He was already a foot or two out the door, but he ducked back inside to place another kiss on my cheek. I grabbed him by the shirt and held him close, causing him to leave his mouth on my cheek for a few extra seconds.
"So yes?" he asked. "It's Friday night."
"Yes."
"Good. Hopefully, I'll see you before then. I'll call you later." He smiled and waved at me as he made his way down the hall toward the elevator. I closed the door behind me, resting against it in a swimmy state as I pictured the way Joe leaned over me on the couch with his lips brushing against mine—the way he looked at me when he said I was the reason he didn't have a date.
I scrunched up my face and buried it in my hands, unable to process or believe this unbelievable wakeup call. I tried to relive the whole scene, but it was so unexpected that it all seemed hazy in my memory.
I had some social media responses to take care of that morning, so I tended to that instead of letting myself obsess over whether or not I should call Mrs. Spicer to follow up about searching for a dress. I decided to put off contacting her because I honestly believed I might have dreamed the whole encounter with Joe. If there hadn't been two dirty orange juice glasses, I would have leaned more toward feeling like it had been a dream. It certainly was an encounter I would make up in a daydream, so I wouldn't put it past myself to dream it on purpose or see it as a vision. Joe had been at the apartment, though. He had kissed me and I had kissed him, and then he asked me to a ball, and I agreed to go.
It was later that afternoon when I got more information about it, and that was in the form of an email from Sarah.
Greetings from the land of leprechauns!
Collin has a little work to do, so I thought I would check my email. Drake sent me some of the photos from the wedding. It seems you ended up at a pub with your face buried in my brother's chest. I would tease you about some undiscovered spark that happened between you two, but it seems you already know about it. Joe sent me a message saying you might want to borrow a dress for the spring gala this weekend. I was actually supposed to go to that. We go every year, and I always have a good time. It's the one where I wore that white dress last year. You helped me do my hair, and you said you loved that dress. I think it's at my mom's. Just text her if you want to try it on. There may be a dress or two in my closet, but my mom's got a lot. Please help yourself to anything I own. Also, I'm relatively sure you kissed my brother in the pantry the other day, which is an ideal scenario for me since I love you both. Please know how thrilled I am about you two. I'm so happy you came to my wedding. Thank you for being here.
Love and hugs from Ireland,
Mrs. Sarah Ross
I smiled as I read her email, but it quickly faded when I realized I had to tell Sarah it wasn't her brother I had been kissing. I had to address it while I was thinking about it because I didn't want her to accidently tease me about it in front of Joe.
Dearest Sarah,
Please tell me you feel like a princess over there in your real-life castle. The wedding was a beautiful experience, and I am so glad I got to be with you! Joe and I didn't run into each other in the pantry, just so you know. He came across me when I had just gotten that splinter stuck in my hand, so he saw me through the process of getting it out. He came by your apartment this morning and mentioned something about me going to that event. If I decide to go, I'll hit up your mom about that dress. Thank you for taking care of me from across the ocean, and may the rest of your trip be as beautiful as the beginning. I love you, and I'm so happy you found Collin.
Much love from New York,
Your favorite nerd,
Lulie Osborne
I had this whole paragraph written where I said I knew she'd be moving in with Collin when they got back to the city—how I knew I had to find another place to live for the next few months, and I was working on it. But I decided to take that part out so I didn't bother her with those details on her honeymoon. It was already bad enough that she was emailing me about a dress.
Chapter 12
The next few days passed in a flash. Quite a few of my prints were for sale on the internet, and I had to take care of some recent orders during the times when I wasn't working at the coffee shop. Also, the apartment needed my attention, so there was daily cleaning that had to happen. And then again, maybe all of my scurrying around was the result of nervous energy… all for a moment that was now here.
It was Friday evening, and I was all dressed for a formal event with the Spicers. Two of my friends, Macy and Mia, had been there with me while I was getting dressed, but Joe and the others were on the way, so the girls had just left. I had obviously hung out with the Spicers before, but never without Sarah, and never, ever at an event like this. I hadn't been to anything formal since my high school prom. To say I was intimidated would be a severe understatement. I was shaking in my boots—scared stiff. I literally felt stiff as I stared at myself in the full-length mirror in Sarah's closet.
I had gone to see Rhonda Spicer to try on Sarah's dress, and I ended up choosing one of Rebecca's from a few years ago. This worked out since Rebecca and I wore the same size shoe, and I could just borrow the ones she had worn with the dress. It was a goldish-brown number with a vintage feel. It was better than anything I would have picked out at a store, so I was thankful that Rhonda was a bit of a dress hoarder and still had it on hand. She assured me that it was perfect for the event, and Macy and Mia had just told me I looked great, but I was full of nerves and emotions nonetheless.
I was staring at myself dazedly when my phone rang, causing me to jump. It was inside the small clutch I was holding, and I fished around in there until I came up with it.
It was Joe, and I pressed the button to connect as I held the phone to my ear. "Hello?"
"Are you ready?" he asked.
I smiled. "As I'll ever be," I said.
