Chapter Fourteen
Kory
We poured more wine as we sat in the living room. Now I understood why girls had sleepovers so often growing up.
We were all a little tipsy. Devney had resorted to using a straw in her bottle. She’d found some gigantic ones in her bag. As she struggled to get the straw in her mouth, Alexa and I giggled. Devney was slowly coming out of her shell. She’d taken off her shoes and put her glasses aside.
Alexa held up her glass. “A toast: to …”
We waited for her to finish and then laughed when nothing else came out. For the last couple of hours, we’d been toasting anything and everything; the blue sky, penises, orgasms, and carrots. Quite the combination.
My phone rang. I picked it up with a lot of enthusiasm when I saw the name. “How-dy! Hunny! Boo Boo Bear!”
Hayden paused. “Howdy? Boo Boo Bear?”
“Aww, you like your new name?”
The girls snickered, and I couldn’t help but join in. I had no idea where that name had come from. So I took another sip.
Hayden chuckled. “Have you been drinking?”
I looked at the girls. “Psst… Hayden wants to know if we’ve been drinking?”
They shook their heads. “Don’t tell him!”
“Sober as a gober.”
“Gober?” he asked.
Gober? Where the hell did that come from? “Well, it rhymes with sober. Kind of. If you mispronounce it. Just go with it. What should we toast to?”
“Toast to?”
“We need a toast. We’ve done big penises, amazing orgasms, orange carrots, juicy pineapples, furry puppies.”
There was silence for a second.
“Hayden.”
“Orange carrots are important.”
I whispered, “He thinks orange carrots are important, too.”
Alexa fist pumped. “I knew that was a good one.”
“I’m glad you’re having fun. Call me when you wake up.” He paused for a second. “Toast to happy endings, sweetheart.”
That made my insides go mushy. “Aww… this is why I love you.”
“Love you, too.”
I ended the call and lay back in my chair. “I think he bought us being sober as a gober.” That drew more laughter from the girls. “Oh, and we’re supposed to toast to happy endings.”
We all sighed and toasted.
“Hear, hear.”
Devney leaned in to Alexa and me. “I have a secret.”
“Oh, a secret!” I said. So far, I’d decided not to tell her about my situation. Maybe I would eventually. With my fuzzy brain, it was hard to focus on not saying anything.
Devney leaned in further and waited for us to join her. This was going to be good. I loved juicy secrets. Alexa and I were perched on the black leather chairs, anticipating.
Devney lowered her voice and picked up her glasses. “These are fake. Completely fake.”
We fell out of our seats in hysterics.
“What?” Devney asked. “They make me look smart.”
“I—I—I thought you were going to tell…” Alexa could hardly get the words out.
I finished her sentence for her. “We thought you were going to bring up Hollis.”
“I think my secret about my glasses is so much better than my attraction to Hollis.”
Again, for the hundredth time that night, we couldn’t contain the giggles. This was the best night of my life.
* * *
Light streamed in, and I winced against the sunlight. Oh man, we’d had a lot to drink last night. I could smell the wine as if it was oozing from my pores. Or maybe it was the empty wine bottles on the coffee table. Throughout the night, I think we’d drunk everything Devney brought. From the pounding in my head, I knew I’d overdone it. I’d only gotten drunk alone a few times in college because I couldn’t trust myself not to say something that would alert others to how controlling my parents were.
When I stretched, my feet brushed against something. I withdrew them quickly when I felt Devney. We’d slept on our respective sides of the couch. I cracked my eyes open a little more and saw Alexa in the chair, her arm covering her face. We were going to be in rough shape this morning.
The hammer in my head increased, and I closed my eyes against the pain. When we’d decided to call it a night, heading upstairs had seemed like an impossible feat. So we decided to stay downstairs. Now I wished we’d crawled up the stairs. At least there I could draw the curtains and go back to sleep.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
Someone was at the door. Why, cruel world, why? I didn’t want to move. The other two girls groaned.
“I’ll get it,” I whispered.
I opened the door to Drake, who stood there, fresh as a daisy. Me, on the other hand? Well, I felt like I’d been run over and pitched into a ditch. I croaked out, “What time is it?”
He checked his watch. “A little after nine. That was the time for breakfast, right?”
“Oh, shit.” I slapped my hand to my forehead and then groaned loudly from the pain. “I completely forgot.”
He chuckled and came into the house with a box. Alexa walked up to Drake, saving me from my embarrassment. She yawned, “Morning… I hope. My head is pounding.”
