I resist the urge to jump down and grab her, run outside, and steal her away from everyone else so she can be mine. Or at least try to convince her to give me another chance.
“Hey, loverboy,” Tuck says behind me. “Don’t get any ideas. She’s not going anywhere.”
I shut the curtain and turn back to the task at hand, setting up the stage. “You’re right. I’ll be good.”
Bryce hands me a plug. “Can you get an extension cord from the box?”
I have to force my feet to move away from where I know Maggie to be, to move to the back of the stage where our equipment box sits.
Please wait for me, Maggie. Please let me convince you that I can be your happily ever after.
Maggie
Inside the giant ballroom, jazz music plays as chandeliers glow from above and candles burn on the tables around us. People are scattered around the room talking, holding drinks, and smiling. I look to the stage, but it’s still curtained off. A portrait of Frank stands on an easel. I’m sorry I was going to skip, I tell him silently. I know he can hear me too.
When I scan the room, a pair of beautiful blue eyes stares back, attached to a hottie in a tux. Mid-twenties maybe, tall, dark hair, completely swoonworthy. He holds a glass of something or other on the rocks, looking like a cover model for a billionaire romance series. Another freaking gorgeous boy in the world. How many are there?
As we walk in and move closer, I notice that his eyes aren’t on me. They’re behind me.
I turn to see who he’s looking at. Pooja. When her eyes land on the blue-eyed man, she stiffens. Her breathing turns ragged.
“Pooja?” I take the step to her and grab her arm as she stumbles backward, toward the door. “Are you okay?”
Rocco joins us, grabbing her other elbow to steady her. “Relax, Pooh. What’s wrong?”
“That man looking at us.” Pooja turns her back to the room and the handsome man.
Rocco looks over her shoulder and waves at the man. “It’s just Ben’s brother, Evan. I met him out once in Philly. Why? Do you know him?”
She shakes her head. “He’s okay, right?”
Rocco shrugs. “Seems like a nice enough guy. Why?”
Pooja looks from Rocco to me. “I can’t see his colors.”
I hold her hand. “You can’t see everyone’s colors the first time you meet them, can you?”
Her chest rises and falls. Her lip quivers. “Yes…except once.”
Rocco pulls Pooja close, and she leans against him. “It’s okay, it’s not him.”
Her eyes tear, and I grab a tissue out of the silver clutch she’d let me borrow. “Not who? Who couldn’t you see?”
“Cameron,” she whispers his name and shudders, like saying it will conjure him up right into the room with us.
Cameron’s awaiting trial for Frank’s murder. Every time something happens in the case, the media looks up Pooja and Juliet. Juliet’s becoming a pro at handling the press. Pooja? Not so much.
“I’m going to go talk to him, okay?” I look up at Rocco. “Can you take her into the hallway to get composed?”
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” Pooja says. “It’s like the colors are in overdrive. Something bad is going to happen again. Maybe not here, maybe not tonight, but sometime.” She gasps for air, panting.
“Try to calm down.” Rocco holds her head against his chest, shushing her. “Maybe you need a break. This is an emotional night.”
I touch her back. “Nothing bad will happen. And if you cry, you’ll ruin your makeup.”
Pooja smiles and pulls away from Rocco. He leads her out of the room through the large, wooden ballroom doors.
When I turn back around, Evan waves. I walk toward him, remembering a conversation with Juliet and Megan. Evan is a God was Juliet’s exact quote. From the looks of him, I can’t exactly disagree. I introduce myself.
“Nice to finally meet you. Meg’s roommate, right?”
I smile. “That’s me.”
“I’m Evan, Ben’s brother.”
I see very little family resemblance with Ben. Evan is chiseled. The blue eyes and the dark hair are jarring. While Ben’s stocky and athletic, Evan is tall. Long, like Dave, but more muscular and wide. He has a presence that’s unnerving. Maybe that’s why Pooja reacted.
As if reading my mind, he points to the doors. “Was that Pooja? Is she okay?”
