Maybe Someday(118)

surroundings. It’s nothing like the clubs Warren

usually likes to go to. This one is a lot smaller,

without even much of a dance floor. There’s an

empty stage along one wall, but there’s no one

performing tonight. The jukebox is playing, and

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several people are scattered around at tables, talk-

ing quietly among themselves. Warren chooses a

table toward the middle of the room.

“You’re a cheap date,” I say. “You didn’t even

feed me.”

He laughs. “I’ll buy you a burger on the way

home.”

Warren pulls out his phone and begins texting

someone, so I look around for a while. It’s kind

of cozy. It’s also kind of weird that Warren

brought me here. But I’m thinking he doesn’t

have any evil intentions, because he’s not even

paying attention to me.

His attention is on his phone, and he keeps

glancing at the door. I don’t understand why he

wanted to come out tonight, and I especially

don’t understand why he chose this place.

“You’re actually the one who sucks,” I say.

“Stop ignoring me.”

He responds without even looking up at me.

“You aren’t talking, so technically, I’m not ig-

noring you.”

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I’m curious now. He’s not being himself, the

way he’s so distracted. “What’s up with you,

Warren?”

As soon as I ask the question, he looks up from

his phone and smiles over my shoulder, then

stands. “You’re late,” he says to someone behind

me. I look to see Bridgette walking toward us.

“Screw you, Warren,” she says to him with a

small smile. He wraps his arms around her, and

they kiss for several uncomfortable seconds. I

reach up and tap him on the arm when I’m con-

vinced that neither of them can breathe. He pulls

away from Bridgette, winks at her, and slides out

his chair for her.

“I have to go to the bathroom,” he says to

Bridgette. He points at me. “Don’t go anywhere.”

He says it as if it’s a command, and it irritates

me even more because he’s being really rude to-

night. I turn and face Bridgette once he’s left the

table. “Warren said you were working all week-

end,” I say.

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She shrugs. “Yeah, well, he probably told you

that because of the elaborate scheme he has

planned for tonight. He made me come so you

wouldn’t leave when you found out about it. Oh,

and I’m not supposed to tell you any of that, so if

he comes back, play dumb.”

My heart rate escalates. “Please tell me you’re

kidding.”

She shakes her head and raises her arm in the

air, calling over a waiter. “I wish I was kidding. I

had to switch shifts to be here, and now I have to

work a double tomorrow.”

I drop my head into my hands, regretting the

fact that I let Warren talk me into anything. Just

when I’m reaching for my purse to leave, he

walks out onto the empty stage.

“Oh, God,” I groan. “What the hell is he do-

ing?” My stomach is in knots. I have no idea

what he has planned, but whatever it is, it can’t

be good.

He taps on the microphone, then adjusts the

height of it. “I’d like to thank everyone for

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coming tonight. Not that any of you are here for

this particular event, since it’s a surprise, but I

feel the need to thank you anyway.”

He adjusts the microphone once more, then

finds our table in the crowd and waves. “I want

to apologize to you, Syd, because I feel really

bad for lying to you. You haven’t gained weight,

and your ass looked great in those jeans, but you

really needed to wear that dress tonight. Also,

you don’t suck. I lied about that, too.”

Several people in the crowd laugh, but I just

groan and bury my face in my hands, peeking

through my fingers at him up on the stage.

“All right, let’s get on with it, shall we? We

have a few new songs for you tonight. Unfortu-

nately, the whole band couldn’t be here, be-

cause”—he looks to his left at the small width of

the stage, then to his right—“well, I don’t think

they all could have fit. So I’d like to present to

you a small portion of the band Sounds of

Cedar.”

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My heart falls to the floor. I close my eyes

when the crowd begins to clap.

Please, let it be Ridge.

Please, don’t let it be Ridge.

Jesus, when will this confusion go away?

I can hear commotion up on the stage, and I’m

too scared to open my eyes. I want to see him sit-