Kate nodded. “Yeah. I shouldn’t let it get to me.” She started thinking about Chris and his indifference towards solidifying their relationship. They hung out a lot with their friends, made out on her couch, and that was about it. He didn’t want to spend the night and didn’t seem interested in taking their relationship to the next level. And then there was Max. Max seemed like he wanted a relationship, but where was he right now? Walking down the beach with that blonde girl. They didn’t seem to be very worried about things, so why was she?
She leaned her head against Kevin’s shoulder. She took another sip of her beer and sighed. Just then, she saw Chris wander out onto the deck. He had finally put the camera down and was walking with his hands in his pockets. He glanced around, spotted Kate and Kevin, and made his way over. He sat down on the cooler in front of them and stretched out his legs. “Nice party, huh?” he said.
“Yeah,” Kevin replied. “Is there any food left?”
“There’s some. Lucy’s aunt is starting to clean up, so you better go grab something quick,” Chris said.
Kate straightened up and Kevin slid down off the railing. Chris got up and leaned against the railing, right next to Kate. “So, what do you think?” he asked. “You want to get out of here? Head back to your place?” he asked.
Kate took a sip of her beer and looked down at Chris. “Are you serious?”
“Well, yeah,” he asked, grinning up at her. “Don’t you want me to come over?”
“No.”
“No? What? Why?”
“Because you haven’t so much as said ten words to me tonight.”
“I thought you wanted me to come over. I thought you wanted me to stay the night.”
“Would you actually spend the night?” she asked. Chris’s hesitation was enough for her.
“Forget it. Don’t bother coming over,” she said. She hopped off the railing and pushed past Chris to head into the house. She saw Lucy and Jackson standing at the door, saying goodbye to his parents. She smiled at the sight of the two Mr. and Mrs. Parkers, and then she saw Max and the blonde girl slipping out right behind them, turning to say goodbye to Lucy and Jackson and give them both congratulatory hugs. She whirled around and placed both hands on the countertop, trying to steady herself.
Kate wasn’t sure how long she stood like that, but before she could move again, Lucy clasped her arms around her shoulders. “Thank you so much,” she said.
Kate turned around and looked at her. “What did I do?” she asked, reaching into a bowl and picking up a handful of pretzels.
“You helped Jackson propose!” she said.
“I just brought you here,” Kate said, stuffing a pretzel into her mouth. “Pretty sure he’s the one who picked out the ring and asked you to marry him. Not me.”
Lucy just giggled. “We’re going to make a bonfire down on the beach. Will you stay?”
Kate shrugged and followed Lucy back out onto the deck and down onto the beach where Jackson and Kevin were already piling up some pieces of driftwood and flicking a lighter.
Lucy’s mom was spreading out a couple blankets that she had found in the trunk of her car. Kate plopped down on a blanket and watched in amusement as Jackson and Kevin attempted to get the fire started.
The fire finally caught, and soon, Lucy and Jackson were snuggled on a blanket surrounded by Lucy’s parents, her sister and brother-in-law, and Kevin and Kate. They passed around a plate of leftover sandwiches and it seemed like every time someone got up, they came back with a couple cans of beer. With a full belly, warm, toasty feet, and the moon shining down brightly on the ocean, Kate couldn’t help but feel her mood lifting. Lucy and Jackson looked so happy; everyone was smiling and laughing…
And then Kate realized who was missing. Chris wasn’t sitting around the fire. When did he leave? Where did he go? She dug in her pocket for her phone and looked at the screen. No messages. No phone calls. Hmm. Well, Chris had said he wanted to leave. He obviously was planning on leaving whether Kate went with him or not.
Max had left with the blonde girl. Chris had disappeared. She was all by herself.
Boys were stupid.
Suddenly everyone was looking at her. “Did I just say that out loud?” she asked, clamping her hand over her mouth, her cheeks flushing.
“All boys?” Jackson asked.
“Present company excluded,” she hiccupped, deciding that maybe it would be best if she kept her mouth shut for the rest of the evening.
