Chapter Two
T he closer we got to the lakefront, the further my nerves unraveled. For the most part, I was pretty comfortable with myself, but who was I fooling? Having a decent figure from the waist down didn’t mean I should traipse around in an outfit meant for someone in their first couple decades of life. I felt like an imposter.
“Will you chill out already?” Perry glanced over, watching me fidget to cover up parts of myself I didn’t want flopping out. “You look amazing, so start acting like it.”
As soon as she pulled onto Jackson, I decided she was right. Not about the amazing part, but the need to relax. I didn’t have a spare set of clothes in my purse, so I might as well enjoy myself. Hell, there’d probably be great-grandmothers flaunting bikini tops, so I didn’t know why I was getting so worked up about a pushing-forty-year-old in a skimpy sundress.
The attendant waved Perry into the parking lot, and she swung into a spot, pulling next to a pack of teenagers getting out of their Jeep. When she opened her door, a blast of sticky heat tumbled in, coating me and turning the fifteen minutes of icy air I had into a distant memory.
I flipped down my visor and dabbed away the sweat collecting on my brow before throwing open my door. So much for it being cooler down here. If anything, it was hotter, and there were still a good couple hours to go before the sun went down. I stepped out, but not before grabbing a wad of Starbucks napkins she had stashed in her console and swiping it over the back of my neck.
“You do know that’s like toweling yourself off while still in the pool, right? It’s a thousand percent humidity out here, so you just have to deal with it and not worry about dripping all over the place.”
“Weren’t you the one making a big deal about my broken air conditioner?” The mental image of hoards of fairgoers bumping their drenched bodies against each other suddenly made me question coming out for the night. It was actually quite comfortable in my little office with the fans blasting away. And I did have lots of work to finish….
“Yes, when we were stuck inside, but now that we’re in the open air, it’s a whole new game.” Perry raised my arm high, no doubt flashing everyone behind us. “How can you not be psyched right now? We’re at a huge fucking outdoor music fest. Bands, food, beer. Fun, fun, fun. All you have to do is venture a few steps forward, and it can all be yours today.”
I laughed and lowered my arm. “You sound like an infomercial.”
“Seriously, Jills. You’re in your element here. How long’s it been?”
“I don’t even know. They still had rides here, though. I remember bringing Daniel during the day.” God, that had to be over ten years ago. She raised her eyebrows. “Do not even say anything.”
“I was only going to say I’m happy you’re here.” She smiled sweetly. “That’s all.”
I nodded. Perry had tried to bring me back for years, but I always had some reason to decline. I stared at the large white gates leading into the fairground and felt a little giddy. She was so right. I deserved this night. My life needed to consist of more than sitting behind a desk, and this was the perfect place to start.
“Okay,” I said, smiling in response to her tugging me off the lot. “I’m going. You don’t need to reveal my panties again.”
I stepped around a man selling giant balloon animals and almost collided with another. “Tickets?” he asked, holding out a stack.
Perry pursed her lips and dug through her bag frantically. I held it open wider for her. “Do not tell me you forgot the tickets.” She was supposed to be in charge of them. My legs started bouncing. Suddenly, I wanted nothing more than to be inside the park, sipping a cold one and swaying my hips.
“Ha! Got you.” She closed her purse and grinned widely. “See, you really do want to be here.”
I shook my head at the scalper, and we moved on down the sidewalk. It only took a few seconds before I busted out laughing, and Perry soon followed. “Yes, you’ve made your point. I’m ready to go have some fun. Honest.”
“That’s the spirit. Now, repeat after me: I look fucking gorgeous tonight.”
“I look gorgeous tonight.” Perry, my biggest cheerleader.
“Good, close enough. And I’m not going to fill my head with marketing pitches or asset reports or whatever other boring thing I do twenty-four seven.”
“I am not going to think about work.” A weak breeze wafted over us, and it felt wonderful. I was starting to get even more excited.
“And I’m going to get laid tonight.”
“Perry!”
“Just thought I’d slip that one in there. A night out isn’t all you’re due for.”
