“I’m sure it’ll be like a dream,” I said, reaching for my wine.
Apparently, the dream was a terrible one, because I missed and knocked the glass over. As red wine stained the snowy white tablecloth, I jumped out of my seat.
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry.” I dabbed at it with my napkin, cringing.
“Blue. Stop. It’s okay. They’ll get us a new one. Just sit down.”
Lincoln’s smile looked genuine, but my cheeks burned with embarrassment. This was an absolute disaster.
“I need to use the ladies’ room. Excuse me.”
I rushed away from the table without looking for the facilities. Instead, I headed straight for the entrance.
“I can’t do this. I can’t do this.” I repeated it to myself over and over as I walked blindly into the hotel, my only goal to find somewhere to hide.
When I spotted a row of alcoves that looked like they were for people to make private phone calls, I ducked inside one. Wrapping my arms around my waist, I took several deep breaths, trying not to cry as I rocked back and forth on my cheap heels. I couldn’t even look at Lincoln’s face before I ran away. I was sure he was regretting his decision to bring me here tonight.
Why, of all places, would he think this was a good idea for the first time we went out together in public? What about starting small?
Then again, it probably didn’t occur to him to go anywhere but the best place in town. He was probably trying to impress me. Little did he realize, I would have been happier with a picnic in the maze where no one would bother us and we wouldn’t have to worry about prying eyes and whispered words.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
A man’s sharp voice interrupted my thoughts, and for a moment I thought he was talking to me. I glanced around the corner and saw him grab a woman’s arm.
To my horror, it wasn’t just any man or any woman. It was Roosevelt and Sylvia Riscoff, Lincoln’s parents.
Mrs. Riscoff attempted to tug free of her husband’s grip. “To stop this insanity! Our son is at Table with that Gable whore, and I will not stand for it.”
“And how are you going to handle it? By causing a public scene? Come with me.”
I turned my head and let my hair hang over my face as he pulled her into the alcove beside mine.
Can this night get any worse?As soon as the question popped into my mind, I knew the answer was most definitelyyes.
“I refuse to let him humiliate us like that.”
“If you think confronting him with her is going to do anything but push him further away from the path you want him to take, you’re crazy, Sylvia.”
“But—”
“He’s young. He’s pissed that my father called him home from being out in the world and fucking everything that moves. Now he’s stuck in Gable for the rest of his life. Don’t you realize this is his way of rebelling? He might be a man, but he’s a Riscoff. He doesn’t like taking orders. Stop treating him like a child and let him have his fling.”
“And what if he’s serious about this girl? What if it’s more?”
Roosevelt choked out a laugh, but there was no humor in it for me.
“Don’t be ridiculous. The boy isn’t stupid. She’s forbidden. A conquest. This fascination of his will burn itself out before you know it—unless you keep causing scenes that make him want to hold on tighter. Let the boy have his little whore for now. He’ll get it out of his system and be ready to settle down.”
“If he gets her pregnant—”
“It’ll be taken care of. Commodore would never let that happen. I’ll talk to him tomorrow. If Lincoln insists on challenging his decision, my father will make it clear that Lincoln’s status as heir apparent, after me, will disappear. He’ll fall into line.Ifyou leave him alone.”
I could practically feel the hatred pouring off Mrs. Riscoff when she spoke next.
“And in the meantime, you just want me to let him humiliate us? Drag the family name through the dirt by flaunting that Gable girl?”
Roosevelt’s voice turned droll. “Don’t worry. He’ll learn to hide it better as he gets older.”