CHAPTER 21 #2
When Katrina stepped inside the Beacon, the lights were dimmed, and a husky voice was singing from a speaker. The crowd was quiet.
The place was packed. She hadn’t expected the place to be so popular. The party Marina mentioned, she guessed. Along with half the town.
She spotted Ryan immediately near the back of the room.
He wasn't looking at her. He was staring at the stage. And Katrina followed his gaze.
A single spotlight illuminated the woman standing at center stage. Oh right. The strip dance—baroque, burlesque, or whatever it was called. The one that Brenda used to do. Katrina had never seen Brenda dance, but they had surfed together once.
It was a rare occasion when they dragged Marina out with them. But Marina stayed on the shore watching them most of the time. Brenda had said something about Marina could be a great dancer. Marina had brushed the comment aside.
After Brenda left town, Katrina had occasionally wondered who had taken her place. She'd never thought to ask. Now she found herself studying the woman beneath the spotlight.
Her hair was swept up, revealing the elegant line of her neck. Heavy stage makeup darkened her eyes and deepened the color of her lips. She moved with slow, sensual grace. For a heartbeat, Katrina couldn't place why the dancer looked so familiar. Then the woman held still for just a moment.
Rina. No. It couldn't be.
The woman smiled as she swayed to the music.
Katrina felt the blood drain from her face. The graceful turn. The tilt of her head. The way she smiled. Every movement was unmistakable. She was on stage, but Katrina saw her riding a wave instead.
"Rina..." The word escaped her lips as little more than a whisper.
She stood frozen.
On stage, Marina slowly slipped the zipper of her dress downward.
The room disappeared, so did the music, the applause, and the conversations. Everything faded except the impossible sight before her.
Her sister. Her big sister. The woman who had given up so much for her.
Ryan reached her a moment later and gently touched her arm.
"Kat..."
She didn't move. Didn't even look at him. "Fuck me," she whispered, her voice trembling. "Is that... Rina?"
Ryan hesitated only a moment before nodding. He looked almost as distressed as she felt.
"Come on," he said quietly. "Let's go outside."
Katrina barely heard him. Her eyes remained fixed on the stage.
How long had this been going on? Why hadn't Marina told her? Why had she hidden it? Why?
Ryan's hand remained lightly on her shoulder. When he guided her toward the door, she didn't resist.
The cool night air hit Katrina's face the moment they stepped outside.
She hardly noticed.
Ryan stayed beside her without saying a word, one hand resting lightly against her back as he guided her toward the RAV4.
She let him. Her legs didn't feel entirely steady.
Neither of them spoke until they reached the car.
Ryan opened the passenger door for her. She climbed in automatically, staring through the windshield at nothing.
Ryan circled to the driver's side, started the engine, but didn't pull away.
For a long moment the only sound was the quiet hum of the air conditioner.
Finally he spoke. "Are you okay?"
She swallowed. "I don't know how I'm supposed to feel."
Her voice sounded strangely calm. "My sister..." She let out a shaky breath. "My sister is a stripper."
Ryan waited.
"And she's been hiding it from me. For who knows how long," she continued. That hurt more than anything.
Not the dance, or the costume. But the secret.
How many nights had Marina come home after work pretending nothing unusual had happened?
How many times had Katrina asked about her day while Marina had simply smiled and changed the subject?
The memories came one after another.
"Don't call the Beacon."
"Don't stop by."
"Just meet me at home."
Every excuse suddenly made sense.
Ryan broke the silence carefully. "It's burlesque."
She looked at him.
"It's not..." He searched for the words. "It's a performance. She isn't..."
"A stripper?"
He nodded awkwardly.
"I know there's a difference."
Katrina looked back through the windshield. She just wasn't sure it mattered right now.
After a long silence, another thought surfaced.
Slowly she turned toward him. "You knew."
Ryan closed his eyes for just a second. "Since Tuesday."
Her stomach dropped. "You knew."
“I’m sorry but she asked me not to tell you,” Ryan said. “She caught me in the bathroom at Katsura and made me promise not to say anything. She said it was complicated.”
Katrina recalled that evening right away. She had thought it odd that Marina had to go to the restroom again so soon. It all made sense now. “Complicated,” Katrina repeated flatly. “That’s all she said?”
Ryan nodded. “I think... I think maybe she’s not proud of it. Or she’s worried about what you’ll think. You should ask her yourself.”
“Damn right I will,” Katrina said. “As soon as she gets home tonight.”
They drove back to the house in silence, the only sound the soft hum of the engine and the occasional direction from the GPS. Ryan pulled into the driveway and put the car in park, but left the engine running.
“Do you want me to wait with you?” he asked. “Or would you rather be alone when you talk to her?”
Katrina considered for a moment, then shook her head. “No, stay. Please. I don’t want to do this alone.”
Ryan turned off the engine and followed her up the path to the house.