I opened my mouth to deny it but shut it just as quickly. Dammit. She was probably right about that too. If I weren’t careful, my vagina would revert back to virgin status.
We came to the entrance and Perry pulled out the tickets, frowning at her phone. “What’s up?”
She sighed loudly. “Stephen’s stuck at work. A sev one issue or some shit like that. All I know is that he probably won’t be meeting us tonight.” I nodded, knowing that when my brother had major problems at the company, he couldn’t leave until they were resolved. “Oh well, more fun for us.”
Perry smiled, but it wasn’t very convincing. She handed me my ticket for the attendant to scan, then did the same with hers. She received a grin from him in return; not a polite thank you one, but an I’d like to hook up with you later smile that garnered no attention from her. Foolish boy; couldn’t he see he was wasting his charms on the wrong girl?
“Any special acts you came for this evening?” he asked.
I refrained from responding with, ‘Just browsing.’ I got the impression he was just feeling her out since the gate workers usually didn’t make small talk. He was backing up the line, but Perry had that effect on men.
“Hallowed Realm,” she replied quickly as we pushed our way through, nearly mowing down a bachelorette party. The bride-to-be wore a princess crown and little else.
“And you were freaking out about a tasteful little dress.”
“She looks half my age, Perry. It’s hardly the same.” She shrugged, but then her face grew pained as she watched the drunken group twirl away through the crowd. Most of the time, her amount of patience blew me away, but certain things like that would come along and trigger her.
“You know,” she said, “with Stephen not around to slobber all over me, I’ll have more time to spend with the hot lead singer.”
We headed over to the information desk to grab a program, the smell of chlorine from the cooling fountains making my eyes water.
“Your friend, Stu? I thought you said he’s gay.” And even if he weren’t, it didn’t matter how hot he was; I knew her well enough to know she’d never consider doing anything to hurt my brother.
“He is, but what the fuck, Jills? It’ll be six years next week.”
I felt for her; I really did. “Just give it a little more time, okay? There’s no question how much he loves you. You two are perfect for each other.”
Perry waved her hand. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Of course, I’ll give it more time.” She sighed. “I always do. But he’d better get his ass in gear soon.”
I agreed, chomping down on my tongue to keep the words contained. What was taking him so long? He already had the ring. He didn’t need to assemble the perfect proposal. Perry didn’t care about that; she just needed him. I was keeping the secret because he’d asked me to, and I wanted it to be special for her, but it was killing me. I didn’t know how much longer I could hold it in.
“So, how much time until they play?”
Perry double-checked the schedule. “Not for another hour, but I want to get there early so we can be right up front. They’ll be down at the north end.”
“Okay, how about we go down there and walk around a bit? We can grab a beer and check out some other music.”
“Sounds good.”
We aimed for the nearest stand and waited in line, my body buzzing with all the energy of the place. I couldn’t believe I’d stayed away so long. Before all the responsibilities set in, I used to save up my vacation time so I could spend the full eleven days down here every summer.
Perry held up two fingers when it was our turn at the counter, pointing once to the wine tapper, then to the beer. The man gave her a good looking over before tapping his finger on the We Card sign. She turned to me with a huge grin and whipped out her ID. Braggart.
I downed half of mine in one gulp. I’d make sure to get some food in my stomach before too long, but it was hard not to be parched when I could literally fry up a breakfast sandwich on the pavement below me.
We weaved in and out of the people, making our way to the far end of the park. If I remembered correctly, a lot of new and upcoming bands played that stage. I was really looking forward to checking them out.
“Hallowed Realm, right?” I’d never heard of them, but Perry said they’d only been around for a few years and mainly performed local gigs.
“Yep, you’ll love ‘em.” Perry tugged sharply on my arm, almost knocking my cup to the ground as she pulled me in a different direction. She pointed upward to the Sky Glider. “Sorry, I don’t want to be spit on.”
I laughed. “That’s one of those things they always say happens, but I’ve never seen it.”
“Well, I’m not taking the chance. The only secretions I want on me are Stephen’s. If he’s going down on me, he can cover me in as much spit as he wants.”
