“Awww.” Heidi wells up a little. “We’re lucky to have her as a friend. She’s pretty amazing.”
“I agree. And the more I learn about her, the more amazing she gets.”
“Uh-oh, Nic, you better go check in,” Heidi says, motioning to the DJ booth.
Nicole cracks her knuckles, grinning, and heads for the stage, but not before patting me on the shoulder. “Glad you’re in her life, too, baby daddy.”
Chapter 10
Julia
Nicole and I high-five on my way off the stage. “Fuck you,” she says as we pass, shaking her head in disbelief. “You suck for making me follow that act.”
I giggle at the insult. Coming from Nic, it’s a compliment. I call after her, “You got this! Remember, you’re way cooler than everyone in this room.”
She tilts her head, considering. “True. Thanks!”
When I get back to my seat, Heidi gives me a swift hug but is a little distracted watching Nic onstage. Ian puts his arm on the back of my chair so he can lean in. “You were incredible up there. All I could think about was—ah, shit. I just think you’re really special, Julia. Thanks for showing me this side of you.”
I blush at the flattery and press the side of my chilled cocktail glass against my chest to cool off from the performance. If I’m being honest, this was a side of me I’d forgotten. I don’t know what got into me, but I had so much fun up there. Maybe it was the small audience, or the cheers of my friends, or the way Ian’s golden eyes were locked on me after he kissed me earlier, but I felt like I could do anything for those three minutes and thirty-seven seconds.
“I surprised myself,” I admit as I watch Nic do a full-throttle, off-key rendition of Miley Cyrus’sWrecking Ball. At one point she even runs and then slides across the stage on her knees, cracking us all up.
My phone buzzes in my purse, and I check it without thinking. This time of day is often when the girls message me because they’re thirteen hours ahead, so they’re just waking up. It’s not them, though. It’s Richard.
Richard:My lawyer says the contract looks fine.
My heart jumps. I guess I expected he’d find fault with it. A second text follows.
Richard:If you proceed, you’ll need to agree to my terms as well. Please sign and return.
He sends a one-page attachment. I pause, a little afraid to open it. He’s being way too agreeable about this whole thing, and I have a feeling that whatever is in this document is going to throw a wrench in everything.
“Everything okay?” Ian asks.
I nod. “Richard says the contract looks good.”
“But…?”
“He sent me a contract of his own.” I grimace and tuck my phone away, hoping to enjoy the rest of the evening. It’s been so carefree and fun that I don’t want to ruin it. “I’ll look at it later.”
Ian, who has switched to drinking water, sits forward in his seat, though, alert and completely focused on me. “What does he want from you?”
I shake my head and shrug. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”
“Nothing that requires a legal contract with your spouse? I don’t like this. What is he making you do, Julia? I need to know.” He’s staring at me intently, and his scrutiny just makes me want to shrink into nothing.
Heidi catches my eye and raises a brow. “You okay?” she asks. “I need to go check in, but I can skip it if you’re upset about something.”
“Everybody can stop worrying about me now,” I announce with a shaky laugh. “Can we just relax and have a good time, please?”
“All right.” She pats me on the shoulder on her way up to the stage.
Ian settles back into his chair, but I can tell he’s still thinking about it. Thankfully, Nic skips back to her seat and distracts us both with a recap of her performance and admiration of Heidi as she takes her turn at the mic. And then it’s Ian’s turn.
He’s terrible. Couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket. So bad, the whole crowd is howling along with him by the end, just to give him moral support. But he’s grinning wide, his tongue slightly lolling out of one side of his mouth when he makes it back to us.
“That was great!” he exclaims, slapping one hand on the table, his tail wagging so much that he has to grab it with one hand to be able to sit down in his seat.
