Page 77 of Harrison's Wedding

We’re walking down the hall as they’ve been talking, and I feel better when we reach the elevator, because we shouldn’t be too late to the event.

“Good point,” Hayden smirks at him. “Remember, Seb; no glove, no love.”

“I’ll keep it in mind,” he laughs as the elevator doors open.

When we finally make it to the dinner, most people have already arrived, but I’m grateful to see quite a few empty seats, so at least we’re not the last to get here. We check the seating chart to find our table, and I smile when I see Heather’s name on the chart. I wish she was here with me tonight, but I’m glad she’s doing SNL.

We get to the table and see Cooper sitting there with his wife, Helen. To his left are Samuel Torres and Adam Rogers, two of his employees who work on our account with him. To Helen’s right is Madeline Turner, sitting in Heather’s seat. She’s Cooper’s assistant and has helped us out with a few things in the past.

I smile at her as I sit down, and greetings are exchanged, with Ariana being introduced to everyone. Ariana looks nervous, and I catch her eye to give her a reassuring smile. She’s sitting in between Gabriel on my right, and Hayden on her right. Next to Hayden is Sebastian, who’s sitting next to Adam.

“How are you doing, Maddy?” I ask her with a smile. She’s wearing a glittery purple dress and looks very pretty with her hair in an elegant French twist, so I add, “You look lovely tonight.”

“Thanks,” she smiles back. “Yeah, I’m good; it’s been a while since I’ve seen you guys in the office.”

I laugh. “We’ve been out at Galena recording the album.”

“Oh, awesome, was it fun?”

I think about the month we just spent recording and I grin at her. “It was great. So good to record again. I missed Heather, though.”

“She didn’t go out to Galena with you?” Maddy asks, and takes a sip of her glass of wine.

“Nope.” I shake my head. “She came to visit, but she had to work during the weeks at Serenity.”

“Ohhh, I saw footage from her fashion show in September; it wasamazing.”

A wave of pride hits me as I remember it, and I’m pleased that people recognize Heather’s talent.

I grin at Maddy and nod my head as I say, “It really was. She’s so talented, and she worked really hard on the show.”

The conversation moves on, and we talk with the others while our entrées are being delivered. The entrée is baked brie with gorgonzola and caramelized pears, and it’s delicious. I wish Heather was here with me. She would absolutely love this, for sure.

“This is so tasty; Heather would’ve loved it,” I tell Maddy.

“Cooper told me she’s doing Saturday Night Live tonight when he invited me to come. That’s so awesome,” she smiles at me.

“It really is. I’m just so proud of her and everything she’s doing.” I smile back, and then laugh as I remember the sketch.

“What’s so funny?” Maddy asks, looking curiously at me.

“Oh, we spoke to her earlier about the sketch she’s in. It’s me and her getting married—I don’t know who they’re getting to play Seb and me—but then Seb stands up and tells her that he’s in love with her and they run off into the sunset or something like that.”

I’m still laughing and Maddy gives me a puzzled look. “Is that funny to you?”

“Of course,” I tell her, and pick up my wine glass to take a sip.

“Okay, but it’s kind of weird. You’re obviously madly in love with Heather, so how are you chill and think it’s funny that everyone thinks she wants Sebastian?” She shakes her head and gives me that same puzzled look.

I chuckle because she’s in her early twenties, and I put this down to her never having been in a long-term relationship like mine. “It’s funny because nothing could ever break us apart. Heather and I have been together since I was nineteen, and we’ve both been friends with Seb even longer than that. When they started printing all this crap about them having an affair, it was laughable, and this sketch highlights how ridiculous it is.”

“That’s crazy,” she says, then claps her hand over her mouth. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to insult you.”

I laugh at her reaction, amused at her honesty, and I smile kindly at her. “It’s fine, I’m not offended. We’ve all just been friends for a long time.”

“Well, I don’t know many guys who would be okay with everyone thinking their fiancée was sleeping with their best friend, but more power to you,” Maddy says and takes a bite of her food.

We continue to talk as the main course is served, and waiters come around and give us fresh glasses of wine with the food. I thank the man who serves us, and he smiles and nods before disappearing.

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