“I’m going to act like I never heard that.” Having a future sister-in-law as a best friend had many advantages. Hearing about my brother’s sex life wasn’t one of them. “Oh, my God. Is that a tattoo parlor?”
“Yeah, you interested? Someday I’d love to get another one.”
I shook my head. When I was younger, I always wanted one but couldn’t decide on the right design. Something sexy could turn downright scary when body parts started to shift. “Just look at that line.”
“It’s like that every year. They must make a killing here.”
“I imagine.” Set up shop in a place of lowered inhibitions? It’s a recipe for success.
We spent some time browsing the outdoor shops before Perry wanted to go secure her spot. To my surprise, there were already quite a few people guarding their space on the bench. It was one of the smaller stages without a huge amount of seating. We plunked down on the first row next to a woman with so many piercings in her face she looked like a disgruntled porcupine. My head ached looking at her.
“Excuse us,” I said. “My friend knows the band.” The woman rolled her eyes and turned her back on us.
I fanned myself with the program, lifting the hair off my neck. I’d resigned to the fact that I probably looked like a drowned rat by this point, but so did everyone else. It wouldn’t be dark for a good forty-five minutes, and the space was filling up quickly. Comfort was no longer a priority; I just wanted to get lost in some music. Except….
“Do your best to save my spot, okay? I need to run to the bathroom.”
“Are you sure? Already?”
“Yes, I’m pretty sure I know if I have to pee or not,” I said. That first beer had traveled through me quickly. I thought it would have taken longer to break the seal since so much liquid was leaking out of my skin. Obviously, that wasn’t the case.
“Okay, but hurry up.”
I went in search of the nearest bathrooms, only to find the line out the door. I squeezed my abdomen tightly and headed farther out. It was even more packed, so I returned to the first. I took my place in the line and shifted from side to side, eyeing the men’s room with envy. No wait, like usual.
I was seriously considering sneaking in—I was in that much pain—but the line picked up, and I finally made it inside. Sweet relief.
I debated whether or not I should look up into the plexiglass mirror as I washed my hands, but what good was torturing yourself when nothing could be done about it? A loud beat reverberated inside me. Oh, shit….
I dashed out and navigated my way back to the stage. There was a mass of people congregated by the entrance, and I sidled through, no doubt pissing off a few. I had to get back to my seat, although it looked to be standing room only.
Inching through the rows, I found Perry stretched out on the bench, trying to save my seat. When she saw me, she scooted over. “Ugh, sorry. I forgot how long those bathroom lines could be.”
She didn’t reply, and I wondered if she’d even heard me. Between the stage mere feet in front of us and all the people screaming, I could barely hear myself. Wow, for a new band, they must be pretty well-known to attract this much attention.
Before long, we were standing anyway, so the benches were just taking up space. Their sound sucked me in. It was definitely alt rock but blurred. I liked that it couldn’t be pinpointed. Music had always flowed in my blood, and I appreciated what I was hearing. It caught me. Strong and deep.
I let the pulse fill me, and I swayed with Perry as she sang out songs I didn’t know the words to. In between numbers, I yelled out, “They’re really good.”
She gave me a huge smile. “I know.”
My eyes ran down the lead vocalist. His sound was amazing, and he was insanely good-looking to boot. Seriously? Gay? His painted-on leather pants were very pleasing to the eye. If he did not stuff himself, I felt very sorry for my fellow woman.
“Is he another friend of yours?” I pointed to the guitarist, and she shook her head. “Well, he keeps looking over here at you.”
“We are in the audience. Where else is he supposed to look? And how do you know he’s not checking you out?”
“Good one.”
I’d pretty much accepted that my days of getting out of speeding tickets were over. At ten years younger, Perry hadn’t reached that stage yet. She could still fall out of bed first thing in the morning and have men crashing through the window to catch her.
She started to reply but was drowned out by his acoustic rift. I focused on the vibrations, letting them course through me. I closed my eyes, and that’s when the dizziness took me by surprise. It barreled in out of nowhere, feeling like a tiny tornado inside my head. I was suddenly very claustrophobic.