I look to the doors also and then back at Evan. “Yeah, she’s having a rough night. She knows it’s important to be here, but she is having a hard time still.”
Evan lifts his eyebrows, making his blue eyes appear even bigger and brighter. I admire his jawline as if he’s a marble sculpture instead of a human. “I can’t imagine how hard this is for her. Every time I see Ben stretch his shoulder or he tells me it aches, I think about what happened, and I want to kill that guy. Pooja must feel terrible.”
“She’s trying hard to move on. We all have been trying.”
“You’re all very brave.” He takes a sip of his drink. “You’ll have to come to home with Ben and Meg for one of our family dinners. Meg talks about you all the time. My mom would love to meet you.”
I laugh a girly giggle, the kind you don’t mean to do but happens when you’re around a guy as good-looking as Evan Riley. “That’s sweet. I’d love a home-cooked meal too. Meg raves about your dinners.”
He smiles, and my ovaries explode. “You’re welcome anytime.”
Ben, Megan, and Chase join us. They all compliment me, and I them, and then they ask me how I’m doing. “I just needed a breather. I’m back now.”
Despite the attention and the conversation, I can’t help looking over their shoulders at the stage, searching for that pair of twinkly eyes that I’ve missed so much.
Ben brings me back to the conversation. “Did Evan tell you the news?”
I shake my head, looking at each of them in turn. When they don’t spill, I turn to Evan. “What’s up?”
He swirls his drink around, the ice clanking on the side. “Well, I’m in construction. Recently I bought and flipped a couple of units in a row of townhomes off campus. My crew just got the certificates of occupancy, and I thought I’d offer them to you all first, if you can wait until August to move in.”
I grab his arm. “That sounds great. How many bedrooms?”
“Four in each unit. One and a half baths. Finished basements. I’ll charge you a decent rent, and we’ll do a year lease.”
Juliet and Meg discuss how to split up the houses. Apparently they’d been talking about this while Win and I were in Florida because they seem set on boy-girl instead of by couples. I’m relieved about that since I’d hate to be a third wheel to one of the happy Sheridan Hall couples. Or be stuck housing with Win. Either way, we didn’t know what we wanted to do about next year, so the offer from Ben’s hot brother is a gift that falls right into our well-dressed laps.
Even with the excitement of planning for our sophomore year, my mind wanders back to Dave. He seemed so anxious to talk to me, with all the voice mails and texts. I know I shouldn’t care, but I can’t think about next year until I have closure on this one.
Chapter 31
Dave
I hum scales to warm up my voice while we wait for Juliet’s go-ahead.
Finally, she peeks backstage.
Tommy whistles. “What’s up, girl?”
She gives him a dirty look. I whack him on the back of the head and turn my attention to Juliet. “That’s Tommy. Ignore him.”
She rolls her eyes. “I know we’re supposed to start, but one of Poppy’s invitees is running late. Would you rather wait for her or get your set done?”
We look at each other. “May as well wait,” Tuck says. “They won’t want a cover band, but maybe they’ll see something in us they like or be able to give us some feedback.”
Juliet smiles. “Sounds good. I’ll be back as soon as she shows up, okay? Don’t go anywhere. Stay on high alert.”
I fake
salute her. “Yes, ma’am.”
She disappears, and the jazz band starts another arrangement from their seats on the main floor.
Thoughts of Maggie dominate my mind. Who’s she talking to? What’s her mindset? Does she hate me? Without realizing it, I whistle Maggie May, tapping my thumbs on the speaker I’d parked my butt on. Tuck touches his drums and taps out a low beat for me with his thumbs.
“You miss your girl, huh?” Bryce says, tightening his guitar strings.
“No,” I lie. “I’d rather sit back here with you morons.”
Tucker scoffs. “Why don’t you go see if you can find her? We’ll cover with Juliet.”
I jump to my feet. As I’m about to fling open the curtain, Tuck stops me. “Just promise me one thing.”
“What?”
He raises his eyebrows and points at me. “If she’s not into it, don’t let it ruin our set, okay?”
