Queen of Babble

I wedge a pillow over my head, keeping my eyes tightly closed.

“Whatever it is,” I say, “I don’t want to know. Seriously. I’m exhausted. Go away.”

“You’ll want to know this,” Shari assures me, prying the pillow out of my hands.

When she’s successfully lifted my only protection from the bright sunlight spilling into my bedroom, I peer at her through my puffy eyelids and say, in tones of great hostility, “This better be good, Shar. I was up till five in the morning working on that stupid dress.”

“Oh, this is good,” Shari says. “Luke dumped her.”

I just stare at her. “Who?”

“What do you mean who?” Shari hits me in the head with the pillow she’s taken from me. “Dominique, you idiot. He just told Chaz, who told me. And I rushed up here to tell you.”

“Wait.” I raise up to my elbows. “Luke broke up with Dominique?”

“Last night, apparently, after we all went to bed. I thought I heard them fighting, but the walls in this place are so thick-”

“Wait.” This is seriously too much for me to handle on a diet-Coke-buzz hangover. “They broke up last night?”

“They didn’t break up,” Shari says gleefully. “He dumped her. He told Chaz he finally realized they wanted totally different things in life. Also that her tits were fake.”

“What?”

“Well, that’s not one of the reasons why he broke up with her, of course. It’s just something he said in passing.”

“Oh my God.” I lay there, trying to figure out how I feel. Mostly I feel bad. But maybe that’s because I’ve only had, like, three hours of sleep, total.

“It’s my fault,” I say finally.

Shari looks at me as if I’m insane. “Your fault? How is it your fault?”

“I told Luke’s mom what Dominique told us…about him wanting to be a doctor. And I also let slip that stuff about turning this place into a lipo-recovery hotel. I bet she said something about it to Luke. His mom, I mean.”

Shari gives me a very sarcastic look.

“Lizzie,” she says, “guys don’t break up with their girlfriends because their mom doesn’t like them.”

“Still,” I say. I feel terrible. “If I had kept my mouth shut-”

“Lizzie,” Shari says, “Luke and his girlfriend were having problems way before you ever came along.”

“But-”

“I know, because Chaz told me. I mean, the woman has six-hundred-dollar flip-flops. Come on. Get over yourself. It had nothing to do with you or anything you may or may not have said to Luke’s mom.”

I digest this. Shari’s right, of course. It would be way conceited of me to think that what had happened between Luke and his girlfriend had anything to do with me.

“I knew they were fake,” I say at last.

“I know,” Shari says. “I mean, they never moved. Like when she was waving.”

“I know!” I cry. “Whose boobs don’t jiggle when they move? When they’re that big, I mean.”

“So you know what this means,” Shari says. “You’ve totally got a chance with him after all.”

“Shari,” I say, feeling alarmed. Because I know I’m only going to get my hopes up for nothing. “He hates me. Remember?”

Shari frowns. “He doesn’t hate you.”

“You said he was bitter.”

“Well. Yeah. He did sound kind of bitter about you last night.”

“See,” I say.

“But that was before he dumped his girlfriend!”

I flop back against the pillows. “Nothing’s changed between him and me since last night, though,” I say to the ceiling. “I still accused him of telling you about my thesis. When he totally didn’t.”

“Well, here’s a brilliant idea. Why don’t you try apologizing to him?”

“It won’t change anything,” I say, still speaking to the ceiling. “Not if he’s still bitter. And he probably is. I know I would be, if it were me.”

“Actually, you wouldn’t. But that’s another issue. Look, there’s no doubt in my mind you’re going to have to do some groveling,” Shari says. “But come on. Don’t you think he might be worth it?”

“Yes,” I say. “Of course.” I think about that day on the train, how kind and patient and fu

The way he’d insisted I’m brave, in spite of all the evidence to the contrary.

And my heart lurches with longing.

“But, Shari,” I say, “there’s no point. I mean, look at-”

The door to my room thumps open and Chaz sticks his head in, looking a

“Excuse me, ladies,” he said. “I know it’s fun sitting around gossiping about my friend Luke. But has it occurred to either of you that we have a WEDDING WE PROMISED TO HELP SET UP?”

Which is how, an hour later, I find myself carrying around a tray of mimosas, offering welcome libations to the thirsty-and cranky-hordes gathered on the lawn for the wedding of Victoria Rose Thibodaux and Craig Peter Parkinson. It’s much hotter than anyone anticipated it would be, and the men are all sweating in their suit jackets and ties while the women are using the wedding programs to fan themselves. The wedding is supposed to start at noon, and by all indications it actually will. The minister-imported all the way from the bride’s own church in Houston-has arrived, as has the florist, the wedding cake, and even the string quartet that will march in the bride (Satan’s Shadow still refusing to play covers, including Lohengrin).

Even the bride, to everyone’s surprise, is actually ready, and is rumored to be waiting coolly in the house for the strike of twelve.

I wish I could be doing anything coolly, but I’m basically a mess. That’s because I still haven’t seen Luke yet. Well, I mean, I’ve seen him-he’s ru

But never once has he come anywhere close to me, much less even glanced my way.

I can totally understand why he’s angry-I mean, bitter-with me.

But the least he could do is give me a chance to explain.

“Is there alcohol in that?” Baz, Satan’s Shadow’s drummer, asks me as he points at the glasses I’m carrying.

“Yes,” I say. “Champagne.”

“Thank God,” Baz says, and grabs two glasses, downs both of them, and puts them back on my tray empty. “It’s frigging hot out here, huh?”

“Well,” I observe politely, “at least you’re dressed for it.” Vicky’s brother’s band has, as far as I can tell, opted to eschew the dress code by wearing shorts, flip-flops, and, in the case of Kurt, the keyboardist, no shirt.

“Man,” Baz says, “have you seen Blaine?”

“I have not,” I say, my attention wandering. That’s because I see Luke nearby, helping an elderly woman in one of the folding chairs Chaz and he were apparently up at seven in the morning setting in rows to form an aisle down which they’re about to unroll a white carpet.

Baz follows my gaze and, spying Luke, raises an arm. “Luke!” he yells. “Yo, over here.”

No! Oh God, no! I want to have a word with Luke, of course, but not like this…a private word. I do not want our first meeting since that unpleasant scene the night before to be in front of anyone-particularly not a drummer named Baz.

“Yes?” Luke asks politely as he comes over.

As usual, the sight of him causes my pulse to flutter like a tween at a sale at Claire’s. He just looks so gorgeous standing there in the sunlight with his broad shoulders and freshly shaved face and, oh God, wingtips. Shiny, newly polished WINGTIPS!

It’s all I can do to keep from dropping my tray.

Why did I have to do something as stupid as accuse him of telling Shari about my thesis? Why, just because I can’t keep a secret, do I go around assuming no one else can, either?

“Dude, have you seen your cousin Blaine?” Baz asks Luke. “Nobody can find him anywhere.”

“I haven’t seen him,” Luke says. His gaze, I can’t help noting, is on mine. Though I can’t for the life of me read what’s going on behind those dark eyes. Does he hate me? Does he like me? Or does he ever even think about me at all? “Has anyone tried his room? Blaine’s a late sleeper, if I remember correctly.”