Page 106 of A Whim and a Prayer

“Hey Dennehy, what’s the sour look for?” Will said as he nursed a beer, the only one in the group old enough to drink except for Beck, who never touched the stuff. Will tossed them a wink as he held his drink up in a tease. “What, did Campbell stomp on your feet again?”

Winnie plunked down in her chair while Beck quietly took his seat beside her. “No, McGee,” she said with a sideways nod toward Beck. “Campbell’s being a wet blanket, throwing cold water on a great evening by reminding me it all ends when school starts back up next Thursday.”

Everybody around the table booed and pelted popcorn at Beck in jest while he just scrunched his shoulders with hands palms up. “Sorry, guys, but can I help it if I’m a realist and this one”—he tweaked Winnie’s neck, forcing her shoulders to scrunch too—“lives in a dream world?”

“Face it—we’ve all been living in a dream world this week, Beck,” Bella said with a smitten smile, no doubt thinking about the guy she’d danced with half the night before he left for his night shift as a cop—after he asked for her number.

“Soooo true.” Abby wore a moony smile as well as she sat at the table with chin in hand. “I haven’t had this many guys ask me to dance in one night since”—she sat up, eyes narrowed in thought before a sheepish smile curved on her lips—“well, I guess, forever!”

“Beck and Teddy don’t count, Abs,” Will said with a chuckle, tossing a few pieces of popcorn into his mouth.

“No, Abby’s right,” Laney piped up, glancing at Winnie’s college mates, Kat and Marilyn. “I’ve danced more tonight with different boys than ever before, and I think you girls have too, right?”

A wrinkle popped in Marilyn’s brow as she gave it some thought. “You know, I think so. I mean I always get some dances, sure, but tonight it’s been pretty nonstop.”

“Same here,” Kat said with a wiggle of brows. “Hey, maybe St. Nick put something in the water.”

“Well, pour me a jug, if he did.” Abby raised her Coke in a toast. “Here’s to the best night ever at Oceanview.”

“Hear, hear,” Will said with a grin, “I’ll drink to that.”

Winnie stood to clink glasses with everyone else. “And the best Christmas vacation ever, bar none.”

Glasses clinked all around before Abby blinked, the smile dissolving on her face as she turned to Winnie. “Gee, Cuz, now I know what made you so gloomy, other than Beck stomping on your feet—reminding us time is running out on our vacation.”

“I did not stomp on her feet,” Beck corrected with a jut of his brow.

Winnie drilled him with a look he suspected was more real than not. “No, just my Christmas joy, Campbell, reminding me it’s almost over.”

Abby held up her fingers to tick off each one. “Okay, this is Saturday, so we only have Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday—New Year’s Day—left before it’s back to the grind.” She groaned as she sank down in her chair. “Beck, you’re a killjoy,” she moaned.

“Hey, I’m not the Gloomy Gus moanin’ and groanin’ over our last days of Christmas freedom.” Beck lounged back in his chair with a lazy smile, raising his Coke to the table. “Instead of being a bunch of Sad Saks wasting the time we have left, I say we celebrate as much as we can before it’s over.”

“Hear, hear,” Will said, upending his beer.

“Beck’s right”—Winnie wrinkled her nose at him—“even if it’s one of the very few times tonight.”

Beck laughed, nudging her chair with his shoe. “Hey, Dennehy, you’re not exactly batting a thousand.”

Ignoring him with her nose in the air, Winnie turned back to the table, excitement building in her voice. “I say we plan something every night till we go back to school, capping it off with a party to celebrate the best Christmas vacation ever.”

“A New Year’s Eve party!” Abby shouted, pumping her fist in the air.

A New Year’s Eve party? Beck almost choked on his Coke, swallowing hard when everyone at the table roared their approval.

Abby jumped up, excitement fairly shimmering off her body. “And Winnie can have it because she has the biggest house and the most fun parents.”

Beck buried a groan.

“Yes!” Winnie shot up like a cheerleader, shaking her arms as if she had invisible pom-poms. “Mama will love it, not only having me safely home on New Year’s Eve, but she loves planning a good party.”

Bella’s eyes all but glowed. “Do you think … well … that maybe”—she nibbled the edge of her lip as she offered a shy smile—“we could invite some other people too? Or is that too pushy?”

Winnie laughed. “Not as long as one of them is a policeman. Mama would love that. Besides, we’re celebrating the end of one year and the beginning of another, so I don’t see any harm in each of us inviting a few friends, do you guys?”

Marilyn raised her hand. “Not me, as long as Will brings some of his college buddies.”

“Count on it, Marilyn,” Will said with a quick swig of his beer, “and hey, Teddy—Kelli has a pretttttty cute little sister just about your age that would love to come, right, Kel?”