Page 57 of Up All Night

But then my brain caught up with how my words could have been misinterpreted.

Embarrassment flooded through me. “Uh, no. That’s not what I meant,” I rushed to say, looking between Halle and Demi. “We haven’t…her and I…that came out wrong.” I tripped over my words, not knowing how to get out what I was trying to say. “I meant that she’s loud.”

Demi raised one brow, and then for the second time I realized that didn’t sound good either.

“Not loud like that loud, but that she’s a noisy neighbor,” I finally fumbled out.

Halle had her lips pulled in, trying to hold in her laughter, obviously not wanting to help me out in this very awkward situation.

Demi continued to look at me like I hadn’t fully explained myself.

“At night she plays loud music, stomps on the floor,” I said, ticking them off on my fingers. “She even yells down to me through her vent.”

Demi’s face softens. “Aww, how cute. A little bedtime pillow talk.”

I rolled my eyes at her. “That’s what Cannon said.”

She slapped me on my arm. “I was just pulling your leg. I totally knew what you meant.”

She and Halle laughed, and I shook my head at the two of them. They were like two peas in a pod.

“I’ll see you two around,” she said and sashayed into the crowd.

“You done getting your foot out of your mouth?” Halle asked with a smirk.

I gestured out to where my sister was headed. “You could have helped me out, you know.”

Her smile lit up her face. “Yeah, but then I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy watching you squirm.”

I shook my head and smiled.

We were an unlikely pair, but I couldn’t deny how happy I was when I was with her. I smiled and laughed more when I was with her than with anyone else. Which was ironic since it used to be the opposite. A couple months ago she made me so angry, but that was before I knew her. Now I realizedIhad been the one making me angry, not her. She was a bright spot in my life, and though I hadn’t known it, right now I desperately needed it.

“Should we go get you that amazing dinner you came here for?” I asked.

“Yes, I’m starving,” she said but then changed her voice to sound deeper. “But don’t forget we need to mingle. You can’t forget the mingling, West.”

I laughed at her impersonation of my dad. “Yes, sir.”

She took my arm, and as I guided us toward the tables, we were stopped twice, first by a colleague and then by a client. We talked for several minutes with each of them, and the longer we talked to them, the more I was impressed by Halle. She was a natural at meeting people and getting them to feel like they were already friends. I shouldn’t have been surprised. Besides me, at least in the beginning, I was sure there wasn’t a person who met her who didn’t like her. And here I thought she’d pulled some magic voodoo on our superintendent, Mr. Farnsworth, but nope, she was just Halle Parker, a kind and friendly soul who exuded happiness.

We finally made it to our table and sat down.

“I have our game.” She looked at me with excitement.

“Okay, what is it this time?” I asked, finding myself getting excited about it as well.

“We each pick a word, and while we are talking to people, whoever’s word gets said the most wins.” She turned toward me in her seat. “My word is investment, or anything close to that like investing, invested, investor.”

“What? That is totally not fair,” I said, the exasperation clear in my voice. “Why do you get the best word?”

She gave me what could only be described as a ‘duh’ look. “Because I came up with the game, and I called it.”

I laughed. “You called it? What are we, five?”

She stuck her tongue out at me, which had me laughing again.

“It’s not my fault you weren’t fast enough to call it.”

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