CHAPTER THREE
Girls night. No excuses.
Hayley’s text is probably the only thing that could get me up and out of the apartment in record time—looking pretty decent, I might add. She didn’t order me to look hot, which tells me this is a serious situation.
I can’t help but worry as I hurry my way to our normal spot—a trendy restaurant and bar a few blocks from my apartment. It’s only Monday night—two days after she promised to spread the word at work. What if she got in trouble for that? Darn it, that’s probably it.
I’m all apologies the second I find her seated at a high-top table near the bar. She must’ve just gotten here because, otherwise, she would be swarmed with interested men by now.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry! It’s all my fault. Is there anything I can do to make things right? Oh my gosh. This is so awful.”
Hayley just sits there, staring at me. “Do you need medication? I’m starting to think you need medication to manage your brain.”
It’s my turn to stare at her. “I thought something had gone wrong today, and why you called this emergency girls’ night.”
“Yes, on the emergency girls’ night, but nothing went wrong.”
I have to hold on to the table when my legs almost go out from under me.
“Jeez Louise! What is wrong with you? You could’ve at least told me everything was okay when you texted.
But no, I’ve been worried sick about you for the past half hour.
I was worried you’d gotten in trouble for asking around, the way you’d said you would. ”
“For heaven’s sake. Sit down, take a few breaths. I already ordered drinks and appetizers.”
It’s not until I sit and calm down enough to really pay attention to her that it’s clear she’s practically vibrating. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her this way in all the years we’ve known each other.
“What the heck happened? Did you get a promotion? I mean, you deserve it.”
She shakes her head, eyes sparkling with some hidden excitement. “You’re never going to believe this.”
Now, my blood is starting to hum too. “Tell me already! You’re driving me crazy!”
She leans in, cheeks now flushed. “Okay, get this,” she says with an urgency in her voice that I’m not used to hearing from her.
It’s like she went back in time ten years and is about to tell me she just got invited to the prom by the captain of the football team.
“As it turns out, one of the firm’s partners does handle an entertainment agent whose client just so happens to be launching a tour of small venues around the city, starting this weekend. As in four days from now.”
My eyes widen. Maybe Matt’s right about the whole charmed life thing. “Really? That’s convenient! And small venues mean I’ll have a better chance of actually making contact with him. Who is it?”
“Guess.” Now, she’s bouncing up and down a little bit.
“I literally have no idea. Who can make you react like this?”
“I’ll give you a hint.” Her eyes narrow, her smile widening. She’s practically lighting up the whole room. “We both love him.”
“We both love a lot of people. That doesn’t help all that much.”
“We both loved him when we were teenagers.”
Hmm. Intriguing. “That explains why you’re acting like one right now.”
“Focus!” she barks, drawing a different sort of attention than she’s used to.
For once, people are frowning in her direction instead of in mine.
“Okay. Somebody we both loved when we were teenagers. So, like, before we met?”
“Yeah, way before that. But we have him in common.”
Who the heck could she possibly be talking about? Maybe I need to open up my mind a little more because every name that comes into my brain is immediately rejected. It couldn’t possibly be this person or that person—but it has to be one of them, right?
I’m trying to narrow it down and think of who she could mean when she blurts it out, “Dustin Grant!”
And then the room goes dark for a second, and I might or might not black out. It’s all a blur, caused by the fact that my brain has melted and is running out of my ears.
When I finally come out of my stupor—which might’ve lasted three seconds or three hours for all I know—I manage to find my voice.
“Dustin. Grant. The Dustin Grant? Dustin Grant, who, for most of my adolescence, was the man I pictured marrying? Dustin Grant, whose babies I wanted to have by the dozen? Dustin Grant, who was the reason I wrote Kitty Grant all over every notebook and folder I owned?”
“Dustin Grant, whose face was all over my sheet sets. Remember I told you about how I made my parents buy me three separate, full sets of sheets with the band’s pictures on them just so I never had to go without Dustin’s face on my pillowcase when I went to sleep? That Dustin Grant.”
I have to hold my head in my hands since it might fall off otherwise. “Oh my God. I can’t breathe. Dustin Grant. He ushered me into womanhood, Hayley.”
“And so many others.” She giggles. “I knew you would freak!”
“So, what? He’s trying to revive his career? Crazy 4 You broke up years ago.”
They were the biggest band in the entire world at one point, selling out massive arenas on each continent they visited. Girls routinely passed out from excitement before, during, and after the shows; there were always ambulances and medics waiting for the inevitable to occur.
“Yeah, he wants to start a solo career. He had to take some time off, which could mean anything. Hard times, disillusionment. Rehab. Whatever.”
“I guess so.”
I can’t bring myself to think of my beloved Dustin in rehab. Not him. Not that little sweetheart. He was the youngest of the four boys in the group. The sensitive one. The cutie patootie. Even my mom used to like him.
“I have two tickets for Friday’s show!” She reaches across the table and grabs my hands, and we generally squeal and freak out for a while.
Dustin. My beautiful Dustin.
Our server is laughing when she reaches the table with drinks and nachos. “Good news today, ladies?” she asks.
“You don’t even know.” Hayley beams. “We’re going to see Dustin Grant on Friday night and my boss sort of knows him and I’m gonna introduce us.”
For a second, I’m pretty sure she’s going to ask us to leave. She probably thinks we’ve both had more than enough to drink since what just poured out of Hayley’s mouth sounded like complete nonsense.
“You’ve gotta be kidding.” The girl puts a hand to her chest, which is now heaving. Big time. “Dustin Grant? Holy shit! Oh my God, I loved him so much. I used to make out with his poster on my bedroom wall.”
“My whole bedroom was practically papered with pictures of him. I honest-to-God forgot what my wallpaper looked like.”
Okay, Hayley never told me that one before. And I thought I was a fan. Of course, I never got to first base with a poster like our server did either.
“And you’re gonna meet him?” The girl actually squeezes my shoulder. She’s right here in this moment with me. “I would give my right anything just to get that chance.”
“Even now?” I ask, taking note of this in the back of my head.
How many women our age would still give a body part to get close to somebody like Dustin?
I’m going all in on this one. I won’t let my personal feelings, should there be any—there can’t be; there absolutely can’t be—compromise my writing.
I’m sure a guy in Dustin’s situation takes advantage of his position. And nostalgia.
Because dang, all of those old feelings are flooding back. I might as well be a kid again. My heart’s all fluttery, and my stomach’s in knots.
I will literally die if I don’t marry him and have his babies.
Holy crap.
The server eventually has to go back to her job, leaving Hayley and me to freak out on our own.
“What should I wear?” I wonder. “I hate everything I own. Nothing is good enough. Do I have time to order something? No, probably not because what if it doesn’t fit?
I can order in every size and then send back anything that doesn’t fit.
Or I could go shopping at a real store, but ugh, I just did that on Saturday.
” I finally stop to take a breath when light-headedness sets in.
“I’m sure you have something that’ll work.”
“Whatever. You just wanna look cuter than me, so he’ll pay attention to you.”
“Ew.”
“It’s true!”
She holds up a hand and tosses her hair over one shoulder. “Whatever. This is all supposed to be about you, remember? For a book?”
“Please. You’re telling me you’d pass up an opportunity to sleep with Dustin if he liked you better?”
Her mouth twitches. “Hey, you never know. Maybe he’ll be into both of us. Maggie’s been on your back about getting involved in a three-way for research, right?”
I wait to swallow a mouthful of nachos because, really, this needs to be fully understood. “Honey, I love you. And I thank you for everything you’ve done to help me with my career. But no.”