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“A twenty won’t get you much,” Vivi pointed out.
“You’d be surprised at what a twenty can get you on a Friday night,” Dotty quipped.
Vivi pressed her deep red lips together.
Oh, there was tension in the car. Coop pulled out, rolling past the lushly landscaped grounds.
“Is this your anniversary ring?” Vivi grabbed her grandmother’s hand, looking and sounding horrified. “That’s supposed to be in a safe back in New York City.”
“It’s in the safe when it’s not on my finger.” Dotty nodded. “I know the combination to your father’s safe. I can take this ring wherever and whenever I want to. It’s mine.” She raised her hand and executed a princess wave.
Coop’s mouth hung open. The rock on her finger was as large as a candy jaw-breaker. He’d assumed the Summer family had money. But he hadn’t thought they’d had the kind of money that diamond ring promised.
“The last time you wore that ring, you nearly poked your eye out,” Vivi was saying.
“I’ll be careful,” Dotty promised.
“While you’re dancing?” Vivi wasn’t sold.
Dotty huffed.
Vivi huffed back.
They were quiet the rest of the drive to the party.
Coop pulled up to a sprawling mansion off the main drag in town. The party was already in full swing. Music blared into the fast approaching twilight. But before he dropped off his passengers, Coop had to get near the driveway. Unfortunately, whoever was hosting the party had hired valet parking, as was common for the bigger events. And the line for the valet seemed backed up into the street.
A young staffer wearing black slacks and a red polo shirt with a car logo stitched over his chest approached the Town Car. “Can we park this for you?” The teenager had a pen and ticket stub at the ready. With the acne and the braces, he didn’t look old enough to drive.
“Sorry, kid. I need to take them to the front door.”
“No one drives down the driveway but staff,” the kid told Coop with more than a hint of Hampton snark.
I used to be like him.
Two months ago, he’d carried the monied chip on his shoulder like a badge of honor. Now that he’d struggled to make ends meet, had been fired and was soon to be evicted, he just thought of it as the mark of an entitled jerk.
“They want to park your car,” Dotty told him. “That’s a sign, Chuck. And since you’re our driver, that means you can tag along to the party with us.”
Yes!
Maybe this was fate intervening and helping him patch things up with Vivi.
“Peachy,” Vivi said with an endearing dose of her morning grump. “Because now it’s two against one, Grandma Dotty.”
“Yes.” Dotty sniffed, nose in the air. “Chuck and me against you.”
Coop thought he heard Vivi make a primal sound, much like a growl.
“Let’s go have some fun.” Valet ticket in his pocket, Coop offered each woman an arm. Together, they walked down the crowded driveway and ascended the grand front steps to the extremely loud party.
Coop didn’t want to go in. He’d much rather sit in a quiet place with Vivi and share a frozen yogurt.
“They’re dancing out by the pool,” Dotty shouted before working her way through the crowd. Her coat acted like a set of football pads. She probably didn’t feel any of the shoulders, hips or elbows she bumped into. Likewise, those who were slow to get out of her path probably didn’t feel the jab of her elbow either.
“Nice technique,” Coop said in a loud voice. He took hold of Vivi’s hand and made to follow.
“She learned that shopping the clearance sales at Bergdorf’s,” Vivi shouted from behind him.
