Once Upon the Rainbow, Volume Two

by Jennifer Cosgrove

  “Please. I’ve been at home here since the third grade.” She typed in his password without blinking, rolling her eyes before he could protest. “Don’t even. You are way too easy.” She pulled up a website with a few keystrokes and turned the screen toward him. It was an article about a charity event, something that would be a mix of his peers and his parents. “What do you think?”

  “What do I think about what?”

  Molly stared at him like he was dense.

  “What?”

  She scrolled down to the end and looked at him expectantly. When he didn’t react, she sighed heavily. “We need to go to this. Tonight.”

  Scott stared at her questioningly. “Don’t we hate those things?”

  Molly flicked him on the ear. “There’ll be a good chance of your mystery man showing up. Wouldn’t you like to see him again? And actually get his name this time?”

  Scott opened his mouth and then closed it again. That…wasn’t a bad idea. If the guy was there, it would be a second chance to talk to him, and if he wasn’t, then it would be an event that his mother would love for him to go to. And for him to attend without her asking would just be the icing on the cake.

  “Yes. Let’s do that. Can we get a last-minute invite?”

  Molly laughed. “I just happen to have an invitation. You can be my plus-one.”

  “Aren’t I always?” He knocked his elbow against hers. “At least until Michael gets back.”

  “God, I miss him.” She sighed and dropped her head onto Scott’s shoulder. He made a gagging sound and she elbowed him, probably harder than necessary.

  “Ow! I was just kidding.” He put an arm around her. “He’ll be back soon.”

  “I know.” Molly sat up straighter and grinned. “At least playing fairy godmother for you will keep my mind off things.”

  Scott groaned and turned away from her, then slid down and pulled the covers over his head. She wouldn’t let this go until he had the guy’s number. Or a restraining order.

  IT WAS ALMOST an exact repeat of the previous night, except that this time, Scott met Molly at her place. She had her own apartment, which doubled as a studio. It was usually a mess of fabric and buttons and zippers, but he’d gotten used to it over time. She opened the door and pulled him in, her hair and makeup done but still in her robe.

  “You’re early.” She shouted this over her shoulder as she went back to her room. “But I’m not surprised.”

  “Shut it.” Scott walked around, looking at the fabric swatches. There was an awful lot of yellow going on. He shrugged. Molly always knew what she was doing.

  She was back out in a few minutes. She was a quick dresser, and it helped that she always knew exactly what she was going to wear from the second that she was aware of an event. It was a useful skill she applied to his wardrobe as well. That night, she’d texted him which suit to wear, and he had listened. It hadn’t been hard to do.

  “Zip me up, please.” She turned, and he did as he was told, then stood still when she turned back around to give him a once-over. She adjusted his tie and smoothed down a lapel, then nodded, satisfied. “You’ll do.”

  “Thanks.”

  She ignored his deadpan reply as she grabbed her clutch and flicked it open to add her cell phone. “Ready?”

  “When you are.” The things he would do for a cute guy, he thought, but then shook his head. Not just any cute guy. The man had been intriguing in a way that he couldn’t put his finger on; dressing up and going to an event that he didn’t care about would be a small price to pay to see him again.

  “ANY LUCK?” MOLLY was leaning in close so as not to be overheard.

  Scott shook his head. They’d been there for half an hour, and he’d made two laps of the room so far with no sign of his mystery man.

  “Maybe I should go hang out around the dumpster again.” Scott was only half kidding. If the person who he was looking for was a smoker, maybe that was the way to go.

  Molly snorted and shook her head.

  “Yeah, I know. Maybe stay a little bit longer and then go?”

  “Give it time. If he’s not from around here, you may not get another chance. This is our best shot.” Molly had confidence that Scott didn’t share.

  “Maybe.” Scott kept looking around, but he wasn’t holding his breath any longer. He was doing his best to keep his expression set to “bored but politely interested,” although the effort was starting to wear on him.

