His eyes found Daniel first.
Elaine reached us before he did.
« Maggie, » she said, pulling me into a hug. « Oh, sweetheart. You look beautiful. »
I tugged at the side of my dress.
« It’s old. »
Her arms tightened around me for half a second.
Before she could answer, Ryan’s voice cut across the patio.
« Well! This is interesting. »
« It’s old. »
Conversations thinned.
People pretended not to look while looking anyway.
Ryan walked toward us with Lucille beside him.
« Maggie, » he said.
His eyes slid over Daniel.
« And who’s this? »
Conversations thinned.
Daniel stepped forward calmly.
« Daniel. Maggie’s boyfriend. »
The word boyfriend seemed to hang between the patio stones and the sky.
Ryan stared.
Then he laughed.
« Him?? »
Heads turned.
« Daniel. Maggie’s boyfriend. »
Ryan pointed at Daniel, then at me.
« Your boyfriend? »
Heat crawled up my neck.
Lucille looked down into her drink, but I saw the smile she was hiding.
Ryan laughed harder.
« Come on, Maggie! You obviously paid him to come here with you. »
The yard went quiet.
« You obviously paid him to come here with you. »
Not completely.
A child splashed in the pool.
Ice shifted in someone’s cup.
But the adults stopped speaking.
I felt every eye touch my face, my dress, my body, and my hands.
The adults stopped speaking.
My fingers slipped from Daniel’s hand.
« I’m sorry, » I whispered.
I did not know who I was apologizing to.
Daniel’s hand found mine again.
« Don’t be, » he said.
Ryan’s smile sharpened.
« Does the boyfriend package include hand-holding, or is that extra? »
I did not know who I was apologizing to.
Elaine stiffened.
My oldest son stood near the pool with a towel around his shoulders, watching his father.
Daniel looked at Ryan.
« Does the ex-husband package include humiliating the mother of your children in front of them, or do you do that for free? »
Someone gasped.
Ryan swallowed, his throat locking against whatever he was about to say.
« Do you do that for free? »
« It was a joke, » he shot back.
Daniel nodded once.
« Interesting choice. »
Somehow, the silence after his words felt worse than shouting.
***
The party tried to continue.
Music played again. Kids raced toward the diving board. Someone asked if the burgers were done. Plates were passed. Lemonade spilled. Elaine’s sister complained about mosquitoes.
But the day had changed shape.
« It was a joke. »
Ryan kept watching Daniel.
At first, I thought he was waiting for Daniel to slip.
To prove he was fake.
Daniel didn’t give him anything.
He helped my daughter open a juice box. He asked my sons about baseball and listened like their answers mattered. He complimented Elaine’s garden. When an older aunt dropped her napkin, he picked it up before she bent for it.
He never overdid anything.
That made him believable.
Ryan kept watching Daniel.
Lucille noticed Ryan watching.
At first, she leaned against him harder. She laughed too brightly. She touched his arm whenever Daniel spoke to me.
Then her laughter thinned.
I noticed because I was trying not to notice Ryan.
Trying not to notice the way my own hands kept returning to my waist.
Lucille noticed Ryan watching.
Smooth the dress.
Pull the fabric.
Cross my arms.
Step aside.
