And the second.
And fifth.
And then I lose count. Shaking hands, saying hello, thanking them for the birthday wishes.
After what must be half an hour, maybe more, Dominic is pulled from my side.
My panic at being left on my own doesn’t have time to settle in before someone I recognize approaches. Her dark hair is loose, and her black dress is so tight and short she looks ready for the club.
“Hi.” Her smile is shy and a little guilty. But she offers me a short glass filled with ice, an amber liquid, an orange slice, and a tiny plastic sword stabbing through three maraschino cherries.
She has an identical drink in her other hand, so I gladly take the one before me.
“Hello.” At least this new embarrassment isn’t written all over my face, seeing as how my cheeks have been red since I walked in.
“Sorry,” we say at the same time.
“Me first.” She grins. “I should’ve put it together sooner, but after you stormed upstairs with the toaster, Rob explained that Dom was using me to piss you off.” She snorts. “I’m sorry you were upset, but your payback was freaking hilarious.”
“Seriously, you have nothing to apologize for,” I try to tell her, but she shakes her head.
“No, I do. It was dumb of me not to think about it. When he offered to pay off the rest of my student loans in exchange for lasagna, I figured he was just trying to make up a way for me to earn it.” She does air quotes when she says “earn it.”
“Which I know sounds ridiculous, because seventy thousand for a pan of noodles is insane. But it’s nothing to him.” She shrugs her shoulders. “And my parents only stopped paying for my college because they wanted me to use my first degree and didn’t think I needed to get my master’s. Which is dumb because they always told me school was important.” She places her hand on her forehead. “Oh my god, sorry, I’m rambling. The whole point is that I should’ve seen through the ruse.”
Her energy is so fun and happy I have to laugh. “Well, I hope he held up his end of the bargain, because that lasagna was delicious.”
“Thank you.” She beams. “I can’t wait to tell my mom that. I’m Miranda, by the way.” She offers me her hand.
I shake it. “Valentine.”
“Duh.” She laughs, then takes a sip of her drink.
Wanting the courage, I try my own and hum with appreciation.
“Good?” Miranda asks.
“Really good.” I take another drink.
She shrugs. “Since Dom started you out with a whiskey shot, I figured an old-fashioned would be a safe choice for my bribe.”
“Bribe?”
“A friendship bribe.” She says it like it’s just a silly gesture. But it’s not. It’s more appreciated than she could ever know.
“Well, it worked.” I try to keep my tone light. “So, um, what did you get your master’s in?”
“Art therapy.”
My brows raise. “That sounds cool.”
“It is.”
We continue to drink as Miranda tells me all about art therapy and what she plans to do with her degrees. And for a bit, I’m able to forget how overwhelmed I am.
The old-fashioned disappears, and a server shows up to take my empty glass as I swallow the last bit.
“Another?” they ask with a dip of their head.
I shake mine. “Not yet, thank you.”
With my hands free, I undo the belt of my jacket and start to pull it off. The alcohol and the packed restaurant have made me a little too warm.
Miranda whistles. “Love the dress.”
“Thanks. Dominic always reminds me of blue.” I lift a shoulder, not sure why I admitted that.
“Such a good wife.” Dom’s voice sounds from right behind me, startling me. “You should always dress with me in mind.” Not waiting for me to reply to his absurd statement, Dominic takes the coat from my hands and passes it off to someone else. “Glad to see you two are friends now,” he says to us, but his eyes are on me.
“I like her,” I tell Dom, then turn to Miranda. “My sister-in-law is a painter. I don’t know if you want to know more people in the art world, but I’d be happy to introduce you sometime.”
Her eyes widen. “Really? Are you talking about Savannah Oates? Or I guess it’s Vass now. I’d love to meet her.”
My mouth opens.
She knows about Savannah?
Miranda must see something in my expression because her face falls. “Oh shit, sorry. Was that weird? I don’t mean it in a creepy way or anything. It’s just, well…” She shrugs her shoulders. “She did marry King, co-leader of The Alliance. So obviously, I was going to look her up online. And her work is top shit.”