  He was searching for one of the waiters carrying around trays of hors d'oeuvres when he caught a flash of familiar dark hair near the back of the room. It ignited a spark of hope in his chest. “I’ll be right back.” He ignored Molly’s questioning look and moved through the crowd as quickly as he could. Where did he go? There. It was definitely him; he could tell by the elegant profile. He was heading toward the kitchen door, and Scott wondered if he was sneaking out for another smoke, just like the night before.

  He hesitated for a moment before deciding to follow him. Molly would kick his ass if he didn’t at least try. Scott pushed through the doors, staying to the side to keep out of the way of the servers, but the guy had vanished. He was headed toward the double doors in the very back, thinking that maybe he’d gone out that way, when he saw him again. The man picked up a tray of canapes with practiced grace and turned toward the kitchen entrance. Scott was barely able to duck out of sight behind some shelves before the other man swept by without noticing. Scott leaned his head against the shelves and stared at the ceiling in disbelief.

  His mystery man was one of the waiters. He was working these events, not attending them.

  Scott slipped out of the kitchen and turned in the opposite direction. He needed to find Molly. He looked toward the corner where he’d last seen her before he’d bolted and was relieved to find she was still there. He walked up beside her and placed a trembling hand on her arm.

  She excused herself from a conversation with someone who Scott vaguely recognized, and the woman wandered off with a sense of detachment. “Where’d you go?”

  “I found him.” He felt a little dazed saying that out loud. When they had headed out that evening, he’d made peace with the fact that this was a fool’s errand. But now he’d found the man again, and he didn’t know what to do.

  “You did? Where is he?” Molly looked around covertly. “Scott?”

  “Over there.” Scott nodded toward the corner. The man was offering his silver tray of tiny food to a group of rich idiots, polite smile in place.

  “Who? I don’t see anyone over there but that woman with the unfortunate dress and— Oh.” Molly had forgotten her stealth and was blatantly staring. “Him? The waiter?”

  “Yes.”

  “Wow.” Molly took a sip of her drink. “He really is good-looking. You have good taste.”

  Scott wondered if she was losing her mind. “What?”

  “You should go talk to him. See when his shift ends.” Molly raised her glass, but it was already empty. She looked around for another.

  Scott took the glass away from her and set it on a small high-top table. “How many of those have you had?”

  Molly rolled her eyes. “Not nearly enough to deal with you freaking out like this.” She grabbed his hand. “Scott, look at me.”

  Scott did as he was told.

  “You know I love you, right?”

  He nodded.

  “But you are shit at talking to people who you are attracted to.”

  He opened his mouth to argue, but she cut him off.

  “You’re about to say, ‘But Molly, he’s a waiter. He probably hates rich morons like me.’”

  “I don’t sound like that.”

  She talked over him. “Oh and then you’re going to say, ‘Anyway, he’s really, really good-looking. Why would he even talk to me?’” She glared at him. “Which will be bullshit, because he already talked to you after he tried to smother you with cigarette smoke.” Molly made a face. “Which reminds me, why a smoker? That makes him
not nearly as cute.”

  “He said he was trying to quit.” Scott shook his head. “Focus, Molly. What should I do?”

  “You never listen to a thing I say, do you?” Molly poked him in the chest, and he flinched. “Go. Ask him when his shift ends. See if he wants to go get coffee or something. A drink. Anything. Jesus.” She still had a grip on his hand and pulled him back in when he tried to step away. “Seriously. Just take a chance.”

  He knew she was right. He should just give it a try. The worst thing that could happen was he could say no. He swallowed. “Okay.”

  “Really?” Molly grinned at him. “Go get him!” She let go and gave him a little push toward the corner. He almost stumbled but caught himself, straightening his jacket. He could do this.

  Scott headed toward the corner, but the man was gone now. There was nothing left to do but make a slow turn around the room, watching for dark hair and pale skin against a black shirt.