After awhile, Lucy’s family members got to their feet and shook the sand out of their blankets. Maggie and Mrs. Wheeler folded up the blankets and Mr. Wheeler stretched. Kate waved goodbye as Mark wrapped his arm around Maggie’s shoulder and escorted her back up the stairs to the house. Lucy, Jackson, and Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler followed behind them, chattering in excitement about the beautiful house and future wedding.
“I hope I didn’t offend Lucy’s dad,” Kate said to no one in particular. “I didn’t mean all boys are dumb. Just some of them.”
Kevin, the only one still sitting by the fire with her, chuckled. “Are you okay?”
“No. No, I’m not,” Kate said, rubbing her full stomach. Before she could feel too sorry for herself, she shook her head. “Actually, wait a minute. I’m fine.”
Kevin raised an eyebrow at her.
“I mean it. I’m fine. I’m fine,” she repeated, poking herself in the chest. “I’m not the one with a problem. They’re the ones with a problem.”
Kevin continued to look at her blankly, as she continued on with her tirade.
“I mean… I said I didn’t want anything serious, but then one acts like he does and the other acts like he doesn’t and I don’t know what to do. I don’t know why I bothered. And then blonde girl comes along and he leaves and…” She looked across the fire at Kevin and blinked. “Just dumb. You know what I mean?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Kate took a deep breath. Did she really want to get into it? Should she spill the beans? She’d discussed her situation with Lucy, sure, but Lucy was a girl. Kevin, on the other hand, was a boy, and boys were… No, Kevin wasn’t stupid. He probably knew that something was going on with Max… and Chris… Both of them.
“I’m just tired of people asking me when I’m going to get married. I don’t know if I even want to. I mean, it’s not like I’ve got a lot to choose from,” she rambled. “It’s not like I have anybody like Jackson. Those two… Man. Made for each other.”
“Are you talking about us?” Lucy asked, coming back and plopping down on the blanket next to her. Jackson dropped down next to Kevin.
“I was just saying that you guys are made for each other. And I will never find anybody like that. Because the guys I seem to hook up with are all jerks.”
Lucy looked at her in surprise. “Really?”
“Oh, don’t start. I know you didn’t like him from the beginning. You were probably right. But he’s so cute. But he’s such a jerk…”
Jackson and Kevin exchanged puzzled glances.
“And the other one. So cute. What is it with these guys? Cute and jerks. Jerks.”
“I think she’s had enough,” Jackson said.
“I have had enough. Enough of the jerks!”
Kevin got to his feet and held out his hands. “Come on, you,” he said. “I think you need to get home.”
“I wanted to go home with him tonight, but he didn’t say hardly ten words to me,” Kate mumbled, taking his hands and rising unsteadily to her feet. “So I told him not to bother and he left with somebody else. I mean… No. That was the other one. But he left. Didn’t even say goodbye.”
“I think it’s time for you to say goodbye,” Jackson said. He and Lucy got up and started tossing sand on the fire to douse it.
“What? Okay. Goodbye!” Kate said, throwing her arms around Jackson and Lucy and drawing both of them in close for a big hug. “I love you guys. Congratulations, you two. You’re the best. You deserve it.�
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Lucy held Kate out at arm’s length. “Are you okay? Please tell me you’re not driving.”
“Should we take her back to your place?” Jackson asked.
Kevin took Kate by the elbow. “I’ll take her home,” he said.
“Are you sure?” Lucy asked, afraid to let Kate go, lest she fall over.
“Yeah. You guys need some alone time. Just the two of you, or whatever. I mean, you’re going to have alone time for like, the rest of your lives, but… whatever,” Kevin laughed. “I got this.”
“He got me,” Kate said. She held out the arm that Kevin wasn’t restraining and hugged Lucy again. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” Lucy said.
“And I love you,” Kate said to Jackson, poking him in the chest. “And she loves you.”
“What did she have to drink tonight?” Jackson asked, kicking more sand onto the remains of the fire.
