Page 104 of One Night Only
“He’ll say no.”
“He won’t ifyouask him. And I don’t think he will,” she adds. “I think he’s the kind of person who’ll love it.”
To this I say nothing. She’s right. No doubt hewouldlove it. He’d probably think it was hilarious. But the last time I saw Declan was just under a week ago when I caressed his face and then upchucked all over him.
I mean, talk about mixed signals.
He’d been surprisingly chill about it, hazard of the job I guess, or maybe he knew I was already dying of embarrassment, but he helped me clean myself up and brought me back to the table as if nothing had happened. Now I can’t even think of the man without wanting to bang my head against the nearest wall. I’ve already resolved to be as professional as I can the next time I see him and the scenario that Claire’s describing is not it.
“What about Lazlo?” I ask.
“My gym instructor?”
“Ourgym instructor,” I say. “I go.”
“You haven’t been in two weeks and you won’t change my mind. I don’t want Lazlo or some guy from your office or the cute FedEx guy. I want Declan.”
“The FedEx guy is pretty cute though.”
“Sarah.”
I purse my lips, turning the heat down. I’ve lost my appetite, but I can’t let her know that. “You two would go together?” I ask carefully. I don’t like that idea. I even more don’t like how much I don’t like it.
“This is purely for jealous-making purposes,” she says quickly. “Nothing more. And you still have to come. I only need Declan for the Mark bit. It would be awkward without you there.”
“It would be awkward with me there as well. I’m not going to the party by myself.”
“So bring the FedEx guy. Please, Sarah. I don’t know what else to do. I’ve tried everything else.”
“Like talking to Mark?”
“Yes,” she says firmly. “I’m not fourteen. I’ve talked with him. I’ve flirted with him. I’ve worn beautiful dresses and high heels. I’ve touched his arm and smiled. I’ve done everything short of employee misconduct and he still hasn’t done anything about it. I want him to see me as someone desirable. As someone other than the woman he works with. And I’ve helped you get rid of guys so many times so the least you can do is help me get one.”
She’s got me there. “I’ll ask,” I say, ignoring her grin. “And you’re right, he might say yes. But if he does that means I don’t have to go.”
She’s already shaking her head. “I need female support.”
I point the spoon at her. “You’re pushing it.”
“Please.” She climbs over our two-seater sofa to hug me. “Please, please, please. Anyone else would kill to go to one of these parties.”
“I hate being the third wheel.”
“You won’t be,” she insists, tightening her arms around me as though she knows she has me. “You can bring someone else. I’ll just add their name to the list.”
I run through potentials in my mind. The thought of bringing an actual date just makes me feel tired. I could bring a friend. Soraya would definitely be interested. Claudia, if I gave her enough time to get to the salon. But neither of them had shut up about “the younger brother,” as they’d dubbed Declan, and the thought of bringing everyone together makes me wince.
“Well?” Claire asks, still hanging off me.
I shake my head. “It’s tomorrow night. Who’s going to be free on a Saturday night at such short notice?”
* * *
“Are you done yet?” Will says loudly on the other side of the door. “Now is not the time to starting learning how to contour.”
“The more you complain the longer I’m going to take,” I yell back. I adjust the straps of my dress and hop, making sure my boobs aren’t going to fall out of it. I won’t last long in these shoes but Claire insisted I wear them, proclaiming everything else I owned to be “unsuitable for the occasion,” which probably means she thinks they look cheap. I didn’t take it personally. They were cheap.
I do a final scan in the mirror and open the door to find Will sitting on the sofa, sulking in his suit. He looks me up and down. “Is that what you’re wearing?”
