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“Nope. Reed said you and Maddy could live there as long as you want. The only glitch is that the two-bedroom he has in mind for you won’t be available for about six weeks.”
“That’d be great timing, actually. It’d give me enough time to find a job in LA before moving.”
“Reed also said he knows several people at movie studios. He said he’ll make some calls and find out if anyone is hiring PR people.”
“He did not say that!”
“He did.”
I palm my forehead. “He truly wouldn’t mind doing such big favors for me?”
“They’re not big to him. But even if they were, I’ve done some big favors for Reed over the years, so he’s happy to return them. That’s how our friendship works. We’re always doing stuff for each other.”
I feel on the cusp of hyperventilating with excitement. “Would it be okay for me to thank Reed for his generosity—and also confirm he truly doesn’t mind?”
“Come on.” Henn takes my hand and leads me toward Reed, who’s chatting in a far corner with none other than T-Rod.
When we get a few feet away from the pair, there’s an intensity in Reed’s body language that stops me short. I yank on Henn’s hand to stop his progress and shout above the music, “Maybe we shouldn’t interrupt Reed now. He looks like he’s hitting on Theresa—hard!”
Henn laughs. “What else is new? He hits on T-Rod every time he sees her. She never takes the bait, though.”
“She’s newly single,” I shout back over the music. “Maybe she’ll be interested this time.”
“Yeah, Reed already knows she’s single. Trust me, he keeps tabs on her.”
Well, that answers the question I had earlier about Josh and his longtime personal assistant possibly being more than friends. I don’t know Josh all that well, but I’ve heard enough about the longtime, brotherly bond between Henn, Josh, and Reed to know Reed would never hit on a woman Josh had been romantically involved with. The realization is a relief to me, frankly, given my allegiance to Kat. I’d hate for her to be walking into any kind of messy situation that might cause her insecurity or jealousy in her relationship with Josh—or maybe even heartbreak—down the line.
“Come on, Hannah,” Henn insists. “Reed’s just flirting, as usual. I promise he won’t mind us interrupting.”
I hesitate for several reasons. For one thing, I don’t care what Henn says, Reed is clearly doing more than flirting with Theresa. He’s trying to charm that clingy dress right off her smoking hot body, and I certainly don’t want to be the one to interrupt his flow. Also, Henn is drunk as fuck right now, so I don’t trust his judgment completely.
“Let’s give them a minute,” I say, still pulling on Henn’s hand.
We continue watching the pair, and as we do, I remember that surprising thing T-Rod told me before the bouquet toss—specifically, that Henn found Sarah for Jonas. Frankly, before I chat with Reed about an apartment and job in LA, shouldn’t I pull Henn aside and ask him to explain all that to me? Not only T-Rod’s comment itself, but more importantly, why, once again, I’m feeling like everyone knows more about my boyfriend than I do.
“Hannah!” T-Rod says. Her gaze has found me. “Congrats on catching the bouquet! Were you shocked?”
Well, that’s that. There’s no choice but to go over there now.
As Henn and I approach, I reply, “I think Sarah had an agenda.”
“I think you’re right.” Theresa motions to Reed. “Do you know Reed?”
“Yes, we met earlier. Actually, I came over here specifically to thank you, Reed. And to make sure you’re genuinely okay helping me out so much.” To my relief, Reed knows exactly what I’m talking about, which means Henn didn’t flat-out lie to me about Reed’s offers in order to lure me to LA. Indeed, Reed graciously confirms he’s happy to help, not only regarding the apartment but with my job search, too.
“It’s settled then!” Henn declares triumphantly, pumping a fist toward the ceiling. “Hannah Banana is movin’ to LA!”
I laugh. “Not so fast, Henny. I haven’t made a firm decision yet. I still want to speak to my sister about the idea.”
Henn is far too drunk and happy to listen to reason. He’s so happy, in fact, when the band starts playing a new song, he grabs my hand jubilantly and pulls me toward the dance floor, scooping up shots off a roaming server’s tray for both of us along the way. When we arrive at our destination, he twirls me around and sings along to the song at top volume, making it abundantly clear he’s celebrating what he believes is my impending move to LA.
25
HANNAH
“My goodness, someone’s inebriated,” I murmur as I steer Henn toward the front door of my apartment. I’m drunk, too. But Santa Maria! Henn brought new meaning to the phrase “he really tied one on” at the wedding tonight. Clearly, he needed to let off some steam from the high-stress environment and long hours of his mysterious job in DC—the one he’s sadly flying back to continue in mere hours. I discern the shape of my keys at the bottom of my purse and murmur, “Found ‘em.”
