Page 52 of One More Time
‘Iwantto go with you,’ he stated simply.
‘Oh,’ she chirped, tilting her head as though trying to figure him out. ‘Okay, then.’ Lucy turned back to Chloe’s door. ‘Chloe! We’ve got to go, kiddo.’
A feminine voice called back, ‘Almost ready!’
A few seconds later, Chloe emerged from her room looking every bit a young bride. She swept out in a cloud of flowery perfume, white cotton, and buoyant expectation that made her look exactly like her mother.
‘Okay,’ Lucy said, shoulders drooping, her voice laden with apprehension. ‘I guess this is it.’
‘Relax, Mom, you’re not headed for the firing squad. It’s just a simple little brunch with at least four guys you’ve slept with. No big deal.’
‘Atleast?’ Lucy asked.
Chloe didn’t miss a beat. ‘There’ll probably be waiters there, maybe a maître d’? I don’t know what you’ve been getting up to in this hotel. I mean, you let a strange rock star spend the night. How am I to know how far you might go?’
Chloe winked at Nicky conspiratorially, and it struck him right in the chest. The woman was smart, quick, andwickedly funny. She was confident and special. He admired Lucy all the more for having raised such a person.
Lucy grumbled, ‘And again, improv comedy summer camp rears up to bite me in the ass.’
‘Ilovedthat camp,’ Chloe whispered to Nicky.
Nicky laughed and threaded his fingers through Lucy’s as they trooped out of the suite.
They were escorted to a small, private dining room with tall windows showing off a third-floor view of the Strip below. It was bright and cheerful, all white linen and gold-trimmed dishes. There was an enormous round table in the center and a whole lot of empty chairs.
Nicky took a deep breath to center himself, like he did before he went onstage.Nothing could be as terrifying as singing in front of thousands of people, right?
As though he had summoned the terror, it walked in – Kim. She shot Nicky a look that would shrivel a normal man’s balls to raisins. Luckily, Nicky had never been normal.
The tall, slender blast from the past sauntered in wearing jeans and one of those fuzzy Chanel jackets favored by his New York booking agent.
‘Oh, good. You’re already here!’ Lucy exclaimed with relief. ‘I thought you might get smart and sleep through it.’
‘Never!’ Kim said, hugging Chloe. ‘Just went out for some hair of the dog.’ She waggled a large Bloody Mary at them.
Lucy turned to him. ‘Kim has recently discovered the delights of day drinking.’
Kim took Nicky’s proffered hand and shook. She purred, ‘It’s most likely not becoming a problem.’ Her grip was firm, pointedly so, as she said, ‘Long time no see, Broome. I think the last time was at the …beach?’ The words were friendly, but the tone was damn near venomous.
‘Yeah. Good to see you, Kim.’
Nicky barely had time to get the feeling back in his hand before a group of people filed in. He sucked in a deep breath, and Chloe noticed.
With a twinkle in her eye, she said, ‘Yeah. Better buckle up.’
‘I guess this must be the place,’ said a jocular man of about Nicky’s age and height. He was sewn into a gray linen suit, expensive and new. He had the look of a frat boy made good, lots of gym-hewn muscles and overpriced cologne. ‘There she is,’ he exclaimed, opening his arms to Chloe.
Must be Brandon.
‘Hi, Daddy,’ Chloe cooed. ‘I’m glad you could make it.’
‘Wouldn’t miss it, Cricket,’ he said softly into Chloe’s hair.
Behind Brandon was a young, pregnant woman. Instinctively, Nicky wondered if she was a half-sister or something until Chloe said, ‘Jenna, this is Mom’s friend, Nick Broome. Nick, this is my dad’s wife, Jenna.’ She pointed to Jenna’s silk-clad belly and added, ‘And in there is my little half-sister.’
Oh boy.
The room went silent, and Nicky knew that all assembledwere beginning to piece together who he was and what exactly the word ‘friend’ implied. This particular reaction wasn’t uncommon, especially if he was showing up at a place unannounced. These people were expecting to have a family gathering and had come face to face with someone they’d only ever seen on TV. He imagined it would be a bit like waking up and finding a space alien in your living room. Amusing maybe, but also jarring.
