“Huxley, Huxley, Huxley.” Joey shakes his head. “Well, now you know. So. The invitation?”
“Um. Yes, of course.” I give him one of the last five I have left.
“Thankyou.” Exhaling with joy, he presses the invitation against his heart. “I was worried it might’ve gotten lost in the mail. USPS is incredibly unreliable when they’re handling important mail for Ted, you know.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, but he could’ve just shown up. Nobody would’ve turned him away at the ceremony.”
Joey forces a laugh. “Ha ha. Yes, well. Ideally not, but… In any case, he wants to frame this. After all, it’s the first one he’s actually received.”
“Aren’t Huxley’s brothers already married? Did all of their invitations get lost in mail?”
“Probably. Like I said, USPS is terribly unreliable.” He waves a hand.
I press my lips together. I’ve never had the postal service lose a piece of my mail, but maybe somebody’s stealing Ted’s. The man is super famous. It’s possible he has a stalker or two.
“Anyway, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, have you thought about doing a non-traditional wedding?”
Beyond having “Amazing Grace” as the theme?“I’m not sure. The ceremony is going to be pretty non-traditional as it is without adding more to it.”
He leans closer, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “But haven’t you ever wanted to be a star?”
“A star?” Don’t tell me he’s suggesting I should pick “The Star-Spangled Banner” as the wedding’s theme. Although… It might not be any more ridiculous than “Amazing Grace.”
“Astar,” Joey repeats, like he’s offering a small child a donut. “And all you would have to do is let Ted walk you down the aisle.”
I finally understand what he’s offering. “Oh. Well, um, please thank Ted for me, but I’m not interested in being an actress.”
“This isn’t an offer to cast you in a movie. Ted’spresenceis what would make you a star.”
“Ah.”That’s some ego.
“So?”
“Um…” I was planning to walk alone, but…
“Ted has always wanted to walk a girl down the aisle, but what with fathering seven boys…” Joey lets out a dejected sigh.
I nod slowly. “Right.”
“His sons can be impossible to reason with.”
No kidding.Look at Huxley.
“Especially Griffin,” Joey adds, probably to avoid badmouthing my groom. “He’s really violent. The worst of the lot. You’ll want to stay away from that asshole. I bet you he kicks his wife and kids. And his students. He’s an econ professor, you know. Probably got tenured by beating the crap out of the president of the university.”
I try to picture a staid professor, wearing a jacket with elbow patches, beating up another faculty member—and fail. “I see.Well, thanks for the warning. So. I take it your boss couldn’t walk Griffin’s bride down the aisle…?”
He snaps his fingers. “Now you’ve got it. So. Your answer?”
Despite his casual smile, the intensity in his eyes builds. This is really important to him. Honestly, I don’t see why I should turn it down when it’s just such a small thing Ted is asking for, and it doesn’t cost me anything. An added bonus is that it’s going to be a fabulous figurative slap in the face for Nelson. He hasn’t apologized for hitting me, and I haven’t forgiven him. And Andreas didn’t ask us to reconcile, either.
I smile. “Why not? I’d love it.”
“Perfect!” Squealing, Joey gazes at me like I’ve single-handedly cured erectile dysfunction. “You’re a gift from God. When I saw a picture of you, I just knew you’d be reasonable. You’re too beautiful not to be perfect like that. Anyway, if you need anything—anything at all—you call me.” He hands me a thick black card. It says JOEY in gold and has ten digits underneath. “It’s mypersonalnumber. Fewer than a hundred people have it. Sweetheart, you won’t regret this. I will be the gateway to all your dreams and desires.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Huxley
