I look into his eyes knowing that if I don't temper what I'm feeling for him, both of these women are going to realize that there's more to Hunter and my friendship than a shared interest in Coral's heart.
"Zander." Christina exhales loudly. "Don't ignore me. Answer the question."
"I did." He loosens his tie, never once shifting his gaze from my face. "Did you travel alone or is Alexa in Manhattan too?"
"Who the fuck is Alexa?" Christina slaps her hand against the table. "Stop talking to her. I'm sitting right here."
"She's Sadie's friend." His voice is calm and controlled. I stare into his eyes and I see a veil of darkness there. His body is there, next to me, leaning into mine but his mind is somewhere else.
"No," I whisper. "I'm here alone."
"Is she old enough to travel alone?" Faye asks flatly. "She's a teenager, isn't it?"
"She's older than that." Christina blurts out. "I heard she goes to college."
"She's a student at Harvard." Hunter's hand brushes against my leg and I flinch. "She's studying to be a doctor."
I pull my eyes around the table, stopping to study each of their faces. I feel as though I'm invisible to these two women. The way they're carrying on a conversation as if I'm not present is disheartening. I had such high hopes for this evening and they've all crumpled into a messy heap.
"She goes to Harvard?" Small droplets of wine shoot from Christina's mouth onto the stark white tablecloth.
Hunter finally turns to look at her. "Control yourself, Christina."
The blush that rushes over her face isn't from embarrassment. The rage in her eyes is unmistakable. "Don’t humiliate me. You'll regret it."
The threat sits in the air with a heavy silence. I glance at Hunter and I see him roll his eyes in exasperation.
"I wanted to do something substantial with my life," I spit the words out hoping that they'll shift the conversation to a brighter place. If I can just make it through this dinner, I'll be free from having to see any of these people again.
"With Coral's life you mean," Faye reaches across the table to tap my hand. "It's Coral's life."
"No." I lean back to gain distance and hopefully some perspective. "It's my life."
"Sadie. You would be dead if it weren't for my daughter." The muted chuckle that accompanies her words bites into me. She truly only sees me as a vessel for Coral's heart.
"That's enough." Hunter pulls my hand into his under the table. I know I should pull away but I can't. I'm so close to falling apart.
"What's enough?" Faye's eyes bore into him. "What? We wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for you."
"I didn't find her so you could treat her like this." He squeezes my hand.
"That's not what I meant." She flippantly waves her hand in the air. "We wouldn't be here if you hadn't killed my precious Coral."
Chapter 9
There are no words as the waiter sets each plate down on the table with a flourish. He explains in pointed detail what each dish contains. The smell of the food should be making my mouth water but al I feel is a deep and penetrating sense of nausea.
No one speaks as they each eat in silence. I move the salad I ordered around on my plate, never once bringing the fork to my mouth. How could she speak to him like that? How could she blatantly accuse him of killing Coral right in front of me? She said it so effortlessly. It flowed off her tongue as if she's said it countless times before. Maybe she had. Maybe that's all he's heard for the last ten years.
"He didn't kill Coral." I drop my fork onto the plate and the sound echoes through the silence hovering over our cramped space.
They look up in unison. I can't look at Hunter. I can't pull my eyes away from Faye's face.
"You don't know what happened that night," Christina jumps in. "You weren't there."
"You think he killed her too?" I snap. "You think he killed your sister?"
"Why the hell are you defending him?" She pushes her plate away from her as if she's readying herself for a fistfight. "Who are you to stick your nose in our business?"