I tap my foot and grasp the curtain. “Yeah, of course.”
He pats me on the shoulder. With his blessing, I whip open the curtain and run down the stairs from the stage to the floor, take two steps, and almost smash into a pair of boobs. I’ve seen those breasts before.
I find the face. Suzi-with-an-I looks like the cover of the prom issue of Playboy in a tight, black strapless dress. Since her boobs dominate my view, I’m guessing she has crazy high heels on. Her hair is down in its signature sleek, shiny straight style, and her makeup is more amplified than usual.
She blocks my path. “Hey.”
I point past her. “I…um…only have a minute—”
She holds up her hands. “I just want to say I’m sorry about Amber. She didn’t correct me when I assumed you were the father, and I pushed her into telling you. She called me earlier and told me you’re not. She was scared, Dave.”
At the sound of Amber’s name, I slow down and focus on Suzi. I can’t be mad at her, even if she did consider me some loser who would abandon his own kid. She was trying to be a good friend to Amber, and things got blown out of proportion.
She twists her hands in front of her body, waiting for something from me.
I squeeze her shoulder. “Listen, Suzi. I understand why you did it. This fucked up scenario kind of made Amber and me friends.”
She puts her hand over mine. “I’m glad. I love her. I’ll help her however I can.”
“I will too.” I pull away and study her face. “Do you know who the dad is?” I’m curious how much Amber told her.
She shakes her head. “No. But I can’t imagine he’d be better than you.”
I think of Frank. He’d be so much better than me. “Liar. You told her I’d bolt.”
She gasps. “Well, maybe the Dave who hooked up with the two of us the first week of college would bolt. You’ve changed.”
I shrug. “Maybe.”
She shakes her head. “The blonde, right? I heard you dumped her. Does that mean you’re single again?”
I waggle a finger at her. “Not for long, hopefully. I have a plan.”
“Whatever. I’m just saying, I’m single, you’re single…” Her voice fades off.
“Sorry. Off the market.” I look past her to the dance floor.
“You really have changed, huh? Can I help? It’s the least I can do.”
“You’ve done enough damage already, sweetheart.” I smile so she knows I’m teasing.
She barks out a “ha” and then says, “I guess I should stay out of your way.”
“Yeah, that’s probably the best idea.”
Smoothing her hair down over her shoulders, she looks around. She’s bored with me already. “You know, you have a lot more going for you than simply being a hot guy who sings in a band.”
I appreciate her words, but I’m anxious to get to Maggie. “Thanks, Suzi.”
“Now go get your little blonde virgin.” She rolls her eyes. “I’ll never understand guys.”
I laugh. “That’s what we say about you ladies.” Then I kiss her on the cheek before I go find my Magdalena.
A few seconds later, as I weave through the crowd, a bright spot of pink catches my eye. Her back is to me, and she’s talking to a taller, better-looking guy. I take a minute to appreciate her, the short dress, the lace that covers her shoulders, and the way her hair tries to sneak out of the swirly design she pinned to her head. The guy sees me over her shoulder. I give him my best dirty look. He points to me, and Maggie turns around.
When her gaze meets mine, I freeze on the spot. People mill around, but the music fades. In my mind, she’s in a spotlight. She’s the only one I see.
I remember her feeding the squirrel during those first days of school. I remember when she opened the door the night of the dumpster date and she asked me if she was dressed okay. How she picked her chips off her cookie. When the yellow bra strap slid off her shoulder while we played Scrabble. How she showed up in my room with her green, gooped up face. When we were naked in her room, and then when we were naked in mine.
My heart swells, and I understand now what it feels like. Now if asked, I can say yes. I have been in love. With the most perfect girl in the world. No matter where this night ends up, I’ll always have that.
And from the look of it, this night appears to be going nowhere.
Maggie’s smile turns to a frown, and she walks past the hot guy, away from me. I give the guy another look and follow her through the crowd, trying to catch up. She moves toward the ballroom doors. I struggle to reach her, excusing myself as I knock people around.
