Page 161 of The Surprise Play
It’s hard to keep up with their stream of ideas, but I catch little comments as they talk over top of one another.
“I’ve got a bunch of vinyls my grandparents used to own. You can borrow those.”
“I have the soundtrack toGrease.”
“What kinds of foods did they eat in the ’50s?”
“Let me google it.”
“Yes! I’m so pumped for this. I’m gonna make Carson dress like James Dean inRebel Without a Cause.” Nylah lets out a girlisheeeppsound. “He’s gonna look so freaking hot. My gramma made me watch that movie a couple of years ago, and she’ll flip if she knows Carson is gonna dress up as Jim Stark!”
“Who’s Jim Stark?” Sienna asks.
“The guy inRebel Without a Cause.”
“I thought you said James Dean was that guy,” Jolie questions.
Nylah groans. “Jim Stark is the character James Dean plays in that movie. You know what, we’re watching it tonight. I don’t care if you feel like it or not, you girls need a serious movie education.”
“We should watchGreasetoo.” Sienna gets into it. “We can use it as inspiration for this party.”
“Yes! I love that idea.” Nylah’s voice is getting all high and excited again.
“Aw, now I want to come. Ben would make one hot Gary Cooper. He’s theHigh Noonguy, right? My father loves old Westerns.”
“You can come,” Sienna quickly adds, then asks me, “She can come, right, Wily?”
I laugh. “Invite whoever you like, just make sure it’s a bunch of cool people who are willing to dress up and really embrace the era. I want this to be a party that’s all about Satch and what she loves.”
“Okay, you are like the sweetest boyfriend e-ver.” Nylah sings the last word, and the other two start gushing their agreement.
“Thanks, girls. I really appreciate your help.”
“We are on it!” Sienna lets out an excited squeal,which Zoey jumps all over. I can hear her cheering as I hold the phone away from ear and wince at the high-pitched noise.
Seriously, what have I unleashed?
“Thanks, guys.” I raise my voice over their unrestrained enthusiasm. “I’ll be back tomorrow and can help with the prep this week. It’d be great if we could have the party soon so it’s not too far away from her birthday. Any chance we could hook this up for the coming weekend?”
“A week?” Sienna squawks. “You’re giving us a week?”
“We can do it,” Nylah assures her. “Don’t worry about it, big guy. We’ll rally everyone to pitch in and help. We can totally throw this thing together.”
“And I want it to be a surprise,” I remind them, “so you’re gonna have to prep in stealth mode.”
“Yay!” Jolie cheers. “Surprises are the best! Can I help? Please?”
“Of course you can,” I laugh. “Now get to it, ladies. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
The girls are too busy talking to hear my goodbye and I end the call, a delayed wave of uncertainty running through me.
Is this a terrible idea?
I momentarily question my sanity until Satch appears around the corner.
“There you are.” Her smile is bright with affection, and I tuck my phone away, holding my tongue against spilling my big surprise.
“Hey, baby.” I pull her against me, leaning down to kiss those plump lips of hers. “How was your nap?”
