Page 82 of One Week Wingman

Mom leads me to a couple of free chairs, away from the crowd. “I’m sorry,” she says again, reaching out to take my hand. “I snapped at you back there, and after your lovely song… It was a beautiful gift, thank you. You really are talented,” she adds, with a fond smile. “You get that from your father.”

“I know you don’t like to be reminded of him,” I say, but she shakes her head.

“No. Well, sometimes, but it’s not fair for me to put that on you. I have to let you live your own life. All I want is for you to be happy, and if playing your music is what makes that happen…”

“It does,” I tell her softly. “I mean, it scares me to death, and makes me want to vomit sometimes singing in front of a crowd, but… When I do? There’s nothing like that feeling in the world.”

Nothing, except being with Sebastian.

My mom smiles and cups my cheek. “Then you should follow your passion,” she says. “Just… Maybe save for retirement, too.”

I smile. “You don’t have to worry. I’m not going to throw everything away and go on tour—it was hard enough getting up to sing today!”

“It’ll get easier,” she promises me. “Your father had stage fright too, when we first met. But the more shows he played, the more he relaxed up there. You just have to fake it ‘til you make it.”

“Oh,” I exhale.Faking it… That’s something I want to put behind me. At least with Sebastian. I look over to find him in the crowd, and Mom follows my gaze.

“Now, there’s a man who you can depend on,” she says fondly. “I’m so happy you found him.”

I am too.

But will that mean anything for us, and the future? I still don’t know.

“Shall we?” Mom asks, offering her arm. “If we leave Phil alone too long, there’ll be no cake left.”

“Heavens,” I laugh. “We can’t have that.”

We rejoin the party,and get started on that dessert table, but just as the sun is setting, and we’re opening another bottle of champagne, a shriek echoes through the party.

“Everything is ruined!”

It’s Daisy, clutching her phone.

“What’s happened?” I hurry over.

“Disaster!” she exclaims. “Someone burned down the gym, and now the reunion is cancelled!”

What?!

Nita and me find each other, and burst out laughing. “Did you…?” I ask, remembering our joke about burning down the school.

“No!” Nita guffaws. “But clearly, someone is on our side!”

“It’s not funny!” Daisy wails. “All that work, the decorations… People have come from all over the country!”

“Shhh,” Jason comforts her. “It’ll be OK. What happened?”

“Someone left a glue gun plugged in,” Daisy exclaims. “It overheated and lit up a box of flower crowns. The fire jumped to the paper rosettes, ran up some streamers and burned the entire gym down!”

“That’s like aFinal Destinationmovie, right there,” I say, still giggling.

“What are we doing to do?” Daisy demands tearfully. “They’ve been planning it for months. Everyone’s ready, and we’ve got no place to go?”

“What about Duke’s bar?” Evan suggests. “That place can fit a couple of hundred people.”

Daisy looks at him in horror. “The bar? This is supposed to be special. Magical. A once in a lifetime event!”

“Once in ten years,” Nita mumbles, and we giggle again.

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