Parrish waved her hand back and forth. “Helloooo? I’m sitting right here. I’ll go.”
Garrett looked dubious. “Really? The boss’s daughter is gonna party with the help?”
Parrish stood slowly and stretched. “First. She’s my aunt, not my mom. Second, fuck off, loser. I work as hard as anyone in this dorm, and I don’t need your attitude.”
She was halfway to her bedroom when Garrett called out, “Hey, can’t you take a joke? C’mon, don’t be mad. I was just kidding. Let’s be friends, okay?”
Parrish didn’t answer for a moment. She turned. “Okay, but I drive.”
“Cool with me,” he said.
When she emerged from her room she was wearing a short, pale blue sundress that showed off her tan, and her hair fell softly to her shoulders.
“Day-yummm,” Garrett said. “You look fine.”
Pour Willy’s was slammed. People were standing in clusters on the sidewalk outside, drinks in hand, and the night air throbbed with loud music. Parrish circled the block twice before finally finding a place to park her Audi convertible. “Nice wheels,” Garrett said, sliding an admiring hand over the bumper after he clambered out of the car.
“It was either a graduation gift or a bribe. From my darling daddy,” Parrish said, wrinkling her nose. “Depending on your point of view.”
“And what’s your point of view?” he asked.
“Bribe. Definitely.”
There was a bouncer at the door, a burly woman with a backward ball cap topping an impressive mane of bright red hair.
“Sarebear!” Garrett called, drawing out the name.
“Garrett, baby! Get your sweet ass in here.” She hugged him, then looked Parrish up and down. “This your new lady?”
“He wishes,” Parrish said.
The bouncer’s braying laugh nearly drowned out the music. She held the door open. “Have fun, then.”
The bar was shoulder-to-shoulder jammed. Garrett placed his hand on the small of Parrish’s back, then jerked it away when she shot him a withering look.
“Just trying to help steer you through this traffic,” he said, shouting to make himself heard. “Hang on to my shirt, then.”
She grabbed a handful of his shirttail and they waded into the fray, elbowing their way to the bar, where people stood three deep. Three different times, people called his name, paused to slap him on the back, or wave hello.
Somehow, he managed to shoehorn himself at the edge of the bar, and seconds later, the bartender was standing in front of them.
“Hey, man,” he said, nodding at Garrett. “What can I get you two?”
“The usual for me,” Garrett said, turning to Parrish. “What about you?”
“Tanqueray and tonic.”
The bartender fixed her drink, then slid it across the bar to her. He poured a shot of tequila, and drew a beer from the tap. Garrett tossed the shot back with one gulp.
She squeezed the lime into her drink and took a sip before looking around. “See your friends anywhere?”
Garrett leaned against the bar and surveyed the room. “Lots of ladies here tonight, but I don’t see them.”
“Is it always this mobbed?” she asked, leaning close to his ear in order to be heard.
“What? You’ve never hung out at Pour Willy’s?”
“Not really. I mean, I was away at college, and then when I came home, I mostly just got drinks at the club with my friends.”
