Page 95 of One Week Wingman

“Aww, they’re being protective,” Callie agrees. “But I’ll have a word, see if I can get Dash to relax. I know you’re his little sister, but…”

“I’m not so little anymore!” Piper exclaims.

I sit back, and eat my cheeseburger, happy to let them chat around me. It’s the first distraction I’ve had from my heartache all week, and it’s a relief just to nod along with the jokes and gossip.

“Wait, you’ve known them all forever, right?” Jenn asks, looking over.

Piper nods, digging into her club sandwich. “Since Dash met everyone in college. They’d come hang out with us in Palm Beach during vacations, hogging the remote and eating all the good snacks.”

“What was Austin like, back then?” Jenn asks.

“And Charlie?” Grace pipes up. “Any embarrassing stories, or photos? Please, let there be photos!”

Piper laughs. “I can definitely dig some out,” she says. “Think trucker hats and baggy denim.”

“No!” Grace splutters with laughter.

“Oh yes,” Piper gives a mischievous grin. “Flynn was into this whole bleached tip skater-bro look for a while, even though I swear he never even owned a skateboard. And Sebastian—” she stops. “Shit, sorry, Roxy,” she says, looking over at me. “I know, we promised.”

I force a smile. “It’s fine. You don’t need to apologize. He’s part of the group, we can’t just pretend like he never existed. What were you going to say?”

Piper looks reluctant. “Just that he always played the whole dashing Mr Darcy thing.”

“He does that really well,” I agree, feeling a pang. “And don’t the women of New York appreciate it? They’ve been all over him at the bar.”

I catch some quick glances between the other girls. “If it helps, Austin says he’s been miserable,” Jenn offers.

Callie nods. “Dash agrees.”

“Sebastian said that?” I ask, feeling a traitorous flicker of hope.

They pause. “Well… not in so many words,” Callie admits.

“But anyone can see, he’s just in denial. Drowning his sorrows,” Piper pitches in quickly.

I exhale. “It’s OK,” I tell them gently. “You don’t need to try and make me feel better. The man hasn’t even spoken to me since our big reunion fight. I had to take the bus back from Connecticut, squished up against some guy who was six-foot-five, and had an all-cabbage diet, from the smell of it.”

“Eww,” Jenn says. “And also, I’m so sorry.”

I give a shrug, not wanting to give in to my emotions. “OK, I lied, let’s go back to pretending like he doesn’t exist.”

“Done!” Piper exclaims brightly. “So did you find out anything else about that audition?”

“What audition?” Grace asks me.

I wince. Another topic of conversation that isn’t exactly top of my list.

“There’s this local band, they’re auditioning for singers,” I admit. “But you know, it’s not a great time for me. I’m still finding me feet with the whole ‘public performance’ thing, and I’ve got my music teaching, and work, and—”

“Those are just excuses!” Piper insists. “You need to feel the fear and do it anyway!”

“What did I say about pep talks?” I say wryly.

She grins. “This is different. This is about your passion.”

“I know, but… It’s way too early to think about auditions. These guys are really good,” I add. “I’ve seen them play a bunch of shows. It would be seriously arrogant to think I could just waltz in as a frontwoman with zero experience.”

“Arrogant, or ambitious?” Callie offers.

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