Kevin started guiding her towards the steps. “Just beer, I think.”
“How many?” asked Lucy, picking up the blanket and shaking it out. Jackson helped her fold it and the two of them walked slowly behind Kevin and Kate as they made their way up the steps to the house.
“Honestly,” Kevin said over his shoulder, “I don’t think I saw her without a beer in her hand tonight.”
Lucy and Jackson exchanged glances.
“That’s because I had a beer. Beers,” Kate corrected. Then she hiccupped. “Oh, geez. I had a lot of beers.” At the top of the stairs, she paused. Kevin put his arm around her waist to steady her and Lucy slipped around them to open the door.
“Are you going to be okay?” Lucy asked.
“I think so. Someday,” Kate smiled.
“Call us when you get her home, okay?” Jackson asked. Kevin nodded and escorted Kate through the house to the front door.
“I will,” Kevin said. “She’ll be fine.”
Lucy and Jackson stood at the front door together and watched Kevin trudge Kate down the driveway and to his car. Still grasping her around the waist with one arm, he managed to free his keys from his pocket, open the door, and get Kate situated in her seat.
By the time he got in and fastened his seatbelt, Kate tipped over and rested her head on his shoulder, letting out a soft moan.
“You okay?” he asked, starting the car.
“Pull over,” she said. “I think I’m going to be sick.”
*
Kate’s whole body ached. She wanted to stretch, but she was also afraid to move. Her stomach was churning and she felt sweaty and cold. She slowly opened her eyes, afraid that her bedroom would be blindingly bright, only to discover that she wasn’t, actually, in her bedroom.
She squinted. She could see a poker table. The poker table.
She was hugging a garbage can. She lowered the garbage can to the floor.
She wasn’t wearing any pants.
Trying to move as slowly as possible, she fumbled around for something to cover up with and her fingers closed around the edge of a fuzzy fleece blanket. She pulled it up to her chin. She was pants-less on Kevin’s couch. Oh. No.
“Hey. Sorry if I woke you up. I was trying to be quiet,” Kevin said softly, peering over the back of the couch. “You want some coffee?”
Kate pressed her lips together and shook her head slowly.
“Are you okay?” Kevin asked, walking around to the front of the couch. He sat on the coffee table and looked at her anxiously. Kate shook her head again. “Are you going to get sick?” Another shake.
“Where are my pants?” she finally whispered.
Kevin smiled. “They’re in the dryer. I’ll go get them.”
Kate shivered under the blanket. She could hear Kevin padding through the apartment, opening and closing the dryer door, and then padding back to her. He draped her jeans over the arm of the couch. “What happened?” she asked, slowly rolling over onto her side and tucking the blanket down around her.
“Well, apparently, you overdid it last night.”
“I just drank beer,” she said.
“But how many? Never mind. Who knows?” Kevin said. “I was going to take you home, but the whole way home you kept saying you felt sick and you thought you were going to throw up, and then you started to cry, so I didn’t want to take you home to throw up and cry by yourself.”
Groaning, Kate covered her face with the blanket. “Did I? Throw up?” she asked.
“No, you just got up here and cried a lot,” he said. “I didn’t know you were one of those sad drunks that got all weepy and emotional.”
Kate nodded. “Yeah, I can get pretty bad,” she agreed. “So how did I lose my pants? Why were they in the dryer?”
“I tried to make you drink a Gatorade last night, but I think more of it ended up in your lap than in your mouth.”
“Oh,” Kate said. “Oh, God. I’m so embarrassed.”
Kevin waved it off. “Stop. Don’t even worry about it. I don’t know what brought all that on last night, but I couldn’t leave you all by yourself like that.”
“Thank you,” Kate mumbled, closing her eyes.
When she opened her eyes again, it only felt like a few minutes later. However, hours had passed and the sun was now streaming through the doors leading out onto Kevin’s little balcony. Feeling much better, she got to her feet, pulled on her jeans, and headed to the balcony. “Hey,” she said, gently rubbing her temples.
