“I’ve heard that before. Ya know, the last time she ran away.”
“Shut up.” I push the reception doors open and let my eyes readjust to the dimmed lighting.
Spotlights move around the dance floor while Jess and Kane continue to sway, but now other couples have joined them. Eric leads Katrina around the floor, and Soph does naughty things for Jay when she thinks no one can see her hand between their bodies. The chief leads his wife around, finally smiling for once in his life, while his deputy – whoalwayssmiles – palms his wife’s ass and eats her neck like it doesn’t matter that they’re practically indecent.
When Angelo catches sight of me and Laine at the door, he walks our way and extends a hand for her. He doesn’t snatch her up, but waits for her to accept and come to him. He leads her away from me, so I head toward table one and sit. Alone.
I pick up my unfinished beer, and look around the room in search of red hair and bicolored eyes. Ten minutes pass, and she doesn’t show. Then twenty.
I sit alone at the table for a full hour before the guys lead their girls back and the meals are served. Abigail’s plate arrives when mine does, but it remains conspicuously uneaten as her chair goes unoccupied.
One hour. Then two.
Her untouched plate is taken away while Laine watches me from across the table with a disapproving glare. When Abigail’s cake is served, then later taken away, I sit back and press the heels of my palms into my eyes.
She left. She got to enjoy the reception for no more than twenty minutes before I swaggered in and sent her running.
I fucked up bad.