Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 83986 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83986 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
“I have no idea what’s happening,” Ainsley said to me.
“I suspect you’re supposed to go tell Orson to make with the announcements.”
“Ah,” she said, getting up and heading for the front.
“Again,” Ash said patiently as people started crowding around him. “I will be here for the entirety of the wedding. There’s plenty of time to take pictures.”
That seemed to calm everyone, and then, of course, there was the usual high-pitched squeal from the sound system that made everyone gasp before Orson—I assumed it was Orson—said, “Testing, testing,” and asked if everyone could hear him. Lots of yelling back that he was too loud, and then there was the requisite up and down with the volume. I always wondered why that part wasn’t done beforehand. One of life’s great mysteries.
“Hello, everyone,” he started again. “Welcome to the Phillips/Walder wedding. I’m Orson Phillips, the groom, and my lovely bride is…” He made a show of shielding his brow as if looking out across a vast terrain. “Where are you, Bits?”
Bits was even worse than Bitsy. Amazing.
She stood up, waving, thanked Ash again, and then began making her way to the front, passing Ainsley on the way, stopping her aunt to hug her. When Ainsley reached the table, she took a seat beside me.
“I should take the kids upstairs after these announcements.”
I saw that Timothy was passed out on his father’s shoulder. It worked like that with kids. When they crashed, they crashed hard.
“I can come with you and drop Gemma off.”
“Are you sure?”
“He’s sure,” Ash answered for me, pushing my hair out of my eyes. “I have to make some phone calls anyway. I’ll meet you in the room.”
“In the room? No late-night carousing in town?” Ainsley teased him.
“I can’t go out to a club or a bar that doesn’t have procedures in place, like the ones in LA do, without a whole entourage of people.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “If it’s a place I’ve been that caters to celebrities, it’s fine. But I can’t just walk into any bar at night unless I’m in disguise. During the day it’s all right, but never at night. That’s just asking for trouble.”
“You go out in disguise?”
He grimaced. “I used to. I’m not really into that anymore. I’m not the club kid I was at twenty-two.”
“Everything seems so loud,” she told him. “I’d rather stay home and watch TV.”
“Or read,” he added.
“Yes. Reading is the best, with snacks and a blanket.”
“I’m not normally cold enough to need a blanket, but that does sound good.”
I scoffed, and they both turned to look at me. “You two are so old.”
She crossed her arms and glared at me.
“Really? Old?” Ash repeated, drawing my attention.
“I mean, where’s the sex, drugs, and a rock-and-roll man?”
“I’m an actor,” he said, hand on his chest. “Not a rock star.”
“You’re tellin’ me.”
Now it was his turn to cross his arms.
“That’s impressive,” Jeff commented. “You pissed them both off.”
I rolled my eyes. “I thought we were gonna go score some blow, trash some bars, and eat cold nachos in a bowling alley. Paint the town red.”
“It’s after nine,” Jeff mock-gasped. “Are you insane?”
We were all laughing, not one of us listening to the announcements. I did hear that tomorrow there would be shuttles to museums in the morning and for shopping in the afternoon. Tomorrow night would be the bachelor and bachelorette parties.
“Can you go to that?” Ainsley asked. “The bachelor party?”
Ash turned to me and quirked a brow.
“I don’t think so. Drunk middle-aged men who probably want to see how tough you are in real life by taking a shot at you does not sound like my idea of a good time,” I said, glaring at him, which I hoped conveyed my incredulity. “Is there any scenario where I say yeah, let’s do that?”
He studied my face. “I think not.”
“Well, there’s always sightseeing and taking a ghost tour,” Ainsley suggested.
Jeff was looking at her like she’d grown another head.
“Good job, Mom,” I teased her. “Your kids would sleep so well after a ghost tour.”
“Oh dear God, what was I thinking just now?”
“I don’t have kids, but even I know that’s bad,” Ash teased her.
“I think I need some sleep,” she told me.
I only nodded.
SIX
Ash promised me he could go up an elevator without incident, stopping to talk to no one. He had emails to answer, calls to make, and since everyone he needed to speak with was on the West Coast, it was still early for them. When I hesitated, he shot me a look.
“I know you’re a big boy and all, but I was, in fact, hired to protect you,” I reminded him.
“True,” he agreed, stepping in close, leaning in next to my ear. “But as far as I can tell, no one has any homicidal intentions toward me. The worst that can happen is bad pictures getting taken, though that can be terrible as well.”