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A lady holding an ice pack against her arm shakes her head. “Those places close at nine or ten in the evening.”

“Can’t I just wave some money around?” Jack slumps into a chair and closes his eyes as his head falls back against the wall.

“We were just at the party with some people from the hospital,” Diane says, taking the seat next to Jack and stroking his arm up and down.“I’m sure you can find someone to talk to about that. Are you okay?” she yells while shaking him.

Jack jerks his arm away, irritation written all over his face.

I shake my head, scanning the room. There are several other patients with varying degrees of outward injury. The ones I can’t see probably have something else they’re in need of because why sit for hours in the hospital when nothing is wrong? “Waving money won’t help us.”

Diane is still in hysterics and while I’m not sure what to do, Dani pulls the woman to her, and they walk in the direction of the restrooms.

“What really happened?” I ask Jack as I sit down next to him.

Jack shakes his head. “Diane was drinking her wine while we talked to those investment guys and their wives. And you know her, she tends to talk with her hands.”

“She really sliced you with her bracelet?” I say, glancing over at him.

Jack nods. “Yep, that she did. This might be the last time we go out.”

“That’s what you said the last time,” I say, chuckling.

This is not where I thought we’d end up tonight.

Dani and Diane walk back and sit down next to me. Diane’s head leans on her shoulder as a wave of sobs wracks her body.

“Are you all right?” I say, turning to Dani.

“Yeah,” she says, blowing out a breath as she glances around.

She’s wearing the same tight expression she had before, when she’d walked out of Bergdorf’s at the mall.

I reach over and take her hand in mine, drawing little circles on the back with my thumb.

“Really?” I press.

She gives me a small smile and says, “Hospitals aren’t my favorite place in the world.”

“I get that,” I say, leaning back against the wall. “Why?”

“We spent a lot of time here when my dad was sick. I can still remember toward the end that he smelled just like this. Antiseptic and sterile.”

My heart reaches out for her, and I’m surprised by how much I wish I could protect her from the onslaught of feelings. But then again, I start to think of the short amount of time I was here with my dad.

“That’s hard. I’m sorry. Do you want me to call a cab to take you home?”

She shakes her head, bobbing Diane’s head a couple times with the action. “No, I’ll be fine. Let’s get Jack stitched up and we’ll all head back together.”

I watch as she leans her head back and closes her eyes. The woman next to me couldn’t be more different than my ex. Kind, funny, spunky. Real.

She hasn’t played games to get me to comply with her requests, hasn’t tried to negotiate some elaborate ruse to get what she wants. Dani is just herself, unapologetically, and it’s refreshing.

Without opening her eyes, she says, “At some point we need to talk about the fiancé situation.”

I laugh out loud and nod, attracting the attention of several other people in the waiting room. “We will definitely do that. Just tell me you don’t need to renegotiate the contract.”

She shakes her head, her eyes popping open as the grin crosses her face. “No, I still owe you way more than I can afford at the moment.”

I squeeze her hand, grateful to have her by my side. Without the hysterics.