A body blocks me. A tall, curvy body in a red dress.
Juliet holds a hand to my chest. “Poppy’s person is here. Time to roll.”
Over Juliet’s shoulder, I watch Maggie move further away. “I need a minute.”
She holds her finger to my chest as I try to push past. “We’re already running late. We have to get started—”
I grab her elbows and look into her eyes. “Please, Juliet? Just one minute? I have to talk to her.”
Juliet sighs and lifts her hands in surrender. She turns sideways to let me pass. “One minute.”
I rush by her to the ballroom doors and fling them open.
Chapter 32
Maggie
A hand grasps my arm, and heat soars through my body. I don’t turn around.
“Please talk to me.” His voice is a song.
I take a deep breath and vow to keep my resolve. New start. No men. Focus on me. Dave wasn’t real. I wiggle out of his grasp and spin to face him. “Don’t you get the hint that I don’t want to talk to you?”
His jaw clenches as his twinkle eyes search my face. “I guess you got my messages.”
“Yes. All three-thousand of them. I’m glad about Amber and that you’re not the father. For your sake, not Amber’s.” I can’t help feeling sorry for Amber.
“Can’t we forget this mess ever happened and get back to us?” He reaches for my hand.
I let him take it but shake my head no. “We rushed this, Dave. It’s my fault. I get into these…situations…and think I’ve found my happily ever after, but it’s never right. Something always goes wrong. I’m done.”
He holds my hand tightly, gazing at me. “I’m sorry I didn’t know what to do. I’m sorry I didn’t believe in us. I freaked out. I didn’t want to drag you into it.”
I pull my hand out of his and back away. “I need a break from guys.”
His scowl surprises me. “Except the one you were just talking to? Who was he?” Dave moves closer, demanding my attention.
My breath catches in my throat as I look up at his face. “Jealousy isn’t pretty on you.”
“Don’t care. I don’t like seeing you talk with other guys.”
“Ew. That’s Ben’s brother, Evan. He offered us a housing option for next year.”
His face softens. “Oh.”
“Oh.” I smirk and repeat, mimicking his dumb response.
He touches my chin and tilts it up to face him. “You said you needed a break from gu
ys. I agree. All except me.”
The same two words from the time we almost kissed in the hallway run through my brain. Fuck this.
I jerk my chin out of his grasp. “I’m not doing this, Dave. This isn’t right. It’s not how it’s supposed to be. You weren’t supposed to break up with me, right after we—”
He holds up a hand to stop me. “Don’t compare me to your jerkoff ex.”
“Well if the shoe fits…” It’s a phrase my mother uses. I hate it, but it works.
“I made a mistake—”
I scowl. If I hold my clutch any tighter, my fingers will rip holes right through it. “That’s what Win says too. I’m sick of hearing it.”
He takes my arms. “I’m not Winston. You know that. I have no clue how to be a boyfriend, and I’m still a little in shock that you’re even giving me the time of day. But I’m fighting like hell to be someone who deserves you.”
Damn, he may not think of himself as boyfriend material, but somehow he knows all the right things to say.
“And guess what, beautiful? I read those romance novels, and in every one, they break up at least once.”
I glare at him. “Maybe…but…” I can’t think of a counterargument. He’s right. Captain Remus, Billionaire Perseus, Vampire Raoul. All of them. The way he’s looking at me tells me he knows he’s right. Smug, hot, sexy jerk.
“That’s different.” I’m not sure how though. “And you, Second Floor Dave, are certainly no hero of romance.” I turn my back and start to walk away, hoping to quench the spark he’s igniting with his egotistical flirt-fest.
He follows me. “I may not be a perfect romance hero, Magdalena, but don’t tell me this isn’t a perfect romance.”
In a flash, I spin around and charge him, pushing his chest. “Don’t you tell me about perfect romances. If this were a perfect romance, you’d…you…” I wave my hands, thinking of what would make this perfect.
She Wants It All: Book Three of the Sheridan Hall Series Page 28