You can see now why I ditched the shoes almost as soon as I’d stepped on the dance floor.
I spun around, using my toes like rudders, unsure of how I was going to stand up without exposing myself more. “I should have worn pants! Why didn’t I wear pants?”
Vera bent over, giggling so hard she stopped making sound.
“Help me!” I demanded. “I can’t get up without flashing all of your friends my girly bits!”
She wheezed in and out as she struggled to breathe through her laughter.
I sat back on my heels, tugging at my skirt so the angle didn’t betray me. “Fine. I’ll just sleep here. Sitting up. Don’t worry about me.”
Killian cast a shadow over me as he stepped up to his fiancée. “Molly, why are you on the floor?”
“Because she’s not wearing underwear!” Vera exclaimed.
My face flushed red, cadmium red to be exact, and I said a little prayer for a six point earthquake. I didn’t want one strong enough for like a bunch of fatalities. Just one intense enough so that the floor would open up and swallow me whole.
When that didn’t happen, I calmly explained to Killian, “I’m wearing underwear.”
He blinked at me. “I believe you.”
Vera only laughed harder.
Wyatt stepped to Killian’s side, followed by a few of the kitchen staff I knew. “Why are you on the floor?” he asked.
Now how was I supposed to get up? There were too many witnesses and I didn’t have the kind of street cred I needed for a crotch shot!
I wasn’t even cool enough for a nip slip at this point.
Although why my alcohol-soaked brain thought those were markers of celebrity right now was beyond my very limited grasp.
“I’ve decided to live here,” I told Wyatt. Patting the ground next to me, I added, “This is my new home.”
Vera leaned heavily on Killian and explained, “She’s stuck.”
I let out a huff that tossed my bangs in the air. At least she hadn’t brought up my underwear again.
A hand stretched out in front of me. I looked up at Ezra’s disappointed expression and cringed. “So by all means just stare at her,” he deadpanned.
My cheeks flamed a brighter red. But I wasn’t the only one sporting a fierce blush after his admonishment.
I put my hand in his just to make this moment end, and he tugged me to standing. To be honest, it wasn’t my most graceful rise from the ashes moment, but I was happy to be on my bare feet once again.
Pulling my hand from Ezra’s as soon as I could—ignoring the heat, strength and perfection of his hand completely—I forced myself to mumble a quick, “Thank you.”
He raised his stupid eyebrows. “How did you end up on the floor?”
“I was looking for my shoes.”
Without flinching or acknowledging the weirdness of his words, he said, “I put them in my office so they wouldn’t get lost.”
Raising my chin to keep from dropping my mouth open, I accepted his words with my very best poker face.
Vera was less smooth. “That was so nice of you, Ezra! You are the nicest ever! Molly, wasn’t Ezra so nice to do that for you?”
Killian and I stared at Vera in horror. I called Ezra Killian’s BFF, but only because there wasn’t an easier way to explain their relationship. From everything that Vera had told me, things were always strained between the two. She said the bromance was of the die-for-you variety, but neither of them really liked the other one.
Vera and I were also a Bryan Adam’s song. But we were all about the love.
“You don’t have to answer that, Molly,” Killian offered. “My drunk girlfriend doesn’t know what she’s asking you.”
Ezra shot Killian a murderous look and I heard myself snort a laugh. “I think after tonight she’s officially your drunk fiancée,” I told him, ignoring the Ezra bunny trail altogether. “But she’s definitely drunk. You should probably get her home before she starts singing.”
“Singing?” Wyatt asked.
“When Vera drinks too much she starts acting like she’s in a musical. She starts singing everything.”
Killian nodded somberly. “It’s true. And terrifying.”
Wyatt barked a laugh. “I’d like to see that.”
This time the murderous glare came from Killian. “That’s all right. I’ll get her home before we get to that part.”
It was my turn to cackle. “He’s only saying that because after the singing comes the stripping!”
Wyatt tossed his head back, his whole body shaking from laughter. Killian put his arm around Vera just in case she jumped the gun. “Thank you all for a fantastic night,” he said sincerely. “You guys are the best.”
I grinned with pride, but before I could say anything, Vera belted out a loud, sing-songy, “Thank youuuuuuu!”
Killian shook his head at her, but his expression was complete adoration. “And that’s our cue to leave.”
“Mine too.” I hid a yawn behind my hand. “Although I should help you guys clean up.”
“Don’t let him make you,” Killian warned. “He has people for that.”
“Yeah, people like me,” Wyatt grumbled.
Ezra looked at him. “Since when have I made you clean up front of house?”
Wyatt swiped his hand over his mouth and I suspected it was to hide a smile. “Tonight?”
Ezra made an exasperated face. “No, not tonight. Killian’s right. I do pay people for this.” He placed his hands on his hips and looked around at the mess. “Although I suspect they’re going to charge me double this time.”
Killian made a sound. “At least.”
I shuffled over to the table I’d just been peering under, horrified that Ezra was going to have to put more money into this party that was all my idea. “I don’t mind helping. Really.”
Wyatt beat me to it, clearing the plates. “Don’t touch those,” he ordered. “They’re mine.”
I let him stack serving dishes and gather cutlery, waiting for the linens I had no idea what to do with. “I’ll call you tomorrow, Molls!” Vera shouted behind me.
“Not till after lunch,” I called back. Watching Killian guide Vera out of the restaurant did something funny to my insides. My heart swelled at the same time my stomach wobbled and pitched.
Vera was so comfortable with Killian. In a way I had never seen her before. I hadn’t gotten to know Derrek very well while she’d dated him, but the little bits I had seen were unsettling and worrisome. With Killian, she was herself. She laughed loudly and smiled all the time, she was obsessive over her craft and their restaurant, and honest with her weird sense of humor. She didn’t put up with Killian’s shit, but in this totally adorably infatuated way gave it right back. She was in love—totally, completely, healthily in love.
And I hated that I was jealous of her.
Dancing with Trent tonight had reinforced my staying single policy. He’d been obnoxiously over the top in his efforts to seduce me and yet I found all of them tacky and easy to decline. It had been nice of Steph to think of me, but I was over being the single friend everybody wanted to set up.
Next time somebody came at me with a blind date, I was going to point them in the direction of Wyatt or Vann. They were just as single as me.
Hopefully.
At least I liked to think they were.
Chapter Eight