Page 3 of Merry Little Wedding

“It’s just the two of us.”

“Wildnight, indeed.”

“Lots of people um…couldn’t make it.”

“It is almost Christmas.”

“Yeaah,” Aurora says deadpan. “Not really a fan of the holiday.”

I pull a face, finishing up the two drinks. “You’re having a Christmas wedding…yet you hate Christmas?”

“Didn’t say IhateChristmas.”

“Why aren’t you afanof Christmas? Never get what you ask Santa for?”

“No…nothing specific.” Aurora shrugs. “Just hard to get in a Christmassy mood when it’s eighty-five and humid outside.” She makes to pay me as I garnish their drinks and slide them to them.

“First round is on me.” I wink.

“Seriously?”

“You’re celebrating, right?”

“Mmm…Yep.”

“When’s the big day?”

“Sunday,” the bridesmaid answers, at the same time Aurora says, “Tomorrow.” Both their expressions become exclamation marks as they look at each other.

Did I mention it’s a Wednesday night?

I swallow the chuckle that bubbles up in my throat. “How many has this one already had?” I say in a super quiet voice, meant only for Aurora. It’s just to save her, let her keep her little ruse a little bit longer. I don’t really think her friend’s been drinking.

The other girl’s phone lights up with a call, and her face lights up too. “I’ll be back, I gotta take this!” She jumps off the barstool and disappears with her Santa-gria. “Thanks again!” she calls back.

“So…you’re getting married…” I muse. “Tomorrow.”

“That’s right.” Aurora takes a long swallow of her vodka cranberry. The bartenders joke that it might as well be called The White Girl but this curvy cutie can do whatever she wants, I’ll still think she’s one of a kind, beautiful, cool.

“Lucky guy.”

“You said that already,” she giggles, tipsily. “Outside.” I look at her glass, it’s already almost empty.

“Want another?”

She licks her lips. “Sure.”

“What’s his name?” I make smalltalk and the drink.

“What’s with the twenty questions?”

“You know what, you’re right, I’m sorry.” I slide her the cocktail, leaning over the bar to look closer at her. I can read people really damn well, it’s what made me great in marketing, and a halfway decent nightclub owner. And what I’m reading from Aurora right now? She doesn’t mind my closeness. At all. “I don’t mean to interrogate you when there’s really only one question I want to ask.”

“What’s that?” Her brown eyes are warm and glazed with tipsiness.

“Dance with me?” I say softly.

Spinning halfway around in her barstool, she looks back at the dancefloor, then at me again. She drains her second cocktail fast. Pushes the glass to me.

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