  He made one lap and then another. The other man was nowhere to be found. Scott laughed to himself. It figured. As soon as Scott made up his mind to actually do something… He knew he couldn’t go back to Molly empty-handed, so he finally decided to ask one of the other waiters if the man was still there.

  Scott waited near the kitchen door and approached a young woman who looked like she might not bite his head off for interrupting her. “Excuse me?”

  She startled and almost dropped the empty tray she’d been carrying to the kitchen. “Oh, god, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was going.” She took a breath and put on her professional face. “How can I help you?”

  Scott hesitated. He didn’t want to sound weird or creepy. “Um.”

  She was waiting politely, but he could tell that her attention was divided between serving a customer and getting back to the kitchen to get her next tray.

  He pushed through his nervousness and blurted it out. “There was a guy working here, and I was wondering if you could help me find him.”

  She blinked at him. “Did you want to complain or—”

  “No!” She flinched back, and Scott took a breath. “Sorry. No, nothing like that.” He could feel his face start to heat. “I talked to him and he was, um, nice.”

  She relaxed a little, biting her lip in an apparent effort not to laugh. “Nice?”

  “It’s okay. I know I’m ridiculous.” Scott felt a little better now that he’d made her smile. “Look, I talked to him, and he was interesting and—”

  “Cute?” She was outright grinning now.

  Scott laughed to himself. “Yeah. You could say that.” He held out a hand. “My name’s Scott, by the way.”

  She bobbled the tray and shook his hand. “Mary. Now tell me what he looks like, and maybe I can help you find this cute boy.”

  Scott smiled. “A little bit taller than me. Dark hair, light eyes, great smile.”

  Mary tapped her finger against her lips, thinking. “That narrows it down. You don’t know his name?”

  He shook his head. “Nope. I was going to ask, but then he had to go. That was at last night’s event. I didn’t even realize he was working at the time.”

  “He was working last night, too?”

  Scott nodded.

  “That had to have been Chris. Kind of curly hair, nice shoulders?” Mary laughed at him as he blushed again. “I’m taking that as a yes.”

  “That’s him. Is he still here?” Scott was starting to hope.

  Mary shook her head. “He had to go. I think it was a family thing or something. I don’t think it was an emergency,” she was quick to reassure him. “He just said it was something he had to take care of. Sorry.”

  “That’s okay. At least I can tell my friend that I asked, so she’ll stop harassing me about it.” Scott gave her a tight-lipped smile and tried not to let his disappointment show.

  He must not have done a good job because Mary looked around for a second before leaning a little closer to him to keep her voice low. “I could take your name and give it to him next time I see him, if you like? I mean, I don’t feel comfortable giving out his info without asking him first but—”

  “No, I understand.” Scott felt in his pocket for his wallet. He had to have a business card or something that he could write his number on. Of course, the only one that he had was one of his dad’s, but it would have to do. She handed him a pen, and he jotted down the info. “Thank you for your help, Mary.”

  She shrugged. “You seem like a nice guy. I’m not making any promises, but I’ll see what I can do.” She looked around, and her eyes widened. “I’d better get back to it before I get in trouble.” Mary gave him a wave and hurried into the kitchen through the swinging door.

  Scott stuffed his hands in his pockets and took a moment to swallow down a giddy mix of anxiety and excitement before looking around for Molly. He couldn’t believe he’d done that. He spotted her over beside the bar where she had obviously been watching what he was doing.

  She looked a little impressed. “So what was that all about?”

  “His name is Chris.” He smiled at her triumphantly.

  “Are you going to talk to him?”

  He shook his head. “He had to leave. Some sort of family thing.” He nodded toward Mary, who had just come back out with a fresh tray. “She took my name and number and said she’d give it to him if she saw him.”

  Molly patted his chest. “Look at you taking initiative! I’m so proud.”

  “Shut up.” Scott glanced at the teeming ballroom. “Want to get out of here?”

  “Yes, please.”

