The conversation happens in waves. We watch thirty minutes of a movie, and something new occurs to me. It’s not until we’re falling asleep in her bed that she finally says her piece.
I’ve been waiting for her to express her disappointment and say all the things she couldn’t say in front of Bennett and Sydney, or anyone else for that matter. Instead, she kisses my forehead and says, “Love isn’t really concerned with timing, is it?”
CHAPTER 33
Bennett
The Thursday night before fall break is always casino night at 1919 Hemphill.
I don my navy Tom Ford tux—the same one I got married in.
Tex flew home earlier today, and that’s for the best because he definitely wouldn’t go for my plan. Julian, however, is more willing to test fate.
When I park around the corner, I pull the rest of Tex’s bottle of Macallan out from under my seat. I throw back about two fingers and hand it to Julian for him to take a sip before I have one more.
“We’ll be in and out,” I tell him. “The ring is in Tate’s room. I know it.”
Julian pops the top back into the bottle of scotch and rolls it under his seat. “Here’s to not getting our asses beat.”
“All I need you to do is roam around without drawing any attention and just let me know if Tate heads upstairs. I’ll text you when I have the ring and we’ll meet back here.”
“Let’sOcean’s Eleventhese motherfuckers,” Julian says.
It’s a waste of time to bother with the line at the front door, and anyone who knows us probably won’t let us inside anyway, so we sneak in through the back gate and walk through a haze of marijuana smoke to the back door.
Some girl calls my name, but I don’t bother to see who it is. It’s notherand that’s all that matters.
Inside, I know where to go.
“Good luck,” my cousin says as we split up just outside the kitchen.
I work through the crush of bodies to get to the front of the house. Most guys are dressed in suits and the girls are in the kinds of dresses and gowns that are held in place with copious amounts of double-stick tape. There are costume boas and stray feathers on every surface, and there are even girls walking around dressed as Playboy Bunnies with trays of shots and edibles.
In front of the staircase is a red velvet rope and a shit-faced freshman who is supposed to be keeping people off the second floor.
I look around for options. Behind me are two brunettes dressed like showgirls with giant feather headbands.
“Hey,” I yell over the music, and hike my thumb over my shoulder. “What if I gave you both a hundred bucks each to distract that sad excuse for a bouncer over there?”
The short one peers past me to get a look. “Make it three hundred total,” she says, and her taller companion practically spits her drink out at the brazen counteroffer.
“Done.” I open my wallet and take out four crisp one-hundred-dollar bills. “Here’s an extra hundred to make him disappear for the next thirty minutes.”
“You’re on!” says the short one as she drags her friend with her and stuffs the money down the front of her sparkly minidress.
It takes a record forty-five seconds of pawing at the guy’s chest, and it is abundantly clear he never stood a chance.
As they drag him off into the living room, the tall one glances back and blows me a kiss.
I duck under the rope and run upstairs as discreetly as possible. My phone vibrates with a notification, and once I’m out of view in the hallway leading to Tate’s room, I check my messages.
JULIAN
found Tate playing cards
he is not happy I’m here but I just threw down enough money to cover a semester’s worth of tuition so he would shut up
these guys are pumped to win all my money