“Water,” I shouted. Perry gave me a funny look, and I gestured to say I was stepping out to get some water. For all I knew, she probably thought I had to visit the bathroom again.
The spinning sensation intensified as my body squashed into others, and I hoped that if I did pass out, someone would be gracious enough to stop me from splattering all over the cement.
I made it out in one piece and counted my blessings when I spotted a drink counter with no line. That type of thing was unheard of here. I purchased and downed a bottle of water, instantly feeling more stable. I should have known better than to let myself get dehydrated. Obviously, I couldn’t mix alcohol and sweating anymore. God, things really did sneak up overnight.
I visited the pretzel stand next and picked up a big, gooey one with gobs of salt. I hoped Perry wouldn’t be too upset because I’d decided to sit out the rest of the show. It was almost over anyway, and I wanted to continue feeling better. I was close enough to hear it well, so I munched on my dough and people-watched while savoring the breeze rolling in from the lake.
I tossed the wrapper in the garbage, worlds better than I was a short time ago, and checked out the dresses hanging around the perimeter of one of the shops. In the meantime, I could keep an eye on the entrance; the last thing I wanted was Perry to have to search for me.
When the music ended, I kept a closer watch, darting my eyes between the exiting crowd and a lavender dress I’d fallen in love with at first sight. Almost double the material of what I wore now, but still light and perfect for a summer day. I took it off the hook and brought it over to the mirror, holding it in front of me. To my surprise, I didn’t appear as disheveled as I imagined. I expected limp, frizzy hair—a contradiction I experienced way too often—and black-smeared eyes, but instead, I looked decent. Some people cursed humidity, but that same moisture that swelled up your fingers could also plump up your face.
“You should totally get that.”
I spun around to see Perry standing there, and I felt like an awful friend. I’d taken my focus away and hadn’t been watching for her. I set the dress back. “I’m thinking about it.” I gave her a hug. “I’m so sorry I missed the end. I thought I was going to faint for a minute there. I had to get some water and then I planned to wait for you out here, but you came out, and I wasn’t paying attention and—”
She held up her hand and laughed. “Stop. It’s fine. You were right here, impossible to miss. So… you’re feeling all better now?”
“Just like new.”
“Because…” She jumped and squealed, holding up a couple badges. “Stu gave us passes to the private party on the martini terrace. Free food and drinks. Even if we just go for a short time, it’ll be so worth it. I’d also love the chance to catch up with him. We haven’t talked in forever.”
I took one of the badges and looked it over. It was pretty cool. I’d never had rooftop access before.
“Isn’t it awesome? After the show, he waved me over and gave me these. You should have seen some of the daggers shot my way.”
“I can believe it.” A talented, gorgeous man who also happens to be in a band? There’d be no shortage of women willing to take her place. Or men. According to Perry, he didn’t flaunt his preference, but he didn’t hide it either. I twirled the string around my finger. The party did sound fun, and Perry was clearly stoked.
“Are you up for it?”
“Yes,” I said, and she clapped. “But Stephen’s going to be wildly jealous, you know. You being around all those drummers and guitar players, all hoping you’re an easy groupie.”
“Pfft. I can handle him. Besides, the only guy I’m interested in tonight wants nothing to do with pussy.”
Perry unhooked the dress I was admiring and held it against me. “I really do think you should get this. It goes fantastic with your blonde hair.” She dropped it in my hands.
I clipped the dress back. “I’m still thinking about it.” I adored it, but how often would I really wear it?
“Let’s get going then,” Perry said. “I’m starving.” I felt almost guilty for the wad of bread digesting happily in my stomach. “Walk by the rocks?”
I nodded, and we walked along the shoreline, a variety of tunes coming at us from all directions. It was a steamy summer night, but very tolerable. I was so glad she’d dragged me out. At least until I got home and—
No. I promised Perry I wouldn’t think about work tonight. I wanted to center on the lights shining over the water, the rush surrounding us from all sides.
We wandered to the end of the park, then swung back around to get to the terrace. “Ready to have some fun?” she asked, rubbing her hands together.
“Definitely.”
Whatever the night had in store, I was ready for it.