  SCOTT STILL HADN’T heard anything a few days later. Either Mary had lost his number, forgotten completely, or Chris hadn’t wanted anything to do with him. The last option made his stomach hurt just a bit. It was weird how this person, who he’d had a two-minute conversation with, had managed to worm his way into his mind like that, but he had.

  Which was why he was still in bed yet again when Molly descended on him. There was a perfunctory knock on the door, and Scott had just enough time to pull the covers over his head before she scrambled up on the bed next to him.

  He peeked out as she pulled an iPad out of her overlarge purse. “What the hell, Molly?”

  “Good morning to you, too.” She nudged him over and made herself comfortable, sitting up against the headboard. He lifted himself up on his elbows to try to see what she was doing on the screen, curiosity getting the better of him.

  “What’s that?”

  “This—” Molly tilted the screen toward him. “—is the photography site for Lizzie’s party.”

  Scott raised his eyebrows. “And we’re looking at it because…?”

  “Something was bugging me. I kept thinking that I recognized your guy and couldn’t figure out from where.” She pulled up a series of pictures with Chris clearly in the background and zoomed in. “So I went to see if getting a look at him again would shake something loose.”

  “And?” Scott sat up farther, and the comforter pooled around his waist.

  Molly opened another tab, and he was surprised to see it was the website for the private school they’d both attended. “I knew I’d seen him before.” She glanced over at Scott. “I don’t think you had any classes with him, but I did. He was a sweet kid.” She handed the tablet over, and Scott looked down at the picture of one Christopher Masterson. It was definitely the same guy. He was younger with a mop of dark brown hair that curled around his face, but the crooked grin was the same.

  “Wow. I can’t believe that. It’s really him.” Scott gave her the tablet back, and she opened another tab. “Wait. Masterson. As in Mrs. Smith-Masterson with the daughters?”

  Molly nodded as she waited for the page to load.

  Scott shook his head in disbelief. “Why don’t I remember him? Did he graduate with us?”

  Molly gave him the tablet again so that he could read the article.

  “Oh.”

  Christopher’s father had died between their eighth- and n
inth-grade years of a heart attack, and the article took great lengths to focus on his grief-stricken stepmother and stepsisters who had been left behind. Christopher was almost an afterthought.

  “He moved away after his dad died. Or at least changed schools. It was weird. I vaguely remember that his stepsisters stayed at our school, but Chris didn’t.” Molly looked at the article, biting her lip. “What do you want to do?”

  Scott shrugged and then bumped his shoulder with hers. “I don’t know. What do you think?”

  She bumped his shoulder back. “At least find him and say hello?”

  Scott nodded and stretched. “Fine. Now get out so I can get dressed.”

  Molly waggled her eyebrows at him, and he hit her with a pillow.

  “Okay, okay!” She stopped at the door and looked at him over her shoulder. “We’ll find him, you know. It’ll make a great story to tell your grandchildren.” She raced out, giggling, before his other pillow smacked the back of the door.

  IT TURNED OUT that Molly’s sleuthing skills were not required. That same afternoon, Scott had ducked into the local Starbucks to grab a coffee when he spotted a now-familiar form at the counter waiting to place his order. Scott almost turned around and walked back out the door, but he knew he’d never live it down if he ran. He approached the counter and did his best to ignore the fluttering in his stomach.

  Chris glanced at him, and then did a double take. “Hey! From the other night, right?” His smile lit up his face.

  “That’s me. Scott.” Scott stuck out his hand, and Chris shuffled his bag to shake it.

  “Chris.”

  The barista asked Chris if she could help him in a tone that meant it was at least the second time she’d asked.

  “Shit. Sorry.” He placed his order and paid, then moved so Scott could get to the counter.

  He gave the still-annoyed barista his order, and they both went over to the pickup counter to wait.

  “So…” Scott honestly didn’t know what to say. He’d always been terrible at small talk and even worse at flirting. “How’ve you been?” He winced.