“Okay, tell me what’s so important that you couldn’t tell me over the phone,” she demanded with a knowing smile.
“I got the lead!”
“Shut up!” she gripped my arm in her excitement, her nails digging slightly into my skin. “You got it?”
I nodded enthusiastically as Liv bounced on the balls of her feet. “Oh my God! Oh my God! You’re gonna be on Broadway, baby!”
“I know! Thank God one of my friends knows how to react.”
“Who did you tell before me?” she asked, mildly affronted.
“Well, Brian,” I said, waving her off. “But he practically slept through the announcement, so I don’t think it counts.”
“Don’t mess with that man’s sleep,” she said, sitting down in the booth across from me.
The waiter stopped by our table to take our drink order before hustling to the next table.
“I’m glad we’re doing this. I feel like we don’t get much time with just the two of us anymore.”
“You’ve been busy planning your wedding.”
She shook her head. “More like you’ve been busy busting your butt doing a million auditions.”
“Well, that too. I had to jump on the success ofMacbeth.I can’t take a break now. It would be professional suicide at this point. There’s no rest for the wicked,” I said with a shrug.
I didn’t mind being busy. I didn’tloveauditioning, but Iloved being on stage. It was exhilarating. I was making memories that would last a lifetime.
No way would I ever want to quit this to go back home and run the family business. That’s not where my heart was. And as much as I hated disappointing my mom, working hard to do what I love has made me the happiest I’ve ever been.
Once we’d gotten our drinks, ordered our food, and caught up a little, Liv smirked across the table at me.
“So, tell me about the party plans. I’m dying to hear what you planned with Ben.”
I wrinkled my nose, remembering my phone conversation with Ben the other night. I didn’t know what to think at this point. He drove me crazy, but the wedding week would go a lot smoother and be a lot more fun if I wasn’t bickering with him the whole time.
“I booked us a morning at the spa. We’ll drink champagne while we get manicures, pedicures, massages, and facials. The works.”
“Perfect,” she squealed with delight.
“But the real fun happens after the full morning of relaxation.” I waggled my brows at her.
“Do tell,” she said, leaning toward me.
“Two words,” I said, propping my chin on my hand. “Booze. Cruise.”
Liv giggled. “You booked us a booze cruise? Oh my God. Brilliant.”
“There’s dinner and a dance floor. And we’ll get to see the fireworks from the harbor,” I said as the waiter dropped our plates off at our table.
“It’s going to be so much fun!” she said, cutting into her chicken. “Jack is giddy about watching the fights. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so excited.”
“That was all Ben. He bought the tickets before we even got together to plan.” I stabbed angrily at my salad.
Thinking about Ben always put me on edge, and after the call the other night, I didn’t know how to feel about the whole situation.
“Speaking of Ben, he called me the other night after he left your place.”
“Oh?” she asked, her lips pulling up at the corners.
