Page 107 of The Sebastian Guarantee
Phoebe saw it, too. It was hard to miss. “Why is there a party bus at the Cress’s place? I need to get to the Denver Amphitheater. Can’t we land there?”
Her uncle rested his hand on top of hers. “You’ll need to go with the flow.”
Go with the flow?
“I’ll need a little more information than that, Uncle Row.”
“Remember how I asked you to trust me on this?”
“Yes.”
His eyes were full of love and pride as he squeezed her hand. “That starts now.”
Chapter22
PHOEBE
“Phoebe Gale, welcome to the party bus!”
And hello to the day-drinking crew.
Phoebe stepped onto the party bus and found herself face-to-face with Aunt Penny, Libby Lamb-Cress, Aria’s aunt Harper Presley-Paige, and Charlotte Elliott, Oscar’s stepmom. Despite not knowing what would come next on this roller coaster of a day, she couldn’t help but smile as a warmth emanated from her heart. These were her aunt and uncle’s best friends, but they might as well be family. It wasn’t strange to see them together. This wasn’t the first time she’d been alone with her aunt and her best friends. They’d done girls’ trips together—many of them. But they’d never picked her up in the cheesiest party bus she’d ever seen. With hot pink furry seats and multiple disco balls reflecting off neon flashing lights, it was as if someone thought it was a good idea to design a traveling seizure-inducing mobile. And that wasn’t all. There was a bar with two bartenders—a man and a woman. Wait! She recognized the woman.
“Madelyn Malone, you’re here, too?”
“Come, come, Phoebe, dear, take a seat. We’re on a schedule,” the matchmaker purred like it was commonplace for her to be milling about a party palace on wheels . . . And was that a stripper pole?
Phoebe shielded her eyes from the luminous light blasts. “What is going on here?”
Her aunt tapped a panel on the wall. The flashing lights switched to a less vertigo-inducing neon glow. “We needed a way to get you from the helicopter to the Denver Amphitheater.”
It appeared everyone in her orbit was in on this cooked-up scheme.
“You didn’t consider having the helicopter land at an airport? There’s a regional one ten minutes from Crystal Creek. Not to mention, we could have landed on that swath of open space next to the amphitheater, or you could have used a mode of transportation that didn’t contain four disco balls.”
“There’s five. See the one over the bar?” Charlotte answered.
“And did you see the pole? They’re great for strength work. Almost as good as yoga,” Libby chirped.
Phoebe steadied herself. There was a decent chance she’d end up with whiplash from the pendulum of shifting emotions. “Listen, I appreciate whatever this is. I do. But I need to get to LETIS Live. I know what I’m pitching. I can’t miss this opportunity.”
Harper Presley-Paige, the sassiest of her aunt’s best friends, pointed to one of the hot pink fuzzy seats at the shiny black lacquer table. “Do not be a party pooper, Phoebe Gale. Get your beret-wearing ass over here. We’ve got this disco beauty rented for another fifteen minutes, and I plan on enjoying every second.” Harper never disappointed with her razor-sharp commentary.
“All right, disco bus it is,” Phoebe replied, then sank into the furry chair.
The bus started down the street, and they were off.
Libby closed her eyes and raised her hands. This wasn’t an uncommon behavior when the spiritual maven of the group felt a message coming on—and nine times out of ten, her advice was worth following. “Phoebe won’t be a party pooper, girls. I’m reading her vibe, and she’s spiritually centered, even cleansed.” Libby opened her eyes. “And that aura! Phoebe Gale, you’re either prepared to accept the opportunities the universe has to offer you, or . . .” Sebastian’s stepmother paused.
Phoebe leaned in. “Or what?”
“Or you’ve been getting a lot of use out of the Wham Bam deluxe vibrator.”
God help her! Forget calling this vehicle a party bus. Mortification transportation was a better title. And please, universe, do not let this woman pick up on the fact that Sebastian had taken part in the Wham Bam sexy-times.
Sebastian.
She pictured his face and imagined his eyes drinking her in. His lips pressed to her skin. His tongue tasting the hollow of her neck. And then, she experienced a lightening. The piercing anger and resentment she’d harbored these last few days shifted. Had she forgiven him?No, hell no!But her time in Stratlin and the conversation with her uncle seemed to have ushered in a quiet strength, a serene sense of purpose that softened the sharp edges of her anger and heartbreak.
