“He’s gonna love you,” Tony said, waving his hand as if to wave away her doubts.
The waitress came up and pulled a blue pen out of her silver bun. “Are y’all ready to order?”
Gabby quickly scanned her menu again. “Yes. Let’s see . . .” She twirled her short red spiral curls with her finger. “I’ll do the seafood platter.”
“I’ll have the same,” Tony said. “And let’s start with the stuffed mushrooms.” After the waitress walked away, he reached back over the table to hold her hand. “So how are classes going?”
Gabby’s stomach lurched. “Amazing.” Could he feel her palm sweating? She pulled her hand away to squeeze lemon into her water. “I’m on track to get straight As right now.”
A huge smile grew on his face. “That’s awesome, babe! I’m so proud of you. I’m sure your mom would have been, too, if she were still with us.” Gabby averted her eyes from his earnest gaze. “Have you given any more thought to those master’s programs we talked about? You probably have to start your applications soon, right?”
“Mmmhmm,” she replied, noncommittal.
“Not that you need any help with it, but I have a book about writing personal statements, if you want to borrow it. I used it for my law school apps.” He leaned back in his chair.
“Sure,” she said, flashing a tight smile. “That sounds great.” Tony had just graduated from Tulane Law in the spring. He was currently working at a local firm but confessed that he didn’t really like it. His true passion was politics.
“I’ll give you the book the next time you come to my place,” Tony said, taking a sip of his water. “I’m glad you’re applying. You’re one of the smartest people I know.”
Gabby squirmed a little in her seat and rested her elbows on the table. “Well, I guess I just love school.”
“I would hope so, Miss Education Major!” he teased.
The waitress returned, saving Gabby from responding. She slid a plate of large mushroom caps stuffed with crab and shrimp as well as a side dish of corn bread onto the table.
“Oh my goodness, this looks delicious!” Gabby said.
“Mushrooms are all yours,” Tony said, wrinkling his nose. “Corn bread . . . all mine!” He brought the plate closer to himself, shielding it with his strong arms.
She laughed, grabbing one of the mushrooms and holding it up. “To us.”
He held up a piece of the bread and tapped her food with his. “To us, babe.”
? ? ?
“ARE YOU SURE I can’t come up?” Tony asked, nuzzling her neck under the entrance archway of the girls’ dorm at the University of Louisiana in Lafayette.
“I told you . . . my crazy roommate doesn’t like guests.” She sighed as his kisses made their way to her collarbone. “Besides, it’s a total mess.”
“And you’re sure you don’t want to stay with me tonight?” His warm breath sent a delicious thrill down her spine.
Her body quivered. “I really want to . . .” she whispered. “But I have a stupid study group early tomorrow morning. It’s better if I stay here.”
Tony slowly eased up on the kissing and brushed her hair behind her ear. “You are an amazing woman.”
“You’re an amazing man.” She stared into his dark brown eyes.
He pulled himself away from her and lifted her chin softly with his hand. “I just . . .” He stood silently for a second, studying her.
She could feel her heart beating faster. Did he suspect . . . ?
“I love you, Gabrielle. You just make me so damn happy.” Gabby felt fireworks exploding inside her as Tony caressed her cheek. He loved her. She’d never heard a guy say those words before.
Her knees felt weak and her head began spinning. She grabbed his face with her hands and kissed him hard, completely swept up in the moment. “I love you, too.” They both stared at each other with goofy grins. “I never thought you were gonna say it,” she teased.
“Hey . . . you could’ve said it first!” He nudged her arm playfully.
She laughed. Maybe, she thought, but even in any other circumstances, she probably wouldn’t have. After all, that was the one thing her mom had taught her about love: guys scare easily.
Tony left a few moments later and Gabby lingered in the entranceway of the dorm, watching him get into his BMW and drive away. Her heart swelled with love, but underneath that warm feeling was a pit of anxiety. Once she was sure he was long gone, she walked back into the parking lot and got into her own car, a beat-up 2007 Nissan Versa. Then she started the long drive home down I-49.
Her mind reeled as she drove. She’d fallen so hard for Tony, but it wasn’t supposed to happen this way. When she pulled up in front of her actual residence, a shitty apartment building in Toulouse, Gabby burst into tears. Coming home to this awful little studio apartment—the best she could afford on her day care worker’s salary—was a reminder that her unbelievable happiness with Tony had a shelf life. She’d spun a fantasy for both of them, but her lies were unsustainable, and sooner or later they were going to catch up with her.
Her cell phone buzzed as she opened up her creaky front door. It wasn’t a number that she’d programmed into her phone, but she knew it by heart. Taking a deep breath and wiping the tears off her face, she answered it. “Hello?”
“An inmate at the Barton Correctional Facility is trying to contact you,” the automated voice relayed. “Press one if you would like to accept this collect call. Press two if you wish to decline.”
Gabby pushed one, waiting for the call to connect. She sat down on her bed and looked at a framed picture of her and her mom. In the photo, she had been a high school freshman with an unfortunate lopsided haircut, thanks to her mom’s effort to save money by doing it herself. They were still living in the Rydell neighborhood where Gabby felt so unsafe that she worked out a deal with the school bus driver to drop her off right at her house, even though it wasn’t an actual stop. In the picture, their eyes were tired, their smiles forced.
A few months after the picture was taken, everything started turning around. Her mom got a job at the dentist’s office and moved them to that cute little house on President Street. Elaine even got Gabby a hairstylist who actually knew how to cut her curls properly. Her life changed completely. She became happier and more confident, and felt like she had been given another chance. She wasn’t that poor, sad girl anymore—she had a future, and it included college at Tulane, her dream school. Gabby could tell her mom was happier, too, as they were able to buy the things they wanted and needed.
Of course, Gabby didn’t know at the time that most of the money her mom was using didn’t actually belong to her. She found that out the day Elaine was arrested—the day her entire life fell apart. Elaine had been embezzling money from her employer for years. Her mom went to jail, and the money went away, leaving Gabby with no way to pay for college; it was too late to apply for scholarships. Tulane became just another thing that was taken from her.
Not that Tony knew any of that.