Page 139 of The Very Naughty List

After so many people stood up to Dylan that night, the sentiment in town started to shift against him and his family.Now his parents are having to work extra hard to keep the contracts that they have with business partners in town, many of whom have already been stepping away and cutting ties with the Montgomerys altogether.

Public opinion has turned against them, which means that they won’t be able to rule the whole town like they used to. Since the Christmas Eve Bash, more and more things about their shady practices came to light, and their reputation in Chestnut Hill is shot.

They ended up offering my parents a better deal on the rent for the diner, just to try to salvage what they could—but my parents turned them down.

Another small investor group in town have offered my folks a business partnership, deciding to buy out the building where the diner is located and expand it. They’ll own the building, and my parents won’t be subject to Dylan’s family or his whims anymore.

“Are you two ready?”

Nick’s voice startles me as he and Reid step into my bedroom, dressed and ready to go themselves. All of a sudden, my nerves return in a dizzying rush, my heart thudding against my ribs.

“How on earth did I let you all talk me into this?” I groan, making a face.

“Multiple orgasms?” Reid jokes, and I can’t help but laugh.

That eases a bit of my anxiety, but I still feel like there’s a small army of ants marching beneath my skin.

The New Year’s celebration is on the east side of town, in the hippest little pub that Chestnut Hill has. It’s not a huge venue, but it’s big enough that anyone who wants to attend can, as long as they pack in pretty tightly. And since New Year’s Eve is one of the biggest events this town celebrates, second only to Christmas, that means it’s likely to be a full house.

I don’t know what I was thinking when I let the guys talk me into singing for the event. I guess I just got swept up in the excitement of the holidays and was overwhelmed by how much their gift of the keyboard meant to me. That, and a few holiday cocktails, had me agreeing without stopping to consider how nervous I would be when the time came.

And yes, the Christmas night orgasms helped too.

When we get to the venue, I have to give myself a mental pep talk just to get out of the car. I spent hours picking out the perfect dress to pair with the Louboutin heels, but still, I’m tempted to flee back home and put on my pajamas so I can watch the ball drop in the privacy of my bedroomwithouthaving to get onstage in front of a crowd of people.

The Cooper brothers, always my biggest cheerleaders, urge me gently into the pub. Reid has one arm wrapped around my waist, and Sebastian keeps looking at me with a “you can do this” expression in his eyes. Nick keeps telling me how lovely I look in my silver dress, with my hair swept over one shoulder.

But all I can think about is the fact that I’m going to be opening my mouth and singing in front of an entire pub filled with people.

Not in the shower, not in the comfortable safe space of the house with the guys and Bruno—but in front of a real, live crowd of people, where I could freeze onstage and humiliate myself.

When we walk inside, I try not to look around, because I don’t want to see how many people are here. But just when I feel like my stomach is about to do somersaults, I hear a familiar voice call out from across the room.

“Hailey! Heyyy! Over here!”

I glance over and catch sight of Lorelai, and my eyes widen as shock and joy shoot through me.

“Oh my god! You’re here! What are you doing here?”

I can’t help but squeal as I let go of my men’s hands and run toward my best friend to give her a hug.

“Please, girl. I wouldn’t miss your debut performance for the world!” She looks over and gives the guys a wink. “They told me you were singing tonight and even bought my plane ticket, soof courseI had to come spend New Year’s Eve with my bestie!”

I had no idea she would be here, and I’m so grateful for her support—and to the guys, for reaching out to bring her here. I truly do have the most wonderful people in my life.

We all sit down together, and Sebastian orders a round of drinks. At this point, I feel like I could drink the whole bottle of whatever the bartender brings just to calm the butterflies in my stomach.

“She’s nervous, huh?” Lorelai says in a low voice as she nudges Nick in the side.

“She doesn’t have any reason to be.” Pride fills his expression. “She’s incredible and she’s going to do great.”

“See? This is why I like these guys.” Lorelai laughs as the drinks are set down in front of us on the table. “They’ve got your back, babe, and so do I. You’re going to kill it tonight, so get out of your own way and knock their socks off!”

Her enthusiasm is overflowing. It always is, which is one of my favorite things about her.

I smile and take a long swallow of my drink, hoping to calm my nerves a bit. After a while, someone steps up to the mic on stage to talk, and my pulse immediately jumps into overdrive.

I only vaguely hear the man welcome everyone to the New Year’s Eve event and then introduce me by name. Lorelai has to poke me in the ribs to get me to stand up, and when I walk toward the stage, my legs feel as if they might give out from beneath me at any moment.

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