"I'm coming up to get you," he said.
"I can come down."
"I'm already on the elevator," he said.
I looked around in a hurry, but realized I was already ready, and that was why I had been standing there, looking at the finished result.
"I'm on your floor," he said. I beamed at the giddy feeling that came over me on my way to meet him. I had talked to him several times, but I hadn't seen him since the other morning when he came by on his way to the gym. I walked across the living room feeling short of breath. I made it to the door before Joe knocked, and I stood there, feeling all stirred up inside.
"Are you there?" he asked. I knew he must be close to the door, but I heard him say the words too loudly considering the fact that I couldn't see him. It was then I realized I still had the phone to my ear.
"Oh my gosh, are you there?" I asked, trying desperately to regulate my breathing.
"I'm here," he said. His voice was in my ear, but I knew he was also telling me that he was standing on the other side of the door.
"I'm really nervous," I said.
"Oh yeah?" he asked.
Not only could I hear his voice in my ear, but I could also hear him in the hallway. I knew now beyond the shadow of a doubt that he was standing on the other side of that door.
"I don't know why I agreed to this," I said, making no move to open the door.
"Because you want to hang out with me," he said.
He was a hundred percent right. Otherwise, I never would have gotten myself into something like this. I mean, there were Spanx and sequins involved in this outfit, for goodness sake. I still had the phone to my ear with one hand while I used my other hand to reach out and slowly turn the knob.
"I don't remember what you look like," I said before we could see each other. I was nervous, so I opened it slowly.
"Open the door and find out," he said.
We both had our phones to our ears when I finally opened the door fully. Joe was sharply dressed in a glorious, fitted suit. He had the style sensibility of Justin Timberlake with the body of a pro athlete, and I found it difficult to look at him a
t all without experiencing waves of attraction and anticipation.
"Why do you have to be so beautiful?" I heard him ask. Our phones were still at our ears, and I smiled at the sound of his deep voice coming from two different directions.
"Oh my gosh, Joe, you know how to dress," I said, shaking my head at how utterly handsome he was.
"You, my dear girl, look like something I'd find in a treasure chest. You look like all the riches in the world." He stepped forward with a confident, easy smile, and I found it difficult to breathe. He came close enough to put his hand on my lower back and draw me toward him. "You ready?" he asked.
"Yep," I said, trying to sound more sure of myself than I was.
There was a limo waiting for us when we got downstairs, and I smiled at Joe when I saw it.
"Mom and dad are in there," he said. "We've still got to pick up Eli and Rebecca."
The driver held the door open, and I climbed inside, smiling at Saul and Rhonda on my way across the backseat. "You look wonderful," Rhonda said, once I had settled in my seat enough to hear her. Joe climbed in after me, taking a seat at my left, and leaving us both facing his parents. He settled into his seat in such a way that his knee barely brushed my thigh, and I glanced at him before smiling at his parents.
"Thank you," I said to his mom for the compliment. "I'm so glad I could borrow the dress."
"It looks nice on you, Lu-bug," Saul said. He was a man of few words, but he had a soft spot for me and could probably tell I was nervous. I smiled at his sweetness and thanked him, telling him how his wife and Rebecca fixed me up with everything I had on.
One of Joe's good friends was a guy named Ethan Prescott. He was also one of the biggest name actors on Saul's show. Ethan had starred in a few box-office hits before coming to work on the set of Bad Medicine with Saul five years before. Ethan loved New York, and felt like family with everyone on set, so he had basically hung up his Hollywood hat and had settled into the life of a television star.
Apparently, Ethan was planning on coming to the event tonight, and those of us riding in the limo had a conversation about him and who he may or may not be bringing as a date. I had met him once with Sarah, but I definitely wasn't used to being around famous people all the time the way the Spicers were.
I don't know how many times I silently whispered the words wing it to myself—said it so many times I almost lost its meaning and I started thinking of things like angel wings, and bird wings, and even buffalo chicken wings. I was spacing out on telling myself to wing it when I felt Joe nudge me.
"It's August, right?" Joe asked.
I glanced at his parents and knew from their expression that everyone was waiting for me to answer. "August, yes," I said without really even knowing what they were saying. "Are you asking about S&S?"
Saul nodded.
"Yes sir," I said. "I move in August 12th."
Saul and Rhonda were both smiling at me, but I instantly felt like I should make some sort of explanation since I was staying at Sarah's place.
"I know Sarah's married now," I said. "I'm gonna be staying somewhere else between now and August. I have it worked out."
"I hadn't even thought about that, sweetheart," Rhonda said with a sweet smile.
"Where are you staying?" Joe asked.
I looked at him, and because I hadn't expected to be having this conversation and I didn't have anything better to say, I stated the truth.
"Drake," I said.
Joe's face fell, and he looked at me with an expression that said, you must be kidding me.
"I heard Sarah and Collin talking about her moving into his place when they come back from their honeymoon," Rhonda said. "In which case I'm sure she'd be happy to let you hold onto that apartment if it's just till August." She looked at her husband, who nodded, since he would, to some extent, wind up being out of pocket in some way on the deal.
