“Which book?”
“I don’t remember.”
“Ugh!”
We both laugh, and Kathy downs the rest of her drink and practically inhales a basket of pretzels sitting on the bar.
“Any screaming babies?”
“Of course,” she says. “One of them was in the seat across from me. Honestly, screaming babies don’t bother me. I don’t have to deal with them, and I kinda feel sorry for the parents. Teenagers on a plane—they are the really obnoxious ones. They’re always leaning over the aisles, sprawling out in their seats, and fucking around with the window shades. The chick in front of me, who was airsick before we even took off—she was all kinds of fun.”
I try to pace myself on the drinks. I can’t keep up with Kathy—she has obviously had a lot of practice since I last saw her. I hoard the pretzels and, when the time comes, order something carb-filled for dinner.
We laugh. We cry a bit. We hug a lot. We drink more. At the end of the evening, we have to hold each other up as we get off the elevator, laughing and stumbling our way down the hall. It takes both of us to use the simple keycard to open the door, and we practically fall into the room.
“I miss you so much,” I say as I fall onto the bed.
“Aww, I miss you too!” Kathy flops down on the other side, rolls over and hugs me. “I wish I was a lesbian so I could show you how much I love you.”
I laugh. The room is spinning, so I close my eyes. Kathy pokes my shoulder.
“Kera?”
“Hmm?”
“How big is it?”
I hold my hands up, eyes still closed.
“Holy shit. That’s big!”
“It’s sooo big!”
The fits of giggles continue until we both fall asleep.
Chapter 20
Room service breakfast-in-bed makes a morning almost perfect.
“Happy birthday!” Kathy starts to sing as she places the tray across my lap, but I quickly silence her with a piece of toast.
The eggs are nice and greasy, soaking up the alcohol from the previous day. There’s a ton of butter for the toast, too. Strawberry jam gives it just the right amount of sweetness.
“I can’t believe I don’t have a headache,” I say as I munch.
“Remember all that water I kept making the bartender refill?” Kathy asks. “That’s the trick, you know—hydration. Constant hydration. You learn these things when you get drunk in nursing school.”
She turns on the morning news, which we ignore almost completely in favor of the food and conversation.”
“Seems like this Deklan guy has surprised you.”
“He has.” I nod as I finish chewing. “He’s really very sweet though a bit paranoid and overprotective. He’s very much a ‘my way or the highway’ kind of guy, but if I choose my timing just right—like I did about getting a job—he can be reasonable about most things.”
“You haven’t shown me a picture of this guy,” Kathy says. “You said he was attractive.”
“You know, I don’t have any. Deklan’s very opposed the use of phones in general, and I’ve never taken a picture of the two of us. There wasn’t a photographer or anything at the wedding. I think Sean’s sister might have taken a couple of candids. Maybe I can ask her sometime.”
“But he’s hot?”