The girl with the phone screamed like she was at a Painted Doors concert. Her long fingernails pincered her screen so she could zoom in on the object of her affection. Probably pixelating the guy’s nostril hairs as she snapped pic after pic. Cropping Max out. No doubt already curating in her mind how she would tell her friends about her epic night in the company of a rock star.
It reminded Tzipi of Kara’s “they take stories home” comment. No doubt there were already several stealthy shots taken of her. All the more reason to stay in character.
Max wasn’t making it easy.
“Dude, am I in your wet dream right now? Kara Koff!”
How Avi was kicking and talking at the same time, Jonah didn’t know. He was just trying to not fall on his ass in front of God and Kara and everyone at the moment.
“Crazy, right?” he managed to puff out.
It was absolutely crazy and it made no sense why she was hanging out with him. But he chanced a glance and there she still was, with her megawatt smile, in the circle where he’d left her. The sleeves of his tux covering half her hands as she clapped in rhythm with the crowd cheering them on. She’s wearing your jacket. His brain stated the obvious, as his dick throbbed with the notion. And it’s gonna totally smell like her after.
After what? The one meal they shared, if a few latke sliders and a bite of kugel ravioli was considered a meal? One prayer? One dance, which wasn’t exactly cheek-to-cheek? The boat had barely set sail. Surely the clock was ticking on his fifteen seconds with fame.
“Ground Control to Major Tom?” Avi tapped his ear, giving Jonah a WTF quirk of his dark brow. “No wonder you went radio silent. Dude.”
Oh yeah, that. His earpiece, long-forgotten, was in the pocket of said jacket.
“You missed the entire dumpster fire that went down with Jay’s assistant. The guy totally spaced and jumped ship. Like, literally pulled a runner right before we pulled anchor.”
“Is that why Jay relinquished his menorah duties?”
Avi nodded. “Rebecca has taken over logistics, it’s been all hands on deck. Where were you?”
“Where were you? I was watching from up on top.”
“On top, huh?” His best friend grinned. Jonah calculated how easy it would be with the slightest push to knock him on his Grammy-winning ass. “Fifty bucks says she’ll pull a Cinderella on you by midnight.”
“Make it one hundred,” he huffed. God, he was a glutton for punishment. “And you have to wear my Ugly Hanukkah sweater at your housewarming party tomorrow.” But the prospect of punishing Avi by making the rock god wear the cheap gaudy sweater was against-all-odds resistible.
“If I win, I get to burn it.”
“Deal.”
Together, they pulled each other up and out of the dance, back onto their feet to the cheer of the crowd. Jonah knew he was going to pay tomorrow for showing off, beyond the hundred dollars – that old twinge in his hip from a long-ago football tackle was back. But the look Kara gave him was everything as he limped his way back to her.
“Dancing with the Stars, Hanukkah edition?” She slow-clapped. “Impressive!”
He put a hand on his knee and held up a one moment, please finger. His lungs needed to get back inside his body, pronto. Passing out in front of Kara would be almost as bad as last year’s stunt.
The pounding in his ears eased, replaced by her laugh.
“You really would follow me anywhere, wouldn’t you?” she teased, cheeks flushed from the dance. “Six paces behind and ever-vigilant.”
He was still bent over, trying to catch his breath. “I – yeah – what?”
Kara reached for his hand yet again, but he wasn’t falling for it.
“Oh, no you don’t. One vicious circle was enough for me, thank you.” He guided her out of the mix and let the hora take off in the opposite direction without them, leaving them standing near one of Asher’s drink outposts. “Saved by the bar.”
“Oh, look at this place!”
Each bar on the ship had its own vibe. Offering passengers a different atmosphere with each round they knocked back. This one had a distinct Old Hollywood feel, all onyx and chrome. And watching the current A-list actress shimmy up to it was like that magical part of The Wizard of Oz, where the technicolor replaced the black and white.
“Do you know how to make a paradise cocktail?” she asked the bartender, who wore a white tux coat and waved a silver shaker. “I promise I won’t smash the glass,” she joked. “Like in the movie. One Way Passage? No? I guess it’s a bit obscure. Pre-code – back when movies weren’t afraid to tackle controversial topics. And women were more than just arm candy.”
He liked how her hands did the talking when she was excited about something.