I knew she was offering to help me, and I smiled at how generous they were. "You guys are the nicest people ever, but I'm good. I've already talked to Drake about it. He said he's looking forward to having me around so I can clean the place."
Drake had actually said that to me, but he was totally joking when he said it.
"That's just not happening," Joe said.
I glanced at him to find that he was shaking his head impassively, which made me smile. "What's not happening?"
Saul had asked Rhonda a question, and the two of them became preoccupied discussing something on the other side of the limo.
"You don't need to move in over there," Joe said. "Seriously, what made you think of staying there?"
He seemed like he really wanted me to answer the question. I took a quick glance in his parents' direction before I said, "Drake and I have been good friends for a long time. He's got the extra room, and he doesn't mind me staying. It's only till August."
"Doesn’t he have a girlfriend?" Joe asked with a confused expression.
I smiled and nodded. "Yesss," I said.
"Well, no," Joe said, speaking quietly enough that his parents wouldn't pay attention to us. "Just no. You can't just move into some guy's house."
"He's my friend," I said. "It's no big deal. He's doing me a favor."
Joe stared at me like he was thinking about it and trying to be open-minded—but ultimately, he shook his head.
"What?" I asked.
"I don't see why you need to move out of Sarah's place," Joe said. "You heard them say she's moving in with Collin when they got back. You should just stay in the apartment."
Just as he finished his statement, the car came to a stop in front of Eli and Rebecca's building. His parents were now looking directly at us, so we discontinued our conversation, but we regarded each other like we wanted to say something more.
Eli and Rebecca lived only blocks from Ethan, and after we picked them up, we made a stop at Ethan's apartment. Ethan knew he was going to the event, but he had only decided to ride with us at the last minute when Joe texted him from the limo.
The A-list television star had a petit young woman with him who identified herself as Gabriella. She was soft-spoken, but Rhonda asked her a few questions, and she told us about being a dancer and studying at Julliard. I knew a few people in that program, and Gabriella and I figured out that we had a couple common acquaintances.
There were so many of us and the conversation was so constant that there was no more talk of me staying at Drake's until August. Anyway, I had only brought it up because I didn't want the Spicers to think I thought I could stay at Sarah's place now that she was moving out.
I was glad the conversation wasn't centered on me anymore because it was hard for me to even think straight with Joe sitting by my side, and the gigantic television star sitting right next to us. All of them were successful and intimidating in their own right—every single person in this limo.
I smiled and straightened my shoulders as I pictured one of those shoes with a wing on it, which was, as far as I knew, the emblem of track and field. Since my conversation with Mr. Steiner, I would use any wing-type visual to serve as a reminder that no one else in life had it all figured out, either.
Chapter 13
I didn't know how to pronounce the word gala.
I had heard it multiple times in my life, but I had a mental block in regards to what that first A was supposed to sound like, so I just used other words to describe the place we were going that evening even though it was a gala—it said so right on the beautiful banner.
Being surrounded by all of these people in black-tie attire made me experience a sense of importance, like I'd somehow advanced to a new level of adulthood simply by stepping foot in the door. Photographers behind velvet ropes snapped pictures of us as we walked up. I knew it was for Ethan and perhaps Saul, but they snapped pictures of all of us.
There was a wall covered with watermarks of the name of the gala plastered all over it, and I realized when our group paused in front of it that it was a photo backdrop. Joe pulled me close enough t
hat he could mumble into my ear. "Just stand right here for a second looking happy. They're gonna take bunch of pictures of Ethan. In a few seconds, I'm gonna turn you around, and they're gonna snap a few of you and me before we walk in. Just smile and act happy."
"That's easy because I am happy," I tried to say, but just as I said it, he turned me by the waist to face the six or eight men with cameras standing at the entrance. I smiled and I tried to look natural while at the same time, standing up straight and sucking in. Thankfully, in no time, Joe nodded at the cameras and nudged me along.
We found our way to a hallway that led toward the ballroom. There were a couple of security checkpoints along the way, but the workers just nodded us along. We signed in at the entrance of the ballroom.
A hostess showed us to our table and informed us that dinner would be served in an hour and that dancing was encouraged before and after. There would be items up for auction at various times throughout the night, and we were to bid simply by raising the little paddles that were part of the centerpieces on each table. She pointed out the restrooms, the dance floor, and the items up for auction, which were displayed against the far wall.
The tables each sat six, so Joe and I were sitting with Eli, Rebecca, Ethan, and Gabriella. Saul and Rhonda were at a adjacent table with some of their friends.
"I want you to meet Michael," Ethan said to Joe before we even sat down at the table. It didn't surprise me that he wanted to walk around, since that seemed to be the vibe at this event.
"You two go ahead," Eli said even though nobody had asked him anything. "Rebecca's gonna have me over there shopping."
"They always have good stuff," she said. She smiled at Gabriella and me. "You two should come over there with us."
Joe glanced at me with an expression that said he wouldn't go with Ethan if I wasn't comfortable with it.
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