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“No, you don’t have the cash box or no, you haven’t checked it?” Beth asked.
“Neither? Both?”
Beth took a deep breath and turned her attention back to me. “This conversation is not over.”
“Go deal with the situation. I’m going to get changed and then get the greeters downstairs organized for the early birds. Oh, and I need to add someone to the list—Evan Crawford.”
“Who is Evan Crawford?” Beth asked.
The lie escaped my lips so easily. “I got a text from Siobhan, he’s a friend of hers—decided to come at the last minute.”
What in the world was going on with me, lying to my friend, talking up strangers while in line for burritos, and not speaking to the man who had loved me for the better part of the last ten years?
Loud noise crackled through the speakers, and Beth looked like she would pass out. “I’ll fix it,” I said to her. “It’s going to be fine.”
I wished I believed myself when I said those words. And then there she was, standing right in front of me wearing a bandage dress and insane heels: Marianne.
“You’re a bitch,” she said. “You know?”
“Not right now, Marianne. I’ve got to get the sound check under control, then organize the greeters downstairs, then get changed. You look great, by the way.”
“Don’t butter me up, Kelly,” she said as I stepped around her. “It’s not going to work. You’ll get a piece of my mind tonight.”
“I don’t doubt it. I don’t—I’m happy to stand in front of you for a dressing-down, or whatever you plan to say to me. I deserve it. But right now, I’ve got things to do.”
In my head I was screaming “Whatever,” and snapping my fingers in a blah-blah-blah motion.Like you’ve never made a mistake, Marianne. You’re with a guy named Cash who is broke and seriously hits up the bong when you’re not around.It was wafting off his coat.Wafting. And then I resented myself for being so mean because Iwasterrible. The partyhadbeen a disaster. And ruining my friendship with Garrett was one thing, but breaking Rob’s heart in the process, that was a sadness that felt unparalleled.
Without music to fill up the room, the entire venue felt too big, too alienating, akin to that moment at the end of the night when you’re at a rock show and they turn the lights on. The magic evaporates into trash on the floor, sticky feet from all the spilled beer, and a prehangover because it’s about an hour after last call. I found Beth wrestling with a giant banner celebrating the network and asked her when she wanted the DJ to start up, considering we were inching toward open doors, and I wanted the early birds to feel welcome.
Beth had hired young people who usually made their living as extras on film sets to fill out the club in case of an empty-venue emergency. They were always half starved and anxious, but they wore the best clothes they could afford on their shoestring budgets and they showed up early. They charged by the hour, sipped a maximum of two drinks (with the tickets we provided), and hovered around the venue trying to look like they fit in. I had a soft spot for these guests. I always tried to make them feel welcome, not just a part of the scenery. It wasn’t an easy job, and acting was an even harder industry to break into. And we were the lower end of the spectrum; a party celebrating cable design-show stars was certainly not the Academy Awards.
“Sound check was good, the DJ’s ready to go,” I told Beth. “I have a feeling things will start closer to on time than not. The music’s going to start up in a minute, okay?”
“Yes,” Beth called down to me from atop a rickety-looking chair.
“Be careful, that chair doesn’t look steady.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve got good balance, even in these shoes.”
I laughed and went back to the DJ booth. At last, the music was a solid distraction. The whole atmosphere of the place lifted, and there was a nice, fluttery anticipation of a solid New Year’s celebration and that it was all going to be worth it when the clock counted down to midnight and the VIPs smooched their way into the hearts of the masses.
* * *
The doors were open, the celebrity guests were roped off and ensconced in their proper place, having done their duty of introducing the party and each other to the giant crowd of fans, network guests, and advertising clients, and the place was packed. The turnout was even better than expected. I didn’t doubt that Beth had worked hard in the weeks leading up the party, selling it to everyone on her contact list. She had called in every favor; anyone who owed her even the slightest bit of payback had been told to put aside their plans tonight so we could fill out the room. It was the most expensive event our company had ever put on, and even though I was busy running from one end of the building to the other, I felt pleased that we had pulled it off.
The jumbled mess of my mind was forgotten for a while; I had something to do every minute, whether it was supporting Beth, chasing down the junior staffers to make sure they were on top of the menial tasks, or keeping our valued special guests well lubricated so that anyone looking at them (especially the press snapping shots forToronto Life) would see they were having a fabulous time. In between, I was guzzling as much water as I could manage without having to use the bathroom every five minutes. I’d decided to stay sober even though itwasNew Year’s Eve, after all. I’d decided that the only drink I’d have tonight was the champagne at midnight.
Beth grabbed me as I walked by her on my way to the bathroom. “Siobhan has lost her evening bag.”
“Like, someone took it?”
“She doesn’t know. She thought she left it at her table when she went dancing, but it’s not there now, and she wants to go, but her car keys are in it. You know the drill—she’s asking us to find it for her.”
“I want to give you a look right now that says exactly what I am thinking,” I said. “Rolling my eyes doesn’t seem quite enough.”
Beth laughed. “I’m thinking the same thing. Can you get one of the juniors to look for it at the coat check? I’ll bet she checked it and doesn’t remember, sloppy drunk that she is.”
“Every party, it’s the same. I wonder if she’s making out with the marketing director again.”