From his pocket, Drake brought out a bottle of aspirin. “I also have some Gatorade and donuts in the box. Should help with those hangovers. Well, not so much the donuts, but I figured you probably wouldn’t feel up to cooking this morning.”
“You are amazing. This is why I’m marrying you.”
Alexa and I took some Gatorade and aspirin. Devney hadn’t moved yet. The cool, refreshing liquid helped. At that moment, I’d have done anything to dull the throbbing pain behind my eyes.
Casually, Drake leaned against the counter, a mischievous smirk on his face. “Did you guys happen to drunk text anyone else?”
I gasped.
“Drunk text?” Alexa’s nose scrunched up.
Did we? So much from last night was still a little foggy. The humor in his eyes led me to believe there had been quite the drunk text marathon. “You girls may want to check your phones.”
What did we do? Alexa and I scrambled toward our phones.
Devney was sitting up and rubbing her eyes. “Who’s here this early? My head hurts. What are you guys doing?”
Devney sounded as rough as I’d felt when I first woke up. As soon as we found our phones, she’d need to get aspirin and Gatorade.
“Drake. He said we need to check our phones. Something about drunk texting.”
I threw the blanket on the floor.
“What?” Devney asked, joining the search.
Eureka! My phone had been wedged between the cushions. I opened my text messages and saw the last text was from a group chat. It had me, Alexa, Devney, Hollis, Hayden, and Drake on it.
Oh no. It all started coming back to me when I opened the texts. And judging by the groans from the other girls, they were remembering, as well.
Alexa: Hellooooz to you!
Drake: Hey, baby. You headed to bed?
Alexa: Noo way. The night be young. We gonna keep toasting like it’s hot.
Drake: You drunk?
Hayden: Keep it clean, bro. They’ve got us all on here.
Hollis: I second that. Some things can’t be unseen.
Drake: Who the fuck is on this?
Alexa: Girlz and boyz.
Me: I a girl.
Devney: Me girl, too.
Hollis: I’ll play along. I’m a boy.
Hayden: Hell, I’ll play, too. I’m a boy.
Drake: I’m not a boy. I’m a man.
Hollis: Changing mine to Alaskan man.
Hayden: Alaskan pilot man.
Drake: I’m sticking with man. It stands all alone. No need to fancy that shit up.
Hollis: Man.
Hayden: Man.
Drake: You girls still there?
Alexa: We paused. Wine. I spokes gurl for group. We have secrets to tell.
Drake: Oh, hell.
Hayden: Maybe we should put the phones away.
Hollis: Intervention needed, stat.
Alexa: Nooooo… truths set you free. Beee free!
Devney: FREE!
Me: Let freedom ring!
Alexa: What they said. Wanna hear our psssttt secrets?
Drake: This is going to be good.
Hollis: Or terrible.
Alexa: Hollis equal spoil sport. Drake first.
Hollis: I am not.
Alexa: Are so.
Hollis: Am not.
Hayden: Am I going to have to send you two to time out?
Alexa: He start it.
Hollis: Actually, if you scroll up, you’ll see you started it.
Drake: Go ahead, baby. Tell me your secret.
Alexa: I love you.
Drake: I love you, too.
Alexa: That’s it.
Drake: Perfect. Next person.
Hayden: What the fuck? That wasn’t a secret.
Hollis: This is like watching a train wreck and unable to do anything.
Alexa: Hayden, next.
Me: It’s my Boo Boo Bear!
Hayden: Kory loves me. I love her, too. That’s so sweet. Next person.
Alexa: Haha! Yes, but that not all.
Hayden: Oh, shit.
Drake: Wait, let’s back up to Boo Boo bear.
Me: That’s my name for Hayden. He luuurves it.
Drake: Oh, really. That is good to know.
Hayden: Fuck a duck.
Drake: I’m texting Kane now.
Hayden: Asshole.
Alexa: Focus! This is not about duck fucking. This is about the pssst secrets.
Drake: Go ahead, baby. Continue. Boo Boo Bear is ready for his next secret.
Hayden: Double asshole.
Alexa: Kory wants more. *wink face*
Hayden: Consider it done.
Hollis: I’m going to get some disinfectant for my poor phone and bleach for my eyes. That wasn’t very code-like, Alexa. And I just don’t have anything for Boo Boo Bear. It’s not very… Alaskan. Or I hope it’s not.
Alexa: Let’s got a woot woot!
Me: Woot! Woot!
Devney: Woot! Woot!
Alexa: Hollis, your turn.
Hollis: Let’s pass and say I did.
Alexa: Spoil sport. Or maybe it the lovebug?
