We’d decided that whenever anyone got suspicious, we would start acting in love. Touching each other, laughing together, whispering secrets in each other’s ears. That would distract the person asking questions; either they’d think it was cute and understand the timeline more, or they’d think we were disgusting and understand the timeline more.
We would Skype every two weeks, hopefully during times when other members of my company were present, in case they had to serve as witnesses as well.
I gave her my health insurance forms to sign. We exchanged e-mail addresses.
We agreed that my paychecks would be direct-deposited into a joint account we would set up later today at Austin Credit Union. She would withdraw her cut on the first of every month.
Cassie’s leg had started to twitch under the table.
“And now,” Frankie said, holding his camera, “is the perfect time to capture your proposal.”
I looked around. “Here?”
“Why not?” Frankie said. “It’s perfect. It’s in public. There are witnesses, but nobody to hear our conversation. And we can say you were so overcome with love you insisted on going immediately to city hall.”
Cassie glanced at the fake velvet box Frankie and I had picked out from the Walmart Supercenter off 290. “Oh, lordy,” she said, and picked it up, unclasping it.
“Don’t!” Frankie said, glancing in fear at the waitress. Cassie dropped it on the table.
Frankie jutted his chin at me, speaking with his eyes. Do it. I guessed it was better the less staged it looked. We couldn’t rehearse this one. I looked at Cassie. She wrinkled her nose.
I took her cool hand and pulled her up to a standing position. I made sure the waitress had paused behind her counter, watching. Here goes nothing.
I cleared my throat, and got down on one knee. Cassie laughed, a genuine laugh that I felt move through her body. I laughed, too. “Look me in the eyes,” I muttered.
She did. I started smiling, tried to stop myself, and realized I didn’t have to stop myself. I was supposed to be smiling.
“Cassandra Lee Salazar, will you marry me?”
She said yes.
