Being Audrey Hepburn

“Yeah, like you were once the shy retiring type?”

“Totally.”

“As if.” I couldn’t help laughing. I wondered if I sounded goofy.

“I know you won’t believe this, but I was shy in high school. I played the tuba in the Paterson High band. I was a total dork. Cool kids do not play the tuba. The closest I came to rock and roll was when I did Elvis imitations for my mom and dad, shaking my hips at cocktail parties. Totally embarrassing.”

I could imagine that—he must have been so cute.

“I tried to join the choir,” he continued, “but they said I was too introverted and tone-deaf.”

“So when did you become Jake Berns, rock and roll god?” I asked.

“My older brother was the cool guy. Everyone hung out at his place, and he used to be a pretty good guitarist. The girls were all over him. He worked at a car-repair place and let me help out, although it was kind of illegal. But little hands can get into all sorts of good places when you’re repairing a car. I was working on a front-end brake replacement when Zeke, an old drunk guy who worked there, tripped the jack and the whole four-by-four came crashing down on me and totally fucked up my leg. I was lucky to be alive. And that’s what did it.”

“A broken leg?”

“Yeah, it bent at a forty-five-degree angle to the rest of my body.”

“Yuck.”

“I had nothing to do but lie there in a body cast for God knows how long and teach myself how to play my brother’s guitar. Thinking back on it, I needed that break from the usual routine. What seems like a bad accident turns out pretty well when it’s your moment. It’s happening to you, Lizzy. I can feel it.”

“Are you saying you’re clairvoyant and there’s a broken leg in my future?”

He rolled his eyes, “No, I’m just trying to say be ready. You’re going to make something great happen. I know it. I have a special sense for these things.”

“Lisbeth A

“Come on, smart-ass, let’s get out of here.” Jake grabbed my hand as we got up and then paid at the register. As we walked to the car holding hands, my heart beat faster and faster.

“You’re not recruiting for groupies are you?” I joked nervously, leaning against my side of the car, waiting for him to unlock the door. I happened to know perfectly well that Jake’s band already had all the groupies they’d ever need. What is it about guitars that instantly made a guy five times hotter?

“Groupies? Not really my thing,” he said as he opened my door. I moved to get inside, but his body blocked me. He leaned in to kiss me, his arm sliding behind my back, pulling me close, pressing his lips into mine, soft and slow. I closed my eyes and just gave in, kissing him, too. He turned his hip bones against mine, the car hard behind my back, and I felt like I was melting from the inside.

I pulled away to catch my breath.

“We’re in public, Jake Berns,” I said, still breathing hard. He dropped his head, staring at the ground, a little embarrassed yet unbelievably sexy.

We climbed into the car. I took a few deep breaths, and it occurred to me that maybe I was afraid to see his band, because if I did, I might totally lose myself and fall hopelessly in love with Jake Berns.

“So, I stole Dalton’s drummer and he’s playing with us tonight. A ton of A and R guys are coming. It’s go

Okay, here’s what I was thinking. First of all, Tabitha Eden hadn’t texted me in two days. Maybe she was a flake or maybe she thought I was off jet-setting with Nan. I had absolutely no idea where her party was going to be or if I was actually invited. And it was supposed to be tonight. I’d promised myself I’d do this Being Audrey thing, but in that moment, sitting with Jake, it felt pretty ridiculous. I kept thinking of Jess saying how foolish the whole idea was. It would definitely be stupid to put Jake off for something that might never happen. Maybe, I figured, I should try to get over being all nervous and shy around him. I didn’t want to end up sitting at home with Mom and Ryan. Why did Jake’s big gig and Tabitha’s party have to happen on the same night anyway?

“So? Tonight—you coming?” he asked, playfully looking at me with his smoky-blue eyes. “I’ve got something special I’ve been working on that I want you to hear. First time the band’s going to play it. I think it’s going to be our first single.”

How could I say no?

23

I’d gotten the text three hours earlier and called Jess right away—only it wasn’t from Tabitha. It was from ZK Northcott, Mr. Underwear-Man himself.

“Let’s make it a surprise!” ZK texted. It was the only line I could focus on.

Well, that and “record release event.”

What was the big secret? A surprise for Tabitha? I couldn’t imagine why ZK Northcott wanted to have drinks with me. I did know that I was practically giddy about the idea of walking into Tabitha Eden’s record party on ZK’s arm. And he had my phone number. Interesting.

I wondered if ZK would wear a tuxedo. My mind wandered, picturing him greeting me, giving me a corsage. That was stupid—of course he wouldn’t. It wasn’t prom.

“I would love too ;)” I texted back.

Oh my God. Was this actually going to happen? Grabbing my bag out of the Beast, I headed inside for my shift at the Hole, the most un-Audrey place I knew.

A wall of smell hit me the second I walked through the door—used grease, Pine-Sol, and liquid cheese. It occurred to me that the venues favored by New York’s rich and alluring were always lightly scented with lipstick and orchids. Or maybe it was hundred-dollar bills.

It wasn’t liquid cheese, that’s for sure.

After my two fabulous photobombing fashion appearances, the dreariness of the Hole had never been so acute. Every second I was there leached a little of the light from my soul. Like sequins sucked into a DustBuster.

Shoving my stuff into my locker, I grabbed my pink apron and tied it on. For once, Jess was late instead of me. Ten minutes after our shift had started, she came bounding through the door, dragging an oversize garment bag behind her.

“You finished it!” I exclaimed as I dropped table 14’s order off at the window.

Jess motioned for me to keep a lid on it.

“This dress is freaking spectacular,” she whispered. “The best one yet.”

My skin tingled as I followed her into the kitchen; I was dying to see it. “Should be smashing, my de-ah,” Jess said, limp wristed. “The junior railroad baron will adore you in this dress.”

“Junior oil baron,” I corrected.

“Wikipedia much?” she laughed.

“I already knew that, but I did look up a few of the people I may happen to run into at these things. You know, so I have some idea who I’m dealing with. I don’t want to sound like a total moron.”

“Good thinking.” She hung the garment bag on the coatrack next to the employee lockers and grabbed her apron and tied it on. I yanked the zipper down to get a peek.

“We got customers out here!” Buela yelled from the cash register.

“Come on, let’s not piss her off,” Jess said.

I zipped it back up and walked to the front, glancing back at the garment bag longingly.

As I took an order from table 12, it dawned on me. Jake wasn’t there. Fuck. I had no idea what I was going to say when he showed up. I should have explained the whole thing to him that morning over coffee. Would he have laughed at me? Why was I trying to hide it from him?

Jess and I were superefficient on the floor, hoping to get ahead and go back and check out the dress. But business was slow and slow nights sucked because you ended up watching every tick of the clock and making happy talk with Buela. I offhandedly asked her about Jake, and she said that he had asked for a later shift because he had stuff to do for his gig tonight.