Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 94624 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 378(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94624 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 378(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
“Well, they’ve all been friends since, like, kindergarten.”
“You’re kidding.”
I shook my head.
It was funny, but all the adults were watching the boys and Hannah, who was sitting on the counter, legs crossed, out of the way.
“Aunt Sandy brought tiramisu,” Hannah announced.
“Oh, I love tiramisu,” Kola said, smiling over at her a moment.
Her arms were crossed tight, like she was giving herself a hug, perhaps just a bit overwhelmed, and Michael put a hand on my shoulder.
“What?”
“I knew if I brought her here, it would be the thing to do. You always smooth the way, Jory. You’ve been doing it since Sam brought you to the house the very first time.”
“That’s a nice thing to say,” I told him.
“I have my moments,” he said and then, “we’re going to have a lot of fun at my bachelor party in Vegas.”
“I can’t wait,” I said, and glanced over at Sam, who was shaking his head.
So, there we were, in Vegas, for Michael’s bachelor party, having gotten there on tickets that originally were a gift from the kids to Sam. I promised my husband that if we used the tickets for the party, that we could take a three-day trip somewhere else this year. He made me write that on a sticky note and sign it and made Aja sign as a witness. He can be ridiculous.
Anyway, we got there early Friday morning, checked into the Venetian, only to be put on the third floor with a view of pipes. It looked like some kind of renovation. And the suite was huge, which was unneeded, but more importantly, there was a buzz.
Now, I can sleep through practically anything but Sam’s snoring, which only happens when he’s either sick and very stuffed up, or he’s had a lot of drinks. Neither happens often. Sam, on the other hand, cannot handle any noises that are not common to our house.
For example, he can sleep through Chilly snoring, which can get loud for a twelve-pound cat, and through Dobby whimpering, which I always wake up for, through the kids coming up and down the stairs, the house settling, and dogs barking outside. The buzz, I already knew, being there for mere moments, was not going to work.
We had to call the front desk, they called maintenance, and when Ronnie arrived—lovely man with a thick New Jersey accent—he agreed that yes, the noise was coming from something outside, and no, it was not going to stop.
Our new room was not a suite, but a very nice one on the twenty-second floor with a lovely view of the strip and more than enough space for the two of us. When you walked in, there was the bathroom to the right, then further in, also on the right, a king-size bed with night tables on each side, a closet, and a dresser that the TV sat on. There was some decorative scrolly metalwork and a short pillar, then two stairs that led down to where a cute living room area was, with a couch, a love seat, a comfy chair, coffee table, and then by the window, a chaise, and across from it, a desk with a sensible chair that matched. I loved everything about the room. Sam liked the view and the bed that he threw me down on. I will be truthful and tell you that after that, I didn’t really notice the room again until much later.
The other ten men and Michael did not arrive until late in the afternoon, which left Sam and me time to walk around the shops and have a really nice lunch at The Buffet at Wynn. I thought it was the buffet at the Wynn, but apparently, it’s a whole thing. I didn’t care, I ate far too much, Sam indulged more than I did, and then we walked it off. Unfortunately, Sam and I don’t gamble, so that part is lost on us. I am only a good card player when it comes to Three to Thirteen or Gin Rummy, or, of course, Uno. And I know that’s not regular cards, but I include it here for purely informational purposes.
I found Hannah a pink Ciel bunny, which is basically an animal covered in crystals that opens. I paid a bit more than I should have, but it was super cute and she collected rabbits. They are for fertility, and after I nearly passed out when she told me that, she explained that she meant fertility of creativity and focus. I swear to God, I did nearly pass out.
When I finally met up with Michael and his entourage—Sam had run into a store to look at sunglasses for Kola since his had gone to Paris with Finn accidentally—I was introduced to Sandy’s two brothers, Chip and Buck. Now, Chip was a nickname, and I understood that, but Buck was actually short for Buckley. Neither the short nor long version are good, in my opinion.