Why don't you Stay ... Forever - Jennifer Ashley Page 0,23
to wind down. I’m behind her desk, again with the software updates—I’ve had to do so many this week. “Um … I’m thinking about going out tonight. Want to come? If you, you know, don’t have other plans.”
Of course she’ll have plans. She has friends, and her performances, though she told me they don’t do the shows on Fridays. Saturday night and Sunday matinee is all, and in June, the season will be over.
Erin slides a pile of contracts neatly into a file drawer with her slim fingers. I love watching her handle paperwork.
“Okay.” Her effortless response has my hopes rising. “What did you have in mind?”
Austin had suggested everything from a luxurious restaurant to staying home and watching a movie online—I would provide the pizza and snacks. That way, if things start going well, the bedroom’s only a few steps away.
Austin thinks about only one thing. Not that I wasn’t tempted to try it out.
I say the words in a rush. “How about we go dancing?”
Chapter Eight
Ben
Erin stares at me after I make my request, and I realize how lame the idea is. She dances all the time. Why would she want to do it on her down time?
I should have gone with the movie and snacks idea. Austin is better at this than I am.
Erin’s smile flows across her face. “Okay. Sounds like fun.”
I try not to make my relief obvious. “Great. I’ll pick you up? Say seven?”
“I think clubs don’t really get rolling until nine or later.”
I’ve never been to a club, so how would I know?
“We can eat first,” I say quickly.
“Even better.”
“Good.” But wait, there’s more. It was easier to date when I was younger—no one had any money so we just hung out at whatever pizza or burger place was nearby. “Um … where would you like to go?”
Erin’s eyes crinkle behind her glasses. “Wherever is good for me. You pick the restaurant.”
“Oh, sure, no pressure.” If it sucks, it will bring down the evening before we start.
“How about …” Erin scans the menus she collects so my brothers can decide where to take clients out to lunch. “This one. It seems fun.”
It’s part of a local chain, with easy-to-understand food and a patio. I read the menu, noticing the price range lies somewhere between cheap and stupidly expensive. “We can try it. If it’s bad, we’ll blame my brothers.”
“It won’t be bad. Looking forward to it.”
My family begins to stream out of their offices, ready to hit their weekends. They all have plans. Ryan and Calandra will do what newlyweds do—curtain shopping or something, plus sex. Zach and Abby will do what engaged couples do—wedding planning and sex. Austin, probably just sex.
Austin pauses at the desk and taps the top of it with his fists. “Later, kids.” He saunters out.
Erin finishes shutting down the office for the night. I do the same on my end. If any computer glitches occur over the weekend, guess who gets the whiny texts about it? I decide that if any glitch happens tonight, I’m ignoring it. Plenty of time to fix whatever in the morning.
Erin and I are the last to leave. She locks the door, like the responsible employee she is.
I walk her to her car. Since no one is around, parking lot empty, I kiss her lightly on the lips. “See you later.”
“Yes, you will.”
I love how jazzed I am as I get into my truck. She drives out first, me hanging back to see that she leaves safely. Then I crank up my sound system and sing along with T-Bone Walker, badly, at the top of my lungs all the way home.
The restaurant is decent, which I think relieves us both. We like it enough that we tentatively say we’ll come back. Together.
We hit the club and that’s when things change. What was I thinking? This is Austin’s kind of place, seriously out of my comfort zone. Erin looks apprehensive as we walk in, and I say bad things about my brother in my head.
The club is jammed. It’s cavernous, with a high ceiling. Bright lights shine on the dance floor, where bodies gyrate up and down. The floor is ringed with tables on three shallow tiers, receding into darkness, with a bar snaking along one of the side walls.
It looks like people come here in packs, clusters of girls together or a mix of men and women. There aren’t many couples alone.
I hold tightly to Erin’s hand as we make our way to