“Oh,” I say again, at a loss for words. Reed hit on a married woman? And not just any married woman, but his best friend’s sister-in-law? I’m well aware Reed’s always liked the ladies, but, come on, there’s an entire planet of women who’d fall at his feet. There was no need for him to hit on Josh’s sister-in-law.
“Oh, Georgie, no, no,” Kat says, apparently reacting to the look on my face. “Tessa wasn’t even Ryan’s wife back when Reed flirted with her! She wasn’t even Ryan’s girlfriend!” Kat cackles with laughter. “My brother, Ryan, is a lunatic when it comes to his wife. A crazy-man with a grudge. Reed did nothing wrong. Tessa was single and fair game when he flirted with her. It was at our destination wedding in Maui, and everybody was hitting on everybody.” She laughs uproariously, and I exhale with relief.
More conversation ensues, drink orders are taken by some dude, and more people arrive. First, the three guys of 22 Goats—Dax, Fish, and Colin—waltz in, nearly making both Alessandra and me pee in the pool. Shortly after that, the actor Keane Morgan and his cute documentarian wife, Maddy, arrive, along with their two best friends... who, get this, are none other than former Disney-star-turned-pop-star, Aloha Carmichael, the woman Alessandra and I both watched on It’s Aloha! throughout our childhoods, plus, Aloha’s bodyguard-husband, Zander.
More drink orders are taken. Music begins blaring out of hidden speakers. And, suddenly, we’ve got ourselves a legit pool party.
At first, I’m nervous and stiff around so much star power. And Alessandra is a mute. But soon, it’s impossible not to loosen up in this easygoing group. We find out Keane’s wife, Maddy, is the younger sister of Henn’s wife, Hannah. We find out Kat is the one who introduced Henn to Hannah—that Kat used to work with Hannah in Seattle. “The minute I met Henny,” Kat declares, “I knew he’d fall ass over tea kettle for Hannah!”
With the group looking on and laughing their asses off, Keane tells Alessandra and me a long, twisted, bizarre story about the day he first met Zander when they got stuck together in an elevator at a porn convention... before finally bursting out laughing at our expressions and telling us, no, actually the pair met in math class in eighth grade.
And on and on it goes, with music blaring and cocktails flowing all the while. And through it all, I find myself feeling more and more relaxed and like myself, despite all the glamour and star power around me. Even Alessandra begins to find her groove after a while. Mostly, thanks to Fish, the lanky, shaggy bass player of 22 Goats, with whom she’s now chatting in a corner of the pool.
“So, do you mind if we talk about my interview of 22 Goats for a second?” I ask Dax.
I’m standing in the shallow end of the pool with him and his sweet wife, plus, Colin and his adorable girlfriend. Also, Josh and Kat, and Henn and Hannah. Behind us, Zander, Aloha, Keane, and Maddy are playing an enthusiastic game of chicken.
“Sure,” Dax says. “Reed mentioned you’re trying to come up with unique angles for all your interviews?”
“That’s the idea,” I say. “For instance, with Dean Masterson, I’m going to hang out with him at his house in Malibu. I’ll watch him surf. He’ll make me some stir-fry and show me some personal photos. I’m hoping to be able to write something really different about him than the world has seen before.”
“That sounds cool,” Dax says.
“You guys could show Georgina around Seattle,” Kat suggests. “It could be an ‘origin story’ type thing. You could show her where you guys used to rehearse in Mom and Dad’s garage. And where you used to skateboard. I have a thousand photos I could show you, Georgie.”
Dax says he’s in favor of the idea, and his drummer, Colin, agrees.
“Should we ask Fish if he’s okay with it?” I ask, glancing across the pool at Fish and Alessandra.
“Nah,” Dax says. “Fish is always cool with whatever.”
And, just that fast, it’s settled: In the near future, I’m going to spend the day in Seattle with 22 Goats!
“You should stay with Josh and me when you come,” Kat says. “That way, we can hang out and relax while I show you all my photos and tell you all the stories the Goats would never want you to hear.”
I laugh with her. “That sounds amazing, Kat. Thank you.”