He looked up at Leah. “Can you watch for any sign of nausea till we dock? I know that’s a tough ask when it’s a drunk skunk on a boat.”
“Yes, of course. I am a friend of a friend. I can keep watch.”
Kara rubbed Jonah’s shoulders, her laugh throaty and endearing. “Too bad you don’t have a lollypop for him, Shel.”
“Jonah, I’m Dr. Ackerman. I think you are just going to have a nasty bump, so you should sit somewhere stable and ice it, okay?”
Leah gave a startled laugh, thinking of Libby’s comment earlier about throwing a latke and hitting a doctor on board. What were the chances of hittingthedoctor who had kicked off the entire rugelach road trip?
“Hersh?”
His ocean blue eyes blinked her way. “Grandma Tilly’s friend?”
Chapter Thirty
Avi had just gone over the setlist with the house band and checked his phone again. Five minutes before his closing set, and Leah was nowhere to be found. He’d looked for her everywhere.
People were flooding into the ballroom for the last hurrah. It was always an exhilarating, exhausting part of the night for everyone, but especially Avi.
Although he was feeling relief, having cleared the air with Sylvie.
He’d hoped to have a few minutes alone with Leah before the night ended. He’d been serious about visiting the MoMA to see Starry Night. About adding to her list, keeping their road trip going. She hadn’t had a chance to reply before Sylvie had interrupted their dance.
And she hadn’t replied to his latest text.
He spied Norah and Beck passing through with Jonah and hopped off the stage to intercept them.
“We’re going to go pour this guy into a cab and take him home.” Nora kissed his cheek. “You good, V?”
“I will be.” He looked Jonah up and down. “You look like you hit an iceberg tonight.”
“Iceberg, Goldberg, ever think about that?” He looked like he was waiting for applause. “I’m fine. I hit a face with my door.” Nora rolled her eyes. “Leah got me some ice,” he continued. “Jewish angel! Her doctor checked me out. All clear.”
Jewish…doctor?Okay, so maybe Leah had tracked the guy down to explain away his rugelach. But that didn’t explain her absence, or silence.
“Do you know where she is now?”
Jonah shook his head and slurred, “Thattaway.” He pushed a hand in the general direction of the ballroom, which everyone had to walk through to leave the ship.
The house band launched intoThe Love Boattheme, a yacht rock version they always played right before he came on.
“Home safe. I’ll call you guys tomorrow.”
Avi jumped on stage, shed his tuxedo jacket, and loosened a few more buttons on his shirt. His hair had finally worked itself from the elastic, and he ran his hands through it, swinging it back and forth around his face.
Something was going on with one of the guitarist’s distortion pedals, firing static through the amp to match the noise in Avi’s brain. He had to believe, he had to trust, that Leah was still on board, that she hadn’t left with the doctor or because of Sylvie. That she’d stay…for him.
He grabbed the mic, counted them off, and – in case she had stuck around and had any doubts – launched into “Are You Gonna Be My Girl.”
It was the song that had sprung to mind when he’d opened his eyes to her in the rest area, and it was the song he’d started to play when she’d lit into him about blowing up her life.
He sang it, shouted it, jittered and jumped and the crowd pretty much lost their minds.
Sweat soaked his brow, and he pulled his hair back with a hand. Squinting out into the crowd, he tried to find her under the lights.
Leah had tracked Beck down to help with Jonah, then wandered to the site of her short and sweet Starry Night party. The deck was empty, save for a couple making out under the overhang. She followed the music and the crowd until she found herself in the main ballroom.
Avi had just taken the stage, giving an electrifying performance of the song he’d hijacked her phone with, back when she was basically content to give him the silent treatment all the way to Erie and part ways. She laughed at herself now, as if the universe would’ve ever let her. Who was she kidding? He’d hijacked her entire road trip, added a soundtrack, and won her heart.
