She leaned over and whispered in her ear. “He’s here to have dinner with you and you don’t need to cause a scene.”
Winnie turned around quickly, a fire of Southern wrath blazing in her eyes. Tamyra flinched slightly but knew she couldn’t show any sign of weakness with this little fireball. She grabbed her by the shoulders and hoisted her back around. Laine just kept walking past the table to one on the other side of the room. Winnie went to follow her, but Tamyra grabbed her arm and pulled her to a halt right in front of the deep wood table with its crisp white plates and debonair guest.
Albert stood beside the table. “Wonderful to see you, Winnie. You look beautiful.”
Winnie tugged at the waist of her purple jacket, her hands clasping the rhinestone trim. If it wouldn’t have given away her plan, Tamyra might have encouraged Winnie to go with a little less vibrant color and a little less flash. But she knew Winnie liked her jewel tones, and besides, Winnie without rhinestones was like the Ryman without Little Jimmy Dickens. Winnie’s hand reached up and patted the purple and royal blue scarf that was tied around her neck. “Good evening.”
“I know you didn’t know about this dinner. So I completely understand if you’re not comfortable,” he said, his hand resting on the back of a wood and leather chair. Tamyra watched as his hand nervously patted the gold leather.
“That’s very kind of you. And actually—”
Tamyra interrupted, placing her hands on Winnie’s shoulders. “Actually, she is tired of our company and needs someone educated and entertaining to give her some decent conversation. We can be simple and boring and very one-dimensional. None of which Miss Winnie is.”
His face resonated his agreement. The flush on his cheeks rose with his smile. “That she is not.”
Winnie brushed Tamyra’s hands off her shoulders. “Well, thanks to both of you for knowing so much about me, but I—”
Tamyra leaned over in her ear. “Be nice. You’re a Southern lady, remember. It’s just dinner.”
She heard Winnie sigh. “Albert, I would be delighted to have dinner with you. Tamyra is right; I’m tired of simple and boring people.” She looked over her shoulder and crinkled her nose like a schoolgirl at Tamyra.
Tamyra patted her back and smiled a huge and satisfied smile. “Enjoy your evening.” She gave no time for retractions. She was at her table in less than four long strides.
“You’re worse than me. At least Riley knew what she was doing,” Laine said with a laugh as Tamyra jerked her napkin from the table and patted it multiple times in her lap, her back toward Winnie.
“What is he doing?”
“Pulling out her chair.”
“Is she sitting?”
Laine leaned onto the table. “Do you want to change seats?”
“Just answer the question,” Tamyra snapped.
“Ooh, beauty pageant girl isn’t all bea-u-ti-ful,” Laine quipped.
“Sorry, I’ve just never done anything like this before.” She picked up her water and didn’t quit drinking until the ice jingled at the bottom of the cup.
“It’s two people on a date, Tamyra. It’s happened before.”
She swiped at her mouth with the back of her hand.
“You’re falling apart. Think I could get you to eat meat tonight?”
Her quirky grin made Tamyra laugh. She could only hope she’d still be laughing when Winnie got through with her.
* * *
Winnie felt the tightness in her chest slowly make its way around to her back. She was certain her bra strap would pop when the tension finally released. If Tamyra hadn’t only recently decided she was going to actually live, Winnie might well have killed her. She took the crisp white napkin from the table and laid it across her pants. The white all but bounced off the purple denim. She lifted her hands and ran them along the straight edges of the stark white plate in front of her and finally willed herself to lift her eyes to Albert.
“You really don’t have to stay, Winnie. I completely understand. Tamyra was pretty persistent and I don’t want you to be uncomfortable in any way.”
She could see the sincerity in his clear blue eyes. She almost felt sorry for him. “No, no.” She flapped her hand at him. “It’s fine. Really. We’ve got to eat, don’t we?” she said with a nervous chuckle.
His smile expanded across his face, accentuating the deep wrinkles around the corners of his eyes. Despite a few on his forehead, he still held a strong sense of his youth. “Well, good, then. Let’s order big ol’ steaks, because I’m starving.”
The vise around her released a portion of its pressure, and she raised her menu. “That would be great.”
By the time the waiter brought their drinks and took their order, they had settled into a conversation about children, the neighborhood, and the pesky yapping poodle who lived two doors down that Winnie had threatened to neuter on multiple occasions. “I told him all his manly wiles would be gone if he didn’t put a lid on it.” She chuckled.
She watched as Albert cut into his steak, laughed at her jokes, and made conversation easy. “I’m glad you took this vacation, Winnie. I know it’s been a rough season for you.”
“I’m sure it’s been a rough season for you, too. Death is a painful process. Especially when you loved someone so long like we did.”
“Yeah, doesn’t go away, that’s for sure.”
“No, I think about Sam every day.”
“Yeah, can’t say there’s a day that goes by that Judith doesn’t enter my thoughts. But that is the beauty of love, isn’t it? And the depth of the pain is a reflection of the depth of the love, I suppose.”
She set her fork down and smiled. “That’s a good way of putting it.” It was so nice to be with someone who understood. She could tell he did. He had loved Judith so deeply. She could see that. And that was the beauty of that kind
