We reached Wildwind a few minutes early but once we entered the foyer, we
found that everyone had pretty much everyone arrived early too. The guy at
the door took my coat and walked down into the front room, joining the rest
of the guests. I looked around a bit and observed who was all there so far.
I saw Opal and Hank in the corner looking at Vanessa and Palmer who were in
the center of the room with Greenlee and Leo. Jake and some girl I had seen
around before, I think her name was Mia; were also staring at Greenlee and
Leo. In another corner I spotted Mateo and his mistress fooling around, and
in the opposite corner Hayley was talking with Ryan. This whole scam must
be doing wonders for their marriage; they kept staring at each other every
so often and I knew they really wanted to be attending the ball with each
other and not their 'partners'. I walked into the room, heading nowhere in
particular when I felt a tap on my shoulder and someone bringing me back
towards them. I looked up at who it was and saw Mateo. He placed me in the
line of sight between him and Hayley.
"Just stay there for awhile, okay?" He asked, taking a hefty sip from the punch cup he was clutching.
"If you say so. Can I ask why though?" I shifted my weight from side to side preventing from returning the looks I'm sure Hayley was giving him.
"She wants to tell me something, and I just gave her a reason." Behind me I heard a voice coming closer and closer to my back.
"Oh great, Mateo. Are you really trying to put innocent Bianca in front of you just so you don't have to look at your wife? Well, congratulations to you." She barged in front of me.
"You know if you weren't being such a hoe-bag with your little boy toy over there maybe I wouldn't have to."
"Oh, so you can bring your slut but I can't talk to my friend, that's rich." Mateo looked around like he was getting embarrassed.
"You know I think you could use some air." He took hold of her arm and led her out the door. They were really, good actors. I looked around at everyone in the room; they seemed to be convinced to say the least. Mateo 'mistress' walked off; I guess she really didn't have anyone to talk to since she was the 'reason' one of our town's most prominent super couples was calling it quits.
"Bianca!" I turned around.
"Hey, Leo." I answered.
"Hello, Bianca." Greenlee addressed me from his side, sporting a huge rock on her finger.
"So I heard you guys are engaged. Congratulations."
"Yea, yea. It's pretty great. But I have a question for you now." I shrugged my shoulders and raised my eyebrows like I didn't know what he was going to ask me.
"What?" I smiled.
"Are you going to tell me what the hell is going on now?" He matched my smile.
"Later. I tell you everything later. Actually you'll find some out in awhile but until then." I drew one finger across my lips indicating a zipper.
"Okay. I've waited this long; I guess I can wait some more." He smiled and walked away but I could hear Greenlee asking him what that was all about. I walked around a while more, pretending, like Anna had instructed, that I hadn't been seen for a week. I smiled at a few people here and there but stopped when Hayley and Mateo re-entered. Edmund emerged from somewhere behind me and signaled to her that it was time to start the show. She left with him, but not without smiling directly at me, which was the signal for Anna and I to start heading for the beginning of the line that was headed into the ballroom. I nodded to Anna who was off in a corner with David who was congratulating Greenlee and his brother on their impending nuptials. She gently tapped him on the shoulder and he nodded, knowing what she was doing while I walked over next to the entrance to the ballroom. I looked back for her and noticed that Leo was watching Anna walk over to me while Greenlee stuffed her big rock in David's face. When Anna finally reached me I saw Leo make a funny face as we turned into the ballroom entrance. Crossing my fingers that he wouldn't attempt anything stupid tonight and ruin the well-calculated plan we had going, I stepped onto the ballroom floor. Across from us I saw Hayley interviewing Edmund for the camera. This was our shot; Anna and I stepped purposely in front of the camera as it pulled back for a sweep across the dance floor. Making it got a good shot of us for Chris who was undoubtedly watching with my mother at home, we quickly retreated to the punch bowl directly in front of us.
"Now let's just hope he got the message." Anna announced while scooping herself a glass of punch.
"You know you go dance with David 'till he gets here, I'll be alright." She smiled.
"All right." She clapped a hand on my shoulder and went to look for David. I was prepared to go sit down in a nearby chair and watch the people dance until Chris arrived but I felt a tap on my shoulder before I had picked a chair to sit in.
"Hey, you wouldn't want to dance with me, would you?" Leo asked with a goofy grin plastered on his face.
"Umm, you know, I think I was just going to sit down. Why don't you go dance with your fiancée?" I told him.
"Oh, no. I want to dance with you, and it doesn't look like you're doing anything else. Come on!" He yanked on my arm and pulled me out onto the dance floor.
"Fine, have it your way. Where's Greenlee?" I asked him as we started to dance with the other couples.
"I don't know, probably still shoving her ring under people's noses, most likely." He joked. I peered over his shoulder and sure enough, Greenlee was shoving her rock in some poor shmuck's face.
"I know you're not going to tell me everything right now, but can you at least answer one question?"
"Depends. What is it?"
"Where you've been for the last week?"
"Yea, I can answer that with four simple words. 'At your brother's cabin." He gave me a strange look.
"Why?" He asked unsteadily. Smiling, I waved a free finger in front of his eyes.
"One question." I corrected him.
"Fine. Be that way." He laughed. I looked over his shoulder again and saw Anna and David dancing close by. I smiled to myself; it looked like they were actually having a good time. I danced with Leo for a couple more songs then figured he'd better go find Greenlee before she shoved her ring in one too many faces. I sat down at one of the tables and ate a couple of crackers, still waiting for Chris to show up. I watched all the happy people dancing, and it reminded me of Frankie. She probably wouldn't in think of coming to something like this. I looked up at the entrance and froze in my seat. It was Chris; he was staring straight at me. Showtime. I looked over at Anna, but she was too busy with David. I guess I was going to take her seat in this little game we were going to be playing with Chris. I stood up, grabbed my purse; still trying nonchalantly to signal to Anna that he was here, and walked out the back door towards the stables. I looked back once more and saw that Anna had realized he was here and who he was following out the door. I saw her nod to me; acknowledging that I was taking her place, and mouth 'Be careful' as I headed out to the stables.
