Nora and David were the odd ones out. Richard and Jane were adamant that they must have some sort of hobby and went on to run through a long list of activities like singing, drawing, swimming, diving, horseback riding, and so on. Nora put a stop to the endless lists by explaining that she and David were excellent at wine tasting, although they were not connoisseurs. The conversation ended with a good laugh.
An hour or so later, they dined on delicious juicy pork bao buns at Dumpling Home on Gough Street, then walked to the Van Gogh exhibit, where they all wandered off in different directions. Nora hadn’t known what to expect, but the exhibit was stunning. Two hundred Van Gogh masterpieces were animated on the floors and walls, making for a surreal experience. Somewhere along the way, she lost track of David. Ten minutes later, she spotted Jane and David walking through the Village of Arles. The display was magnificent, and Jane kept pulling on David’s arm and pointing out one detail or another.
Nora wasn’t the jealous type, but her insides twisted at the sight of Jane’s chest pushed against her husband’s shoulder. They were both smiling, happy. If she didn’t know them, she would have admired the lovely couple enjoying themselves. Richard was nowhere to be seen.
Snap out of it, Nora! You’re being ridiculous. She simply wasn’t used to seeing gorgeous women nuzzled close to David. Nora straightened her spine, took a breath, and headed their way.
Jane’s smile seemed to widen when she saw Nora approaching. There was no telltale sign that she’d been caught flirting. Nora felt silly for feeling the way she had, especially when Jane looped her arm through Nora’s and ushered her to the same spot where she’d been pointing a detail out to David. A few minutes later, Richard appeared, and they all finished strolling through the exhibit together. Overall, it was proving to be a nice evening out. Even the air outside had less chill than Nora had expected. Richard took the lead as they walked and talked their way back to where he’d parked the car, having found a lucky spot at the curb somewhere between the dumpling restaurant and the exhibit. Stars lit up the sky as they went along. It wasn’t until they found themselves in a darkened alleyway that they realized they had taken a couple of wrong turns.
Convinced the car was close by, Richard apologized for leading them astray. As they turned about to head back the way they had come, a dark figure popped out from behind a stack of crates, grabbed hold of Nora’s purse strap, and yanked her leather bag from her shoulder, then took off.
David ran after him, Richard on his heels. What if the purse snatcher had a knife or a gun? Before Nora could say something, Jane grabbed her arm and took off running, pulling Nora along with her in a different direction than the men had gone.
“Where are we going?” Nora asked after Jane let go of her arm, her breathing shallow and ragged as she struggled to keep up.
“We’re going to try and cut the bastard off in his path and let him know he fucked with the wrong people tonight.”
As she ran over uneven pavement, Nora tripped and nearly lost her balance but didn’t fall. Her adrenaline kicked into high gear. Every limb was shaking. She looked down at her feet and saw she’d broken a heel. Not wanting to be left behind, she kicked off her shoes and ran after Jane, her lungs burning from exertion. Jane obviously worked out. She was fast.
Nora was thankful to see her finally stop up ahead. Nora caught up to her. Jane had her back flat against the alleyway wall. She put a finger to her lips, telling Nora to be quiet.
Nora leaned against the wall. She heard footfalls—not running but jogging. One man. He was coming their way. Nora’s breath caught in her throat. Frozen in place, she prayed the purse snatcher, if it was him, wouldn’t see them and would just run right by, none the wiser.
But Jane apparently had other plans. The minute the sound of clomping feet grew close, Jane jumped out of hiding, her stance wide as she raised her arm and sprayed the approaching man’s face with pepper spray.
The man was holding Nora’s bag tight against his chest. It was him. The purse snatcher. She watched Jane jab a knee into his thigh. He groaned but refused to let go of Nora’s bag. As Jane and the purse snatcher wrestled, Nora knew she couldn’t just stand there and do nothing. She grabbed a fistful of his wavy black hair and yanked back so hard, he released the purse and let out a high-pitched scream that made her blood curdle. His head twisted around and he looked at Nora. The veins in his pale neck were bulging, his eyes bloodshot and wild-looking. “What the fuck!”
She released her hold on his hair. For a second, she thought he might lunge for her, but instead, he ran off, and she nearly collapsed with relief. She peered inside her bag and saw her wallet.
“There he is!” Richard shouted from the distance.
“No use running after him,” Jane told Richard and David when they caught up to them.
Nora lifted her purse for them to see. “He didn’t have time to take anything.”
They all stood there and watched the dark figure disappear into the night. Everyone was breathing hard except for Jane.
Nora stared at her in wonder. “You were incredible.”
“Thanks. I run four miles a day, and I have a black belt in tae kwon do.”
Was there anything this woman couldn’t do? Nora wondered.
“Impressive,” Richard said.
David was hunched over, hands propped on knees as he caught his breath. After a moment, he straightened and drew in a deep breath. “Well, that was a workout. Next time, God forbid there is a next time, I’m sitting back and waiting for the women to handle things.” He looked at Richard. “I would advise you to stay on your toes around this one.” He used his chin to gesture toward Jane.
Richard said, “As long as she doesn’t use a reverse side kick on me, I’m good.”
The guys laughed. It was a minute before David noticed that Nora was barefoot. “What happened to your shoes?”
“One of the heels broke during our pursuit.” Despite feeling nauseous and dizzy, Nora tried not to let on that her insides were in turmoil.
David walked over to her. “Are you okay?”
“No.” Nora’s hands trembled, and she felt like crying. “That was the most terrifying thing I’ve ever experienced.”
“We probably shouldn’t have run after him,” David said.
Jane stepped closer. “Is everything all right?”
The shock and her racing heart kept Nora from speaking.
David must have noticed her legs were wobbly. He slid an arm around her waist, and she held his arm to keep from falling. David turned around and leaned over so she could climb onto his back. “Hop on. Let’s get you home.”
“If you don’t take the ride,” Jane said, “I will.”
Nora wasn’t sure if Jane was flirting with David or just being jovial, but Nora climbed onto David’s back, embarrassed that it had come to this. They all talked and joked about their wild evening, and by the time they reached Richard’s SUV, Nora not only felt much better, she felt an unexpected camaraderie with her new friends.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Nora was driving home after an afternoon spent at the spa—her gift from Jane. Nora didn’t particularly like massages. They were supposedly good for your blood pressure, stress level, and state of well-being, but she had a difficult time relaxing. She would rather go hiking or biking, but she hadn’t wanted to hurt Jane’s feelings, so she’d gone. The best part of her day had been climbing into her car and thinking about her evening on the drive home. She planned to make a pot of spaghetti and hang out with her family, then take a shower and read in bed. A perfect night.