“Hey, you. How are you feeling?” Kevin asked. He was sitting at his little table with a cup of coffee, reading the paper.
“Okay,” she said. “Kind of a headache, but it’ll go away soon.”
“You want breakfast or anything?” he asked. “I could make you a fried egg sandwich. Or there’s cereal.”
She held her stomach. “I’m okay, for right now,” she said. “I might stop and get something on the way to the office.” Although, as her stomach churned, she wasn’t sure if that was such a good idea.
“The office?” Kevin asked.
Kate nodded. “I’ve got to get to work,” she replied. “I hate leaving my paperwork ‘til Monday. I always get it done on Sunday. The sooner I get it done, the sooner I can get home…” she trailed off, wondering how, exactly, she was supposed to get home.
Kevin sensed her confusion. “We left your car at the party last night. I already called Lucy, and she said she’d come by and pick you up whenever you were ready to go,” Kevin said.
“Oh. Thank you,” Kate said. “I’ll call her from the office, I guess.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” she said, leaning against the door. “Once I get some Advil in me.”
“I can get you some,” Kevin said, getting right to his feet. He brushed past Kate and hurried through the apartment. He returned with a small glass of water and three of the little brown pills. She popped them into her mouth and washed them down with just enough water to coat her throat.
“I should get going,” she said, handing the glass back to Kevin. “Thanks for taking care of me,” she added. She could feel the heat rising up her chest and face. She’d probably been a hysterical, crying mess last night. If she could actually remember any of it, she’d probably be even more embarrassed than she already was.
“Any time. Let me know if you need anything,” Kevin said.
“Thanks,” Kate said, not knowing whether to give him a hug or a fist-bump. She opted for the fist-bump.
Even with her sunglasses on, Kate squinted as she trudged a couple blocks to her office. She was glad to see that the building was empty, and relieved that Julia wouldn’t see her in her disheveled, hung-over state. She headed to her office, plopped in her chair, and resisted the urge to put her head down on her desk.
She booted up her computer and reached for the file folder from the wedding yesterday. Thankfully, it had been a small and simple wedding, and wouldn’t require a lot of work to finish up her profit analysis. She located the client’s file, spread out the whol
esaler invoices on top of her desk, opened the spreadsheet, and started calculating the profit. It wasn’t until she saved the file and printed her documents that she realized she was still wearing her sunglasses. Not feeling much like talking just yet, she sent Lucy a quick text to let her know that she would be waiting at the office.
Kate deposited her client’s folder in the box just inside Julia’s door and returned to her office to shut everything down. She sat down on the sofa in the waiting area and contemplated lying down to take a nap. Before she could get too comfortable, however, there was a light tapping on the window. Outside, Lucy waved and held up a Starbucks cup.
Kate got to her feet, slung her purse over her shoulder, opened the door, and immediately fell into Lucy’s arms. “Thank you,” she said. Kate locked up and gratefully accepted the cup of coffee. They walked down the street to where Lucy had parked Kate’s car.
“Do you feel like getting brunch or anything?” Lucy asked.
Kate shook her head and took a slow sip of her triple grande mocha, slurping mostly foam.
“That bad, huh?”
“I don’t know what it was,” Kate sighed. “I just had beer.”
“You had a lot of beers, I think. And did you even eat anything yesterday?” Lucy asked, unlocking the car and sliding in behind the wheel.
Kate lowered herself into the passenger seat and rested her head against the window. “I guess not,” she said. She really didn’t remember.
“So… What was that all about last night? Kevin said you were ranting and raving about how guys were assholes. The poor guy took a verbal bashing from you about how all men are jerks.”
Kate groaned. “He didn’t say anything about that.”
Lucy giggled and started the car. “He didn’t say anything to you. But he talked to Jackson this morning. Jackson didn’t know what to tell him. We assumed you were complaining about Chris, but Kevin said that it sounded like you’d gotten burned more than once.”
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