"Just stay there for awhile, okay?" He asked, taking a hefty sip from the punch cup he was clutching.
"If you say so. Can I ask why though?" I shifted my weight from side to side preventing from returning the looks I'm sure Hayley was giving him.
"She wants to tell me something, and I just gave her a reason." Behind me I heard a voice coming closer and closer to my back.
"Oh great, Mateo. Are you really trying to put innocent Bianca in front of you just so you don't have to look at your wife? Well, congratulations to you." She barged in front of me.
"You know if you weren't being such a hoe-bag with your little boy toy over there maybe I wouldn't have to."
"Oh, so you can bring your slut but I can't talk to my friend, that's rich." Mateo looked around like he was getting embarrassed.
"You know I think you could use some air." He took hold of her arm and led her out the door. They were really, good actors. I looked around at everyone in the room; they seemed to be convinced to say the least. Mateo 'mistress' walked off; I guess she really didn't have anyone to talk to since she was the 'reason' one of our town's most prominent super couples was calling it quits.
"Bianca!" I turned around.
"Hey, Leo." I answered.
"Hello, Bianca." Greenlee addressed me from his side, sporting a huge rock on her finger.
"So I heard you guys are engaged. Congratulations."
"Yea, yea. It's pretty great. But I have a question for you now." I shrugged my shoulders and raised my eyebrows like I didn't know what he was going to ask me.
"What?" I smiled.
"Are you going to tell me what the hell is going on now?" He matched my smile.
"Later. I tell you everything later. Actually you'll find some out in awhile but until then." I drew one finger across my lips indicating a zipper.
"Okay. I've waited this long; I guess I can wait some more." He smiled and walked away but I could hear Greenlee asking him what that was all about. I walked around a while more, pretending, like Anna had instructed, that I hadn't been seen for a week. I smiled at a few people here and there but stopped when Hayley and Mateo re-entered. Edmund emerged from somewhere behind me and signaled to her that it was time to start the show. She left with him, but not without smiling directly at me, which was the signal for Anna and I to start heading for the beginning of the line that was headed into the ballroom. I nodded to Anna who was off in a corner with David who was congratulating Greenlee and his brother on their impending nuptials. She gently tapped him on the shoulder and he nodded, knowing what she was doing while I walked over next to the entrance to the ballroom. I looked back for her and noticed that Leo was watching Anna walk over to me while Greenlee stuffed her big rock in David's face. When Anna finally reached me I saw Leo make a funny face as we turned into the ballroom entrance. Crossing my fingers that he wouldn't attempt anything stupid tonight and ruin the well-calculated plan we had going, I stepped onto the ballroom floor. Across from us I saw Hayley interviewing Edmund for the camera. This was our shot; Anna and I stepped purposely in front of the camera as it pulled back for a sweep across the dance floor. Making it got a good shot of us for Chris who was undoubtedly watching with my mother at home, we quickly retreated to the punch bowl directly in front of us.
"Now let's just hope he got the message." Anna announced while scooping herself a glass of punch.
"You know you go dance with David 'till he gets here, I'll be alright." She smiled.
"All right." She clapped a hand on my shoulder and went to look for David. I was prepared to go sit down in a nearby chair and watch the people dance until Chris arrived but I felt a tap on my shoulder before I had picked a chair to sit in.
"Hey, you wouldn't want to dance with me, would you?" Leo asked with a goofy grin plastered on his face.
"Umm, you know, I think I was just going to sit down. Why don't you go dance with your fiancée?" I told him.
"Oh, no. I want to dance with you, and it doesn't look like you're doing anything else. Come on!" He yanked on my arm and pulled me out onto the dance floor.
"Fine, have it your way. Where's Greenlee?" I asked him as we started to dance with the other couples.
"I don't know, probably still shoving her ring under people's noses, most likely." He joked. I peered over his shoulder and sure enough, Greenlee was shoving her rock in some poor shmuck's face.
"I know you're not going to tell me everything right now, but can you at least answer one question?"
"Depends. What is it?"
"Where you've been for the last week?"
"Yea, I can answer that with four simple words. 'At your brother's cabin." He gave me a strange look.
"Why?" He asked unsteadily. Smiling, I waved a free finger in front of his eyes.
"One question." I corrected him.
"Fine. Be that way." He laughed. I looked over his shoulder again and saw Anna and David dancing close by. I smiled to myself; it looked like they were actually having a good time. I danced with Leo for a couple more songs then figured he'd better go find Greenlee before she shoved her ring in one too many faces. I sat down at one of the tables and ate a couple of crackers, still waiting for Chris to show up. I watched all the happy people dancing, and it reminded me of Frankie. She probably wouldn't in think of coming to something like this. I looked up at the entrance and froze in my seat. It was Chris; he was staring straight at me. Showtime. I looked over at Anna, but she was too busy with David. I guess I was going to take her seat in this little game we were going to be playing with Chris. I stood up, grabbed my purse; still trying nonchalantly to signal to Anna that he was here, and walked out the back door towards the stables. I looked back once more and saw that Anna had realized he was here and who he was following out the door. I saw her nod to me; acknowledging that I was taking her place, and mouth 'Be careful' as I headed out to the stables.
