Dark Redemption - Charlotte Byrd Page 0,28

us. It warms me from the inside out.

"Sorry, I don't mean to put pressure on you,” Marguerite says. "I know how it is."

"You do?" I raise an eyebrow. "Seems like you've been together with one person for a long time."

She laughs. "Yeah. So maybe I don’t know, but I don't want to pressure you either way."

"Thanks. I appreciate that.” I nod.

After drying my hands, we go out onto the back patio and join the guys. They're talking business and politics and Marguerite quickly changes the topic to our plans for today.

As the three of them talk amongst themselves, I glance down on my phone and suddenly remember that I have a date with Allison for which I’m half an hour late.

"Shit," I say under my breath.

"What's wrong?"

"Shit, shit, shit.”

17

Jacqueline

I run out of the house and down the steps. Dante catches up with me right outside his car when I realize that I don't have a way to get to town.

"Can you give me a ride?”

"Yes, what's going on?"

He runs back to grab his keys and hands me my bag. We jump into the BMW and speed off.

"Allison. I'm staying with her. We made plans to meet up at the French crepe café on Main Street somewhere. She was so angry at me for not texting her about where I was last night. And this was my way of making it up to her and I stood her up. I just forgot.” My voice trembles. “I don't even know how this happened. We went swimming and I totally was going to come back, get changed, and go see her. And then I ran into your brother and Marguerite and it just flew out of my head."

I feel myself ranting, and he just puts his hand on mine.

"It's going to be okay. She'll understand. We'll find her. She'll be mad. Buy her some lunch. Try to make amends."

"You don't understand. She's just, when she gets upset, she feels like she's been betrayed." I shake my head. "I've seen her friends come and go. She'd get close to someone for a while and then that person will be out of her life, never to be heard from again."

We drive down Main Street with its little boutiques with expensive bottles and knickknacks. Parents are walking with strollers, their older kids running ahead of them, a smile plastered on everyone's face.

Dante finds a spot by the street and parks.

I run into the café, even though at this point, I'm forty-five minutes late. Allison's nowhere to be found.

Walking further down, I check the bookstore and the card place and even run into an upscale clothing store with their summer line of bathing suits and cover-ups out in the front.

I show them a picture on my phone. The woman at the cash register shakes her head and says that she hasn't seen her walk by.

I debate whether we should go back to the cottage. Dante follows after me.

"I'm not sure where to go to look for her," I say.

"We can drive back to your place, in case she went back."

"Yeah, I guess. I just want to make sure that she's not here."

I keep zigzagging around the pedestrians and the lost tourists peering into their phones.

Out on the corner, I spot a small bar, restaurant, a few tables and chairs out front. Peering into the darkness, I see her sitting behind the bar at the far end.

"There she is," I say, turning to Dante.

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"Yes. I don't know." I shake my head. "It gives me some space."

I walk in and wave to her. She's dressed in her new pink overalls. A little bit too eclectic for my taste. It’s from a Lilly Pulitzer line and perfect for the beach.

"I'm so sorry about this. I can't believe I didn't show up.” I start talking even before our eyes meet.

"I can,” Allison says, tapping her straw on the bar top. She's drinking something in a tall glass with a lime on top. “A couple hours with this guy and your whole life just doesn't matter anymore? Your old friends?"

"You're being unfair."

"I'm being unfair? Get the hell out of here!” she yells.

But instead I take a seat next to her.

The bartender comes over and I request a club soda.

"Look, I'm really sorry I didn't show up. I had all intentions, okay? I was going to go and then Dante's brother and sister-in-law came to the house early, and we had breakfast and I just forgot.