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“Okay.” Mimi placed a very large, very full plastic cup on a table in the corner. “I invite you to have your run of the place.”
“That’s very sweet, Mimi. Thank you.”
“Sweet nothing,” she said. “You belong here.”
He looked at her. “You mean that.”
“Nick, my love,” she said patiently, “belonging here has nothing to do with working here, but you, my dear, dear friend, happen to do both. We’re going to have all the fun tonight, I promise.”
Nick was trying to find a reply when Cal came speeding through the far door with a huge plate of nachos in his hands. “There I was,” Cal said, “walking through the kitchen, and turns out Roman’s making nachos for Nick in the green room. Couldn’tbelieve it. Had to snatch these up so they actually made itoutof the kitchen, ya know?”
Nick grinned. “Thanks, man.”
“You bet.” Cal spotted the drink when he put the nachos on the table. “That’s a Brigadoon.”
“Uh-huh,” Mimi said.
“Our boy’s in Brigadoon territory?”
“Well, look at him.”
The two of them did just that, and Nick got uncomfortable. “Am I really that bad?” he asked.
Cal clapped him on the shoulder. “Take a seat, man. You’ll love it back here.”
Nick hesitantly did as he was told. “What’s with the Brigadoon stuff?”
“Mimi came up with it,” Cal said. “That drink only shows up when you really need it to.”
Hanging out during a show in what was essentially the performers’ lounge meant Nick knew whom to expect, so he wasn’t surprised at all when Hayley’s boyfriend arrived. Kevin, however, did a double take when he spotted Nick at the table.
“Hey, man!” Kevin grinned. “I’m glad I ran into you.”
“Really.” Nick wiped his mouth. “Why’s that?”
“Because you’re a lifesaver! Hal’s momhatesme. No idea why.”
“Who knows?” Nick said. “You certainly charmed me.”
Kevin blinked. “What?”
“You didn’t ask me if I’d want to be at that lunch, Kevin.”
“Sure I did.”
“I stand corrected.” He thought briefly about actually standing. “Youdidask me to stay for lunch, and then you said ‘plenty of burgers.’ You could have used another three words. Like—oh, I don’t know, ‘Parents are coming.’”
“But it went great.”
“Because I’m very good at what I do.”
“Then I don’t—”
“And if you thought it was going to go great,” Nick said, “you had all the time in the world to say, ‘Nick! The Burkes are coming! It’ll be great!’ But you didn’t.”
Kevin looked down at his shoes.
“Here’s what I think,” Nick said. “I think you knew there was a chance I’d say no. You knew that if Carolyn hated you, there was a chance she’d hate me too. So you thought it’d be better for you if you took your chances and made the whole thing look accidental.”
