew what they were about.

“Uh,” I held my finger in place to mark my spot and looked up at Trudy. “It takes some getting used to, but I like it.”

“I’m sure we’d love some specifics of our home state,” Denise reflected in a demure voice.

Tom got a crease between his eyebrows, but he kept his opinions to himself. He apparently didn’t plan to save me.

“Well, I like how low the clouds look in the giant expanse of sky. Or how, when you look at the horizon, you feel like you can see for millions and millions of miles.” Trudy, Denise and Tom were nodding thoughtfully. Denise was still staring with a thin-mouthed expression. “I also like that you don’t have to go far to see farms and animals. It is integrated here, even though we are on the cusp of a large city. It doesn’t feel so city-like, but still has all the great qualities of a city.”

“Elegant. And what do you find harder to get used to?” Denise persisted.

William’s hand found my thigh. It was sweaty, which meant he was worried. I didn’t imagine that would help my survival rate.

“Well…The food is a bit of a shock, I must admit. I have a hard time finding quality green food. And when I do the prices are outrageous. I took fresh produce for granted in California.” Trudy was adamantly nodding. “I miss good, fresh sushi. There are a couple places out here, and they suffice, but they aren’t nearly as good as some of the decent places in LA. But that’s not that big of deal—there are also some great things. I hadn’t had a proper steak until I got here, I think.” It was Dennis and Tom’s turn to adamantly nod. I shrugged, going back to the wine list. “I don’t know. The culture is just a bit constricting, but I am getting used to it.”