Page 27 of The Wedding Season
I look down at the fried chicken, sadly, wishing I could just disappear into a barn to eat it in peace, then look over my shoulder and see David Stack grinning atme.
David Stack was in my acting class at Emerson. He is tall and very good-looking in an super WASP-y sort of way, though he has never really done it for me. We did a scene from a play calledClosertogether (one of my favorite plays). I played a stripper, he was the drunk older guy whose wife had run off with my ex-boyfriend, and although the scene in no way called for us to kiss each other, he insisted that his character would French me and that I would allow him to. The teacher, who I think would have liked to kiss him herself, agreed that it would be an interesting button for the scene, so yeah—his tongue has thoroughly explored the inside of mymouth.
“Hey DavidStack.”
“Hey.” He makes an unconvincing attempt at perusing the roasted vegetables and grilled salmon. “These girls sure know how to throw a wedding,huh?”
“They sure do. How’ve you been? You still in NewYork?”
“Nah, I’m with the news in Chicago. But I wouldn’t mind moving out to this coast. So you’re withBraddock?”
“I’m working with him, yeah, on onescript.”
“Imagine that. I thought you hated thatguy.”
“So didI.”
He forces a laugh, but studies my face, eagerly looking for clues that it’strue.
“Anyway, I’m gonna go eat this food, so. Good to seeyou.”
“Yeah yeah,” he puts his hand on my shoulder in a totally awkward way and squeezes it, meaningfully. “Let’s hanglater.”
“Yup.”
Shauna is at our table, talking to Scott when I return, but his eyes are on me, and I can tell from the way he’s looking at me that he saw me talking to David Stack. There’s a mild possessiveness, and I am startled to realize that I likeit.
Shauna looks up at me and says, “Hey lady! You little peach, I can’t believe you guys are working together it’s so cool!” She comes over and high-fives me and I stand up to hugher.
“Congratulations, Shaun, this wedding is soperfect.”
“It’s so good to see you! I love that you guys are together, seriously, I alwaysknew—”
“Oh we aren’t liketogether”
“Yeah I know, I mean working together whatever.” She lowers her voice. “By the way, I hated Sherry when I first met her and it ended up being the best sex of mylife.”
All these people referring to Scott as the best sex I’m going to have in my life is beyond intimidating. But honestly, it wouldn’t be all that hard to be the best sex of my life. I’ve had decent sex and I’ve had bad sex and I’ve had good sex a few times, but it wouldn’t take a penis maestro to give me the best sex of my life at thispoint.
However, I can’t have the best sex of my life with Scott Braddock at this point in my life, because he is my writingpartner.
“Well,” I say, clearing my throat, “I’m really happy that things ended up the way they did for youguys.”
“You have to come visit us in the Bay Area, you’d loveit.”
“I would love to, believeme.”
“Braddock will tell you—we showed you a pretty good time, rightBraddock?”
“You vixens know how toparty.”
“Yeah we do!” She musses up my hair and kisses me on my cheek. “We need to start dancing. Where’s my wife? Wife!” She signals to Sherry, who is standing near the entrance to the big barn, Sherry signals to someone inside the barn, and all of a sudden,You Make Me Feel Like Dancingis blaring from thespeakers.
“Hey everybody!” Shauna yells out. “It’s time to dance in the barn! There will be no formal father-daughter dancing, we will all dancetogether!”
I shove the fried drumstick into my mouth in a way that is probably obscene, but I don’t care. I will finish my fried chicken and not even the bride is going to stopme.
“Come on come on come on! Braddock! You! On the dance floor!Now!”
