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Amy’s mother nods. “Some things will never change, huh? Thank you for watching out for her tonight, Colin. Clearly, Amy’s had way too much to drink.” She shakes her head at Amy. “How many drinks have you had tonight? I bet you’ve lost count.” When Amy says nothing, her mother lets out a little tsk, hands Amy a glass of water, and insists Amy down the whole thing. “After you finish that, I’ll take you upstairs to bed. You don’t look well.”
“I’m fine. I’m not leaving the party till it’s over.”
“It’ll be over, any minute. The band should have played ‘Sweet Caroline’ as the last song, five minutes ago. Those surprise performances must have delayed them.”
As if on cue, the instantly recognizable intro to Neil Diamond’s classic tune begins inside the ballroom, followed by the wedding singer’s amplified voice shouting, “This is our last song, folks! Get onto the dance floor and boogie, one last time!”
Amy’s mother gestures, as if to say, Ta da! Before shoving that same water glass at Amy. “Now, drink up and I’ll take you upstairs.”
My eyes meet my mother’s, and when she arches an eyebrow, everything she said last night slams into me.
I want Beretta-O’Brien grandbabies!
Amy’s always had a crush on you!
Don’t you dare lead that poor girl on!
Fuck.
I’m a monster. A horny-ass fucking monster.
“I’m gonna find Dax,” I shout, way too loudly, before turning on my heel and sprinting away, without looking at Amy or anyone else.
When I enter the ballroom, I find Dax onstage, playing guitar on the famous song, while his wife dances happily with Fish and Alessandra and several members of the wedding party. But the second the song ends and Dax exits the stage, chatting happily with one of the musicians from the wedding band, I barrel straight toward him.
“Gimme the key to the room, Daxy,” I command, holding out my palm. I look toward the double doors, my breathing shallow. But, still, no Amy. Thank God.
“I’ll come upstairs with you, if you give me a minute,” Dax says casually, clearly not sensing my urgency.
“Where’s Amy?” Violet asks, striding toward me from the dance floor with Alessandra and Fish in tow. “She said she’d party with us in the suite after the reception.”
“She’s with her mom outside,” I reply. “She wasn’t feeling well. Too much to drink.”
“Oh no. When did that happen? She seemed perfectly fine a few minutes ago.”
“It came over her, all of a sudden.” I bat Dax’s shoulder. “Key. Now. Please.”
“What’s your deal?” Dax says, handing me the key. He tells me the room number, at which point I sprint out of the ballroom, without answering him. Without explaining my “problem.” And without looking back.
Ten
Amy
Oh my God, that kiss with Colin!
It was better than any fantasy.
“Are you sure this is your room?” my mom asks, after she’s swiped my keycard and nothing happened.
And that stuff Colin whispered into my ear right after our kiss was hot as fuck!
Good lord, the stuff Colin said made me so horny, so hot and bothered and ready to go, I felt like I was on the cusp of coming, right then and there, from his kiss and sexy talk alone! In fact, I felt closer to coming in that moment, with Colin, than I ever did having tepid sex with Perry for a whole year.
“Yes, I’m sure,” I reply. “Room 709.”
Mom tries the keycard again but gets the same result. “Amy, think hard. Don’t make me go downstairs to get a new key, if you’re too drunk to remember the right room number.”
I open my mouth to protest, but a nagging memory at the back of my head stops me. Despite what I just insisted, I’m suddenly not positive this is the right room. “Oh!” I say, pulling my phone out of my little purse. “I took a photo of my room number earlier, in case I got too drunk to remember!” I snort. “That’s a little trick my friend on the crew taught me during the tour.”
“Lovely. I’m so happy to know you needed such a valuable life hack during the tour.”
Giggling at Mom’s grumpiness, I swipe into my photos and grimace when I find what I’m looking for.
“Oh.” I snort again. “My room is 708.”
“Oh, Amy.”
We turn around and Mom swipes the keycard on the correct door this time, the one immediately behind us, and I sashay into the room behind her, laughing at her obvious annoyance. Mom’s been severely annoyed with me all day long, not only tonight, ever since I dropped the bomb at breakfast that I’ve one hundred percent decided not to go to law school, but instead plan to move to LA to find a job as a celebrity PA.
When I got home from the tour three weeks ago, I informed both my parents, separately, I was seriously second-guessing law school. But back then, I didn’t definitively say I wouldn’t attend. In fact, I remained quiet when they separately insisted on me going and said I’d thank them later.
