“I don't know if I want to go into the details of it all just yet, Angie,” I said. “But there's a court order, a restraining order against him. He's not allowed within 500 yards of me. He was also not allowed to contact me in any way, but let me tell you, he found out how to get around that. I have to give him one thing: he's smart. Real smart.”
“Yeah, I remember him being a straight-A student,” she said.
“And that's what's so scary about it,” I said. “He is really, really intelligent, and that's why it was so easy for him to find me, wherever I was. That's why I had to go to such extreme lengths – moving all the way out here, and having to legally change my name.”
“I understand,” she said. “God, he must have done some psycho stuff. But hey, I don't wanna get you down, not tonight, so I promise I'll leave it, okay? I won't ask about him again. Now let's get stuck into these drinks and have some fun!”
We clinked our glasses together and sipped on our cocktails through some fancy twirly straws.
“Wow, this place does make a tasty drink,” I remarked, happy to be off the topic of Simon.
“I told you! Swanky Frank's makes some of the best cocktails in Southern California.”
“I don't doubt that now, not after tasting this.”
We each drank the rest of our cocktails quickly, and it wasn't long before I started to feel a little buzzed.
“Wow, we knocked those back pretty quickly!” remarked Angie. “I guess we're both in the mood for a party tonight! You want another one?”
“Sure. Let's do this. You wanna switch cocktails this time?”
She shook her head, smiling mischievously.
“I was thinking it's time we each had a Long Island Iced Tea. How do you feel about one of those?”
“Wow, you really are eager to get the party started huh?” I remarked.
“You bet! If you thought your Screwdriver was good, wait until you try their Long Island Iced tea. It's legendary!”
“Alright, why not? We're out here to have fun, so let's have fun.”
Angie ordered us each a Long Island Iced Tea, and we drank these at a table, chatting and catching up on what we had each been doing over the past couple of years. After I had finished my cocktail, I had to admit that I was feeling pretty tipsy.
“Another one?” asked Angie.
“I dunno, that was pretty strong!”
She laughed.
“You're right, it did pack a pretty hefty punch. Well, do you feel like dancing to work some of that alcohol off? They got a great little dance floor downstairs.”
“Wow, this place really does have everything!”
“I told you, it's an awesome little spot. So, what do you say, shall we head downstairs to dance some of these calories off? We've got figures to maintain, you know!”
“We sure do.”
For a moment, a sudden thought of Everett barged into my mind. I suddenly felt a stab of guilt. Had I misjudged him? Had I been too harsh on him? What if I'd been totally mistaken, and something terrible had happened? I mean, now that I thought about it, why would he just stand me up like that? Maybe I had been too quick to judge. I was about to turn on my phone, just to check if he had left a message or anything, when a deep voice interrupted me.
“Excuse me, ladies, but my friend and I couldn't help but notice you two.”
I looked up and saw a pair of jacked, handsome young guys who were dressed to the nines standing in front of Angie and me.
“Would you ladies like to accompany us to the dance floor?”
Angie looked at me with excitement and eagerness in her eyes. I slipped my phone back into my purse, leaving it off, and stood up with a smile.
“Hi guys,” I said. “I'm Vivienne, and this is my friend Angie, and yes, we'd love to dance with you.”