I shrug, trying to deflect his statement. “It was great to see you, but I need to head out.”
“You’re not coming to the after-party?” Quinlan interjects as she stares over at me.
“Probably not. I need to be in the studio tomorrow.”
Hawk looks over at me. We’re friendly and have played some of the same music festivals. “You should come. Just for a bit. Hang out, it’s been a while.”
I shrug again. “I might stop by.”
“Emma and I will be there,” Quinlan interjects. I want to roll my eyes.
“Cool,” I reply, attempting to sound aloof. I pat Colton on the shoulder and give them a nod as I head over to the bar to grab one last drink. Some D-list celebrity grabs my attention and starts talking to me. I pretend to listen while strategically placing him between me and Emma so that I can watch her.
She’s cute. Her hands are aminated as she speaks. Her nose scrunches up as she laughs. And not a fake laugh, a real laugh. She has Andy and Mom laughing, too. I sip my beer and enjoy the show. A few minutes later, she shakes hands with Andy and rejoins her date. I can’t even remember the guy’s name. I’m still trying to figure out if they are together or not. She’s not putting out signals that she’s with him, but she’s not shying away from him either.
My phone pings with a text and I use it as an excuse to end the conversation with the guy whose name fails me at the moment.
It’s Rhett.
Rhett: Dude, sorry I missed your mom’s thing. I hear there’s going to be an after-party.
Me: I guess.
Rhett: Max and I will be there. And Jackie, of course.
I shake my head as I move across the room. My mother is now schmoozing with a big producer. I text her that I’m heading out and congrats on a successful gala. I add something about getting together for lunch to appease her. She means well, but what can I say? I’m sort of a shitty son. I should be grateful. I should spend more time with her. But being with her is a constant reminder of everything I lost.
I head for the doors and summon the valet. Two minutes later, my 1969 Ford Mustang pulls up in front of me. I can tell the valet kid has a boner just from driving it a mere 500 yards.
“Nice car, dude,” he says as he opens the door for me.
“Thanks,” I mutter. I’m well aware of how nice the car is. It was the last gift my dad ever gave me. We worked on it over a summer and restored it, piece by piece. And then Dad had to go get himself killed. And with his last breath, my dreams of being a race car driver died. I never raced competitively again.
Emma
“You guys really should come to the after-party,” Quinlan urges as she looks over at Will who is busy talking to some guy near the bar, and then over at Grady who she already announced to that I will be there.
“Uh, where’s the after-party?” I ask.
She grins and pulls out her phone, texting me an address. “It’s at Blythe’s house in Malibu. She invited some of us back there afterward.”
“Malibu? Isn’t that sort of a trek?”
Quinlan shrugs. “It is, but her house is amazing. Trust me, you’ll want to see it. It’s super environmentally friendly.”
“You do know that I care about things other than just the environment, just to be clear. My interests are much broader,” I say and then immediately regret saying that to my mentor.
She laughs. “I know. I’m just saying, it’s worth the trek.”
I shake my head and grin. “Fine. I’ll try to stop by.”
“Great. I’ll get you added to the list. But get there early. Parking is a bitch.”
I nod and head off to find Will.
“Hey,” I say as I finally make my way through a throng of people.
“Oh, hi. How was talking with Andy Westin?”
“Cool. He’s a really nice guy,” I answer, pausing as I contemplate whether I want Will to attend the after-party. The date’s been a little weird. I’d hoped we would hang out more tonight, but that didn’t exactly happen. Hell, maybe he’ll be more fun at the after-party. “So, there’s an after-party. Want to go?”
He raises an eyebrow. “An after-party?”
“Yeah, at Blythe’s place in Malibu.”
“Malibu? That seems kind of…far.”
I laugh. “I said the same thing.”
“I mean, we are really close to campus here. It’d be a hike to get out there and then back here again.”
“True,” I reply slowly, contemplating the dilemma.
I’m about to say maybe we should call it a night when I feel my phone buzz. I look down to see a text from Quinlan.
Quinlan: There’s plenty of extra rooms at the house. Feel free to crash there.
I feel a little awkward even considering crashing at Blythe’s house. I mean, we just met, and she didn’t even invite me to the party.
Me: Are you sure?
Quinlan: YES! Come!!
“We could stay the night,” I squeak.
“Wait. What? Spend the night at Blythe Daniels’s house?”
I nod, biting my lip.
“That seems…uh…shit, why the fuck not? I mean, it’ll be some story I tell my kids someday, right?” he replies with a chuckle and throws his hands up in a gesture of defeat.
I laugh. Now that’s the Will I’m friends with and I’m glad he’s finally getting over whatever weird mood he’s been in since we got here. “It certainly is.”
Will downs the last of his beer. I notice the crowds of people are slowly thinning out of the room. I check my watch and see that it’s nearly midnight. I suddenly feel like Cinderella. I should get out of here before the clock strikes twelve.
“Let’s head out. It’ll take a while to get out there.”
Will places his empty beer bottle on a passing tray, and I grab my purse. We manage to get to the car in record time. I slip off my heels and sigh. “Party clothes are a pain in the ass,” I announce.
Will chuckles and loosens his bow tie. “No shit.”
“Did you have fun?” I ask him, truly curious.
“It was…interesting.”
“Interesting, good? Or interesting, bad?”
He laughs again. “I mean, it was a little strange being surrounded by so many of Hollywood’s elite in such a small space. But I did manage to find this film editor that I totally admire, and I was able to get his card. So that’s cool.”
“That’s great, Will!” I know Will is really into editing. And I’m generally happy he got to make a valuable networking connection tonight.
He grins. “Yeah, it was pretty cool. He said his company is hiring some interns this summer and to email him about it.”
“Will! OMG! Why didn’t you start with that? That’s amazing!”
He shrugs. “What about you? You were talking with Andy Westin and Blythe Daniels like they were old friends.”
I giggle. “Blythe wanted me to tell Andy about my documentary.”
“And?”
“And Andy wants to hear more. I’m going to set up a lunch with him and Blythe for next week.”
“Damn!” Will whistles. “You just struck gold, my friend.”
My friend. Should I take that as he is not interested? Am I reading too much into that? My mind goes into auto-drive.