Page 44 of Houston, We Have a Problem
Houston
Does it make me aterrible brother for not really knowing what Micah does for her job before now? Probably. I knew it had something to do with party planning, but I didn’t realize she wasin chargeof the thing. She asked me to make an appearance at tonight’s event earlier this month, and she gave me the details at trivia night, so I thought I knew what to expect.
I didn’t expect her to be so confident and coordinated. I’ve been watching her all night, and I’m genuinely impressed with my little sister. I probably owe her an apology, but tonight makes me wonder what else I’ve been wrong about. Maybe Chad doesn’t want to be alone. Maybe Brooklyn and Jordan are good for each other and won’t split up. Maybe I don’t want to be just friends with Darcy even if she lied to me about Jesse.
“Can I get a smile, Mr. Briggs?”
An elbow to my ribs jars me back to the moment, and I plaster on a grin as I look at the camera. “When did you get so strong?” I ask through my smile.
Bonnie titters a laugh that sounds as practiced as any of her movie lines. It’s her public laugh, unlike the giggle she lets out in private. “I’ve always been strong, Hou.”
The event guest in front of us thanks us for the picture and rejoins his friends, giving us a moment alone for the first time since the party started.
I drop my smile, knowing I’ll have to bring it back in a moment. For now, I turn so my back is to the room. “Have I thanked you yet for doing this?”
Unlike her laugh, Bonnie’s smile is as real as ever, though that could be because she tucks herself under Derek Riley’s arm. When I called my ex a few days ago to see if she would be willing to show up to the grand reopening of this lodge—thinkingit would help give Micah an extra boost—I didn’t expect her to bring her new boyfriend. She clearly moved on quickly, with how familiar the two of them are. We only broke up a few months ago.
“I was happy to help,” Bonnie says. “Besides, we have some time to kill before we start filming our movie.” She’s thriving without me, and the fact that she’s dating her co-star is doing wonders for her image.
I meet Derek’s gaze, feeling strangely inadequate next to him. I’m famous enough that my self-image is pretty good, but standing beside a man who not only has the looks but the acting chops to become a Hollywood legend makes me feel insignificant. Plus, he’s got that tall, dark, and rugged look going for him, and more people have wanted a picture with him than with me.
I’m not jealous. I’m just curious who Darcy would be more interested in if she were here.
“You guys are amazing!” Micah scurries up to us, her face glowing with happiness as she hands us glasses of water. “I seriously can’t thank you enough for coming all the way out here for something so small.” She says that more to Derek and Bonnie than to me, which makes sense. Driving two hours is not the same as flying out from Los Angeles.
Bonnie gives Micah’s hand a squeeze. “This lodge is beautiful, and your party is so well-coordinated.”
Micah turns a bright red and scurries away as quickly as she came. I don’t blame her for being starstruck when Bonnie is not only beautiful and talented but also genuinely kind.
She and Darcy have that in common.
As if reading my thoughts, Derek clears his throat and asks, “Who are you dating nowadays, Briggs?”
We all smile for a photo with a guest.
I shrug. “At the moment? No one.”
“Out of character for you, don’t you think?”
I’ve interacted with Derek a few times, when I joined Bonnie at premieres or parties with her friends in between games, but I wouldn’t say we’ve gotten anywhere close to friendship. We hardly know each other, and at this point I know Darcy better than I know the action movie star. I have no desire to talk to him about my dating life.
Bonnie, on the other hand… “Your sister said you might be dating someone.”
Another guest wanders up, pausing the conversation long enough for me to figure out how I want to respond to that comment.
“Micah sees love everywhere, and she thinks I’m interested in a sports reporter who has been lurking around Sun City. I’m not, for the record.”
“There’s really no one?”
I look at Bonnie, trying to figure out why she would care so much. We only dated for a few months, and it’s hard to believe she would sound so sad about me being on my own. Then again, Bonnie has this uncanny ability to make everyone around her feel important.
I sigh right as another person comes up and forces me into a smile. “There…might be someone,” I mutter. “But it’s complicated.” In fact, if she hasn’t been teasing me about my supposed attraction to Tamlin, Micah has been trying to get a straight answer out of me all night about whether or not I’m dating “the mysterious Darcy.” But I haven’t had one to give her.
Derek poses with three different women at once, leaving Bonnie to step off to the side with me. To my surprise, she rests her arm around my back, basically forcing me to do the same to her. “I know we didn’t date each other for long, Houston, but I know you. I know you don’t like being alone. And I know you’rescared to be vulnerable. If it’s complicated, it’s because you made it complicated.”
I groan. “Do you think you’re a therapist now that you’ve played one in a movie?”
She smacks my chest. “Don’t be rude.”
