"I was just asking her to let Lu come home with me," Carly said.
"Oh, I didn't know you already had plans."
"We were just mentioning it," I said. "I was thinking of going somewhere with a friend."
I clamped my mouth shut before I could say more. I had no idea why I would say that much.
Kai's mom became engaged, and she asked enough questions to realize that it was a young man with whom I had potential plans. Carly also chimed in. She said that he had brought me a flower today.
To my utter shock, Kai's mom cried.
She cried from happiness.
She said what a relief it was to hear me talking about another young man. She said she was scared I would have a hard time trusting anyone again after what Kai did. She shed silent tears while saying about five emotion-filled sentences to me. I was so shocked and surprised that all I could do was stand there and stare at her while she spoke. It was only silent for a few seconds afterward because the door slid open.
"We're about to do it!" Luna called.
"Hey, Lu, do you want to come spend the night with me and see Jimmy? I'll make you chocolate chip pancakes in the morning."
Luna looked at me. "Can I?"
I nodded.
***
And the next thing I knew, it was an hour later, and I was on my way to the private home of one Byron Adams. He was Ash's second cousin, and I pulled up at his house, gawking with amazement. I had no idea there were even homes like this in Billings. It was a mansion, and there were what must have been a hundred cars in a line down his driveway. I almost parked, but I saw a flashing light ahead. I knew it to be a man with a flashlight, so I drove toward it.
"Welcome, happy new year. We're happy to park your car for you, ma'am. Do you have your invitation? You'll need it for parking and entrance."
"Uh, no, I, my friend's in there, and he told me I could meet him here."
"Are you Audrey?" he asked, softening a little.
"Yes," I said, with a relieved smile.
"Ash called. There's a spot open on the other side of that white SUV. You can park there. Talk to Ross at the door. She'll let you in."
I thanked him, parked by the white SUV, and made my way to the door of the grand lodge-like home. There was a fountain outside at the entryway, and three people dressed in black were there to greet me. I was wearing my old faithful little black dress. With a light black cardigan. It was a little too cold out for this, but I didn't have a coat that felt nice enough for the occasion, and I knew I would be indoors.
I was wearing a dress I had bought five or six years ago in Paris. I wore it quite a bit when I had something nice to go to. It was comfortable, and I was as confident as I could be, but my self-esteem was volatile since I was walking into such an unexpectedly upscale circumstance.
I talked to Ross at the door, and she showed me inside, past the table with two ladies in sequins who were taking tickets. There was a gorgeous walk-in closet near the door with a man in a suit who asked for my coat. I took off my little sweater and handed it to the guy, even though I wasn't quite sure whether I wanted to have it with me or not. I wasn't sure of anything at the moment. It felt good to have Kai's mom's support, but there were so many other hurdles between Ash and me that I doubted even being there. It was fine, though. I had traveled the world and been in situations where I knew no one else in a room. I knew how to pretend I was comfortable when I wasn't.
I smiled and scanned the living room, looking for Ash. There were at least fifty people in plain sight, all of them talking to each other in groups. There was music playing over the stereo, but it wasn't Ash. I knew he was playing music here tonight, but I didn't know any details. I had made it inside, and I figured I would find him by wandering around. I had checked in with him from Kai's parents' house to make sure he was still okay with me coming. I knew he was expecting me and that he was happy to have me come. I was absentmindedly thinking of these things as I looked all around the room.
"Audrey?" It was a guy's voice, but I knew it wasn't Ash.
"My breakfast queen!"
It was Brad Hall, owner of Hall Homes. He was a customer of mine. He was a big man who was in his sixties and owned a big development and construction company. I spent a lot of time in the kitchen, so Carly usually knew our customers better than I did. She was the one who would always see people from the restaurant while we were in public. But Brad had been placing big orders with me from the beginning, and I knew him personally. I hugged him and his wife and started talking to them.
While I was in the middle of conversing with them, Mason came up to us. I would recognize Ash's brother from a mile away. He looked a lot like Ash, and his face was ingrained in my mind since I saw him the night at Tony's when I reconnected with Ash. He was suddenly standing next to me, and I introduced him to Brad and his wife. I could tell they assumed we were there together, and I didn't take the time to explain.
Mason seemed like he wanted me to follow him. I told Brad and his wife that it was great seeing them, and then I walked off with him. "Where's Ash?" I asked.
He turned to me with a smile as we walked. "Hello and happy New Year to you, too."
"Happy New Year. Sorry. I didn't expect this to be such a production. Ash said he was playing a party at his cousin's. This is so formal."
