Chapter 17
The wedding that Saturday was canceled. While Augie’s first reaction was excitement—like learning about a snow day—when Aida
explained it was because the groom found out only days before that the bride was cheating on him with a groomsman, the feeling
dissolved.
It is pretty depressing, Aida had texted. There’s no reimbursing at this point. Can you imagine? All that money. If I were him, I’d come stuff myself on hors d’oeuvres.
Augie didn’t know what to do with herself. She almost never had Saturday nights off, and her mom had a dinner with colleagues,
while Leah was working the Hotel Harrison’s restaurant opening. Augie had made a point of asking about it, and Leah was happy
to describe it all: the various food stations, the fire juggler, the acoustic band. It sounded more extravagant than any Club
event, and Augie imagined the Crawleys amid the partygoers. As Leah said, it was A-list and adults only. Surely, they would
be there. Surely, Chat would not.
She and Chat were reaching a pinnacle. They’d been messaging so much, she decided they needed to either see each other or stop.
If she was being honest with herself, she also wanted to know where she stood—on top of simply wanting to see him.
Since the baby shower, Augie felt she and Mrs. Crawley were silently at war.
Especially after Chat had to cancel their ice cream date last minute, citing some “dire” errand he had to run for her.
Augie had the feeling she knew exactly what she was doing: keeping them apart.
Augie didn’t want to say anything about it to Chat yet. She worried she’d sound paranoid. Still, Augie felt certain Mrs. Crawley
had some way of tracking her, that she had at least looked her up online. How else would she have known about New York? It
infuriated Augie to imagine how Mrs. Crawley saw her: some pathetic, desperate cater waiter.
Underpinning it all was the infuriating question of why. Augie could not understand the reason Mrs. Crawley would care so much about Augie and Chat being friends—not unless she
and Chat really were having some sordid affair. All around, Augie needed answers.
So, finally, it was time.
Feigning ignorance, she messaged Chat to ask what he was doing that night. Augie explained she had a surprise Saturday night
free, then paced her room as she waited. She wouldn’t admit it outright, but this was a test—did he want to see her badly
enough to break Mrs. Crawley’s rules? Her pulse doubled as she checked her phone again and again.
Thirty minutes later, her phone dinged, and she lunged for it.
Chat Efhart · 7:18 PM
Hey my bad I was in the shower
But damn!
I’m usually off saturday nights
But tonight they’re staying at the harrison hotel for some restaurant opening
So I have the boys all night
This sucks
I really want to see you
Augie felt a sinking disappointment as she sat in her desk chair, swiveling back and forth while watching the sky fill with
the salmon-orange of sunset. She couldn’t deny something about this night still felt inevitable: the broken wedding, her mom
spending a rare evening out, everyone from the Greenes to the Crawleys gathered at the hotel. She started typing.
Augie Elling · 7:24 PM
How insane would it be if I came there?
Augie watched the dots appear and disappear. Appear and disappear. And then:
Chat Efhart · 7:18 PM
You know
It’s been a while since I did anything insane
Can you be here at 9?