We started dancing,albeit in a subdued, careful kind of way. Vann wasn’t a big dancer and I wassuddenly very tired. He smiled gently at me. “I was coming to rescue you,” hesaid. “You looked pissed, and I know Ezra can be an asshole.”
“He is an asshole,”I snarled.You’re a snobby know-it-all.I might have even growled.
Vann grinned.“Maybe. But it looked like you were handling yourself just fine.”
I never handledmyself just fine, but I didn’t need to remind Vann of that. “Where’s yourdate?”
“Subject changemuch?” he asked me with two raised eyebrows. Still he said, “I don’t bringdates to family events. There’s too much commitment implied.”
Restraining an eyeroll, I wondered if Vann would ever be ready to settle down. “We can be oldmaids together,” I told him. “Eventually, we’ll move to a house in the suburbswhere you can have a garage full of bikes and there would be room for mythirteen cats. You do the cooking. I’ll do the laundry.”
Vann stared at mein horror before it turned into something more… perverted. “Plus, then we couldget laid whenever we want.”
Bleck!Sleeping with someone I considered family was basically thegrossest possible future. I made a gesture at his crotch region. “I don’t wantor need any of what is happening down there. I’m positive it needs to betested, Mr. Afraid of Commitment.”
“You’re one totalk, cat lady!”
We laughed at ourlack of prospects, and then spent the next hour having a great time anddrinking more champagne cocktails. Or maybe the champagne was just me?
I forgot all aboutEzra and the crappy way he made me feel, and also the guilt that I knew Ididn’t deserve. I hadn’t initiated anything. I’d only been defending myself. Sowhy did slinging insults make me feel so bad?
Eventually thekitchen staff filtered out, stripped down to t-shirts and black work pants.They greeted the other industry people they knew and grabbed drinks in aneffort to catch up to all the fun.
That’sreally when the party really started.Wyatt grabbed me from Vann’s care andforced celebratory shots on Vera, Killian and me. Then we moved back to thedance floor and tried to groove off our buzz. Until Wyatt shouted shots againand back we went. Rinse and repeat.
Basically, it was afabulous night of laughter, love, and so much alcohol. I even danced with Trentuntil he got overly touchy and started suggesting lewd ways to end the night. Ipawned him off on Steph who didn’t seem to mind his grabby hands at all.
By two, the guestshad mostly left, my head was light, and my blood buzzed beneath my skin. Istared down at my bare feet and wondered where my shoes had gone.
Vera’s arms wrappedaround my neck from behind and she squealed, “You’re thebeeeessstbest friendeverrrrr!!!”
“I know!”
“And this was thebeeessstnighteverrrr!!”
I grinned like anidiot and whirled around to face her. “I know!”
“Thank you for thisparty,” she told me, glassy eyed but sincere. “It was so unexpected.”
Even inebriated, Iknew I couldn’t take all the credit. “Wyatt and the antichrist did most of thegrunt work,” I told her. “I’m just the mastermind. It’s no big deal.”
Vera giggled.“Antichrist?”
“Ezra,” Iclarified.
Her foreheadwrinkled as she scanned the dance floor. “Where is Ezra anyway? I should thankhim too.”
“He probably had a pandato sacrifice or children to terrorize.”
Vera snorted. “Apanda?”
I shrugged. “He’sjust that mean.”
She shook her headat me. “Be nice, Molls. At the very least he throws a good party.”
Linking her arm inmine, she tugged me toward the side of the dance floor. “Did your dad leave?”
“Oh yeah. A longtime ago. So did Vann, I think.”
