Daniel didn't laugh.
Probably wise.
His boss came over.
"Laura?"
"Yes."
"The librarian?"
I looked at Daniel.
He looked embarrassed.
Then said, "Yes. My wife Laura. She's a middle school librarian."
Martin smiled.
"My daughter practically lived in her school library."
I said, "Smart kid."
And that was it.
Nobody gasped. Nobody judged him. Nobody cared that I wasn't in marketing.
That might have been the most painful lesson of all for Daniel.
He had risked his marriage to create an image that nobody had required in the first place.
On the way home, he said, "I was an idiot."
I looked out the window.
"You were insecure."
"That's worse."
"Sometimes."
Then he said, "You know what Rachel told me after the party? She said Melissa was nice, but she seemed surprised when people asked about the marketing projects I'd claimed my wife was working on."
