This lonely tabletop is looking better and better.
To think Aidan and I had a whole six-hour plane ride to bridge the gap between us. Now Holden is here begging me to choose. A piece of paper or a key.
It’s not lost on me that Chris knew exactly where I was.
A gust of wind hits me all at once as I am pushed into the table I am leaning against, steadying my balance from these god-awful shoes.
“A luz sabe” chants to me as my body collapses against the side of the table, shaking the tablecloth holding a plate of food that belongs to the person next to me from the table to the ground.
My feet are standing near a bunch of mini crab cakes. The woman’s back is turned to me as I scramble to pick up a couple before she notices.
When I finally stand back up with handfuls of food in my palms, the words “holy shit” slip out of my mouth.
She is fully aware I just dropped her food.
“Excuse me?”
I see her vividly—her cascading red hair and gold, sequined ball gown. The distinctive face that anyone in Hollywood would recognize.
“Would you like me to get you new ones?”
“No, thank you.”
Her gaze drifts somewhere over my shoulder. I try to follow where her eyes go. It takes me a few moments to realize she is staring at another man—speckles of salt in his dark brown hair, clearly in shape for someone that is probably pushing fifty. My eyes dart from her to this man, watching the both of them exchange looks across the room.
I need to say something. Anything. It’s Audrey Rayburn in the flesh. The odds of me running into her again are slim to none. My mouth can’t seem to open.
“Want me to push you again?” Skye says daringly.
Audrey remains unmoved from our little hideaway from the party as I stand next to her, deciding what I should say. The pulsing around my neck is getting more painful with each passing moment.
“Uhh, what brought you here?”
She looks up, expressionless. “I am trying to secure some financing for my next movie.” She looks at me for a split second before hurriedly texting on her phone.
“Oh cool.”
I have no follow-up. Nothing to add to this riveting exchange except “Oh cool”? I am hopeless.
She’s still texting as she goes on. “Yeah, the Whitmores are being a little stingy this year, but I think if I can meet their son, thenthings might take a turn,” she reveals to me and my mouth drops.
“Aidan?”
“You know him?”
I hesitantly nod as I look for him in the crowd.
Great, my big moment with the best producer in town is because of my boyfriend.
“He’s not really in the investing world.” Diverting my attention to the tiny straw in my drink, I fiddle with it in the glass. “Look, you don’t need Whitmore’s money.”
My confession comes out in more of a stammer, knowing full well this will backfire on me.
Audrey runs her fingers through her hair and looks back into the crowd to find where I am looking now.
“And why not?” Her tone is firm. Assured.
The kind of voice that makes you wonder why you don’t talk like that too…
