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Chapter Thirty-Two
A couple of nights later, I pulled on my sequin skirt, Grace swearing it looked good before we left the house. I worried my shapewear was sticking out the bottom, but when we got to The Oceanview Loft, one of the hottest clubs in town that I never stepped foot in, Leo was waiting at the door; the look on his face told me Grace had been right about the outfit.
“You look amazing,” Leo said, hands in his pockets as he leaned against the wall in line to get in. His gaze traveled up and down, and I felt my cheeks warm.
“You look good, too,” I said, certain he probably had heard that a lot. Nonetheless, he smiled wider, and I knew it meant something to him coming from me. In itself, that boosted my confidence.
He extended a hand then to Grace, who was beaming beside me. “Leo,” he said, glancing over his shoulders. No one was paying attention, though, the twentysomething crowd hyped up on night energy and perhaps some pre-club alcohol.
“Grace. It’s good to see you,” she said, and I could tell that even though she was trying to play it all off and act cool, she was starstruck. I could understand that, even though by now, that had worn off for me, which was a crazy thought. It was getting harder to imagine Leo as Leo Turner, the popstar, and not Leo Turner, the guy I went to breakfast with and sang karaoke with and went to a club with. It was hard to see him as anything but just the normal guy I was falling for, a problem in itself.
We got into the club, and immediately, I realized my age; the sequin skirt wasn’t fooling anyone. The music pumping through the club was so loud, I felt like all conversation halted. Drinks were pouring left and right, and bodies danced wildly all over the place.
“Isn’t this a blast?” Grace shouted over the music.
“A little loud,” I shouted back.
“What?” she screamed.
I shot her a thumbs up, though. We found an empty corner table in the far back of the club, and Grace offered to get the first round of drinks. It was slightly less headache inducing in the corner we found—but just slightly. Leo leaned in.
“I can’t tell you how long it’s been since I’ve been in a club,” he said, grinning. “What a way to realize your age.”
“Oh, I know. This is quite a scene change from my tea and a good book.”
“Well, let’s agree to live it up a bit, huh? For Grace’s sake. Show her that getting older isn’t a complete bore and that we’re not elderly. Yet.”
I laughed at that and nodded. Grace came back a few minutes later with a round of long islands. I reminded myself to sip slowly since drinking wasn’t really my forte, either. Still, the drink was good, and the deejay must have noted the older crew that was in the club because he played a track even I recognized.
“Let’s get dancing,” Grace shouted, pulling on my arm. I gestured toward my crutches, thankful for them in that instance.
“Oh, come on. I’ll prop you up. You can still shake your hips with those,” she argued.
I’d proven that singing wasn’t one of my hidden talents. Dancing definitely wasn’t.
“I’m going to have to sit this one out,” I replied.
“Leo?” Grace asked, shrugging.
“Go, go. You two have fun,” I said, knowing it would make Grace’s entire month if not year to dance with Leo Turner.
“I’m not going to leave you alone,” Leo argued. I waved a hand.
