Page 110 of The Close-Up
I stare at the words, my heart thudding as if I’ve had a shot of adrenaline. My thumb hovers over that arrow button. One click and he’ll know exactly how I feel.
I jump when my phone rings. It’s Cole.
I answer it, trying to steady my voice.
He practically screams my name instead of saying hello.
“Tell me you’re free tomorrow night!” he says. My head aches at how unapologetically chipper his tone is.
“Um, I think so. Why? What’s going on?”
“Tamara and I are hosting a cocktail hour for everyone who’s coming to the vow renewal on Saturday and we’d love for you to come.”
“Oh. Um, sure. Thanks for the invite.”
“Of course! You’re filming our big day.”
“Will Simon be there?” I ask, my brain catching up.
“Absolutely! I just called him earlier today and he said he’s coming.”
My heart flutters. Screw texting. I’ll tell Simon exactly how I feel tomorrow, in person.
“I’ll be there.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
When I walk through the massive glass doors of Meyer Lemon near Saint Francis Square, my heart is pounding so hard, I’m certain I’ll puke. Once I’m inside, I take a deep breath, then catch my reflection in a nearby accent mirror. Christ. My skin appears sallow in the dim lighting of the bar.
I dig through my purse for my lipstick and reapply the bold red hue to my quivering lips. Then I run my fingers through my waves and smooth a shaky hand over the front of my dress. It took me almost an hour to figure out what to wear. This is the first time I’m telling a guy I’m in love with him. I want to make sure I looked memorable, but not over the top.
With Harper’s help, I settled on a navy blue maxi dress with a leather jacket. Cute, put-together, and perfect for the chill on this early October evening.
The hostess leads me through the crowded main bar area down a hall to a room in the back. There stand Cole and Tamara, glasses of champagne in their hands. They both sport giddy smiles on their faces as they chat with a group of people gathered around them.
I do a scan of the room, but I don’t see Simon. I count more than thirty people, all with drinks in their hands, eager to toast to Cole and Tamara’s rekindled romance. I smile to myself, genuinely happy for them.
I walk up to them. “Hey, you two. Congrats.”
They pull me into a joint hug.
“We’re so glad you made it!” Cole says. He gestures to a bottle of champagne on a nearby standing table. “Be sure to drink up. No work tonight, okay? Save all that for tomorrow, the big day!”
I accept the champagne flute Tamara hands me, then take a step back to make room for another person who walks up to congratulate them.
“Simon’s running late,” Tamara says.
I twist my head to the side to look at her. “Oh. Okay.”
I can’t think of anything else to say, so I just awkwardly stand in place, taking another sip while looking around the room.
“I thought you two would come together,” Tamara says.
“Yeah, well...um, we didn’t.”
She nods and her eyes take on a sympathetic stare. She opens her mouth, but before she can say anything, someone bumps me in the back and I spill champagne all over the front of my dress.
I spin around to an early twenties server who’s wide-eyed and cupping his mouth with one hand. In his other hand is an empty tray.
