“Good girl.” With a chaste kiss, he releases me and then heads back to his seat, ignoring the questions that Elliot and Rhonan are tossing at him.
“Oh my,” Laney says, pulling my attention back to her.
“Yeah.”
“I take it things are going well.”
The sigh that leaves my lips takes some of my nerves with it. “Yes. He’s opening up to me, Laney, like he said he would. There’s been more…touching,” I say through nervous laughter. “But now that we’re here for the night, I’m unsure of what tonight will bring.”
“You two haven’t…”
I shake my head. “Not all the way, no. But I don’t even know if he booked one room or two.”
Laney rolls her eyes. “God, I remember when Fletcher and I were taking things slow. I swear, using that word only made me want to sleep with him even more.”
“That’s exactly how I feel,” I mumble around the rim of my glass. “It’s been hard to restrain myself.”
“Then my advice is to go with what feels right. Speaking from experience, by the time Fletcher and I aired everything we needed to, there was no hesitation from either of us.” My heart and body are so primed that I’m sure there won’t be any from me as well. “Speaking of hesitation though, have you made a decision about performing at the winery?”
“I’m not gonna lie, I haven’t thought about it much this past week. I’ve been a little…distracted.”
Laney bounces her eyebrows up and down. “What a horrible problem to have.” Laughing, she continues, “But I do need a decision from you.”
Part of me doesn’t want to perform because I’m afraid of how it’s going to make me feel, but the other part is dying to sing for a crowd. “Okay. Fine. I’m in.”
Laney starts clapping. “Hell yes! Oh my God, I’m so excited. You’re going to be amazing.”
“I hope so. I’ve never performed an entire set, but I know a lot of songs and I might sing a few originals too.”
“That’s perfect. We can talk more about it later…”
Dilynne’s boisterous laugh interrupts our conversation. “Yes, girl! Take it off!” The boys follow suit, cackling as they press their faces to the glass, peering below us.
Laney and I share a look before rushing to the window to see what’s got everyone cheering.
An older woman in her sixties is twirling her shirt around in the air, standing in her stadium seat in nothing but her bra and jeans as “I Want It That Way” by the Backstreet Boys is playing through the stadium speakers. Clearly, she’s enjoying herself and doesn’t care what the people around her think.
Good for her.
Elliot mumbles around the rim of his glass. “And here I was thinking the saying was, ‘Tequila makes her clothes fall off.’ Turns out, it’s songs by the Backstreet Boys.”
All of us break out in laughter.
“God, if I had the chance to see them back in their prime, I probably would have behaved that way too,” Laney interjects as the woman starts twerking now, her dance moves such a contrast to the beat of the song. Perhaps she has had some tequila as well.
“If I had a house, I would take out a second mortgage to see NSYNC do a reunion tour,” I add.
The boys turn to look at us like we’re a puzzle they can’t solve.
Dilynne clears her throat. “You’re on your own with this one, you two. Boy bands weren’t my thing. But if I had the chance to be with Frank Sinatra or Jon Bon Jovi back in his prime, then add me to the list of fangirls gone wild.”
The boys start talking shit, us girls continue to reminisce about our celebrity music crushes, and the game gets more intense by the minute. But in the back of my mind, I’m still wondering if this champagne is going to make me lose my clothes later, or if it will be my lumberjack of a single dad boss that does that instead?
Chapter 16
Henley
Only One Room with One Bed & Rocking Chair Realizations