Hollis: Like I’ve said before. It’s impossible for the love bug to bite me. The farthest north you’ll find it is in Florida.
Alexa: …
Hollis: What’s …?
Alexa: You putting us to sleep. BAHAHA!
Hollis: You’re so funny. Well cheerio. Let’s call it an evening.
Alexa: You funny, Hollis. We have more psst secretsssss!
Hollis: Why don’t you call Drake and tell him your psst secrets?
Alexa: Hold pleaze. I’m ignoring spoil sportz messages. We’re discussing our pssst secrets.
Hollis: There’s more than one?
Alexa: Duh to the muh! It’s gurlz night.
Drake: This is getting interesting.
Hollis: Or totally boring.
Hayden: I’m popping popcorn.
Drake: Does Boo Boo Bear share?
Hayden: Not with assholes.
Alexa: I make deal, Hollis.
Hollis: Lay out the terms.
Alexa: Extra week off for my wedding.
Hollis: Deal.
Alexa: The tribe has spoken. No more psst secrets. Night, men.
Devney: Night, men.
Me: Night, men.
Devney: I can’t believe he fell for it.
Me: Me either.
Alexa: Me, too! Best plan ever.
Devney: Why are we texting? We’re in same room.
Me: Cuz we’re soooo drunk.
Alexa: True dat.
Drake: Sweetheart, you’re still on the group text.
Hollis: Well played, my friend. Well played.
Alexa: Haha! Oops! I still get it!
Hollis: Of course.
Alexa: Oh, and Devney wants everyone to know … her glasses be fake.
Hollis: Fake?
Alexa: They no worky.
Devney: But they smart.
Alexa: True dat.
Me: True dat.
Alexa: Night, men.
Devney: Night, men.
Me: Night, men.
Drake: Night, baby. I’ll bring by breakfast and some aspirin in the morning.
Alexa: Luuuv you.
Drake: Love you, too.
Hollis: Night to all. And to all a good night.
Drake: Let’s give a special good night to Boo Boo Bear.
Hollis: Night, Boo Boo Bear.
Alexa: Night, Boo Boo Bear.
Devney: Night, Boo Boo Bear.
Me: Hollis: Night, Boo Boo Bear.
Hayden: Night, sweetheart. And to the rest, here’s my middle finger.
There had been another text from Hayden to just me.
Hayden: Sweet dreams, Kory. I miss you and can’t wait to have you back in my arms.
Kory: Miss you, too. Hurry home.
Hayden: I plan to.
“Oh, my word.”
The three of us looked at each other and started laughing all over again.
Devney gasped. “Oh dear. I thought I dreamed about this. Well, it’s out there. My glasses are fake.”
That brought around another set of giggles. Who cared about the pounding in my head? Drake had a smirk on his face. “I’m glad you girls had fun.”
Devney bolted upright, apparently realizing the time. “Oh, dear. I have a music lesson in ninety minutes. I’ll see you guys later. Had a lot of fun.”
“Wait, take some aspirin and Gatorade,” I said.
Devney grabbed both, and in a flash, she was out the door. I waved bye to her from the front porch. I was so glad she’d come. We had connected as friends in a way I never thought possible.
As she drove away, I thought back on our conversation with Devney last night. We’d only had about half a bottle of wine by that point and had still been relatively sober.
We’d moved to the living room after eating dinner. All of us had changed into our pajamas and were enjoying the heat from a low fire burning in the fireplace.
Devney had taken another sip. “Can I get your advice? And it stays between us?”
“Sure,” Alexa and I had replied in unison.
“So… Hollis and I slept together.” Alexa had gasped with this information, but Devney continued her story. “Afterward, I got scared and told him I wanted a relationship with no strings. He seemed okay with it, but then today he said he couldn’t do it.”
Alexa had leaned forward. “So… you just want to be fuck buddies?”
“No, I want that toe-curling love, but I’m scared of what people will think. Hollis has so much money. And I’ve had to take a third job.”
I’d scooted over closer to her. “Devney, what you have or don’t have doesn’t matter. If you like each other, that’s what counts.”
“I guess. I think I’ve just made a mess of everything. Hollis must think I’m crazy.”
Alexa had smiled. “No, I think he likes you, too.”
She’d looked so sad and utterly defeated. “What do I do?”
“Tell him the truth,” I’d said. The truth was always better than the lie. If I hadn’t told Hayden the truth about how I felt, we wouldn’t be together.
For a second, Alexa had just stared into her wineglass. “I probably should take your advice, too, Kory. I’ve been putting off setting a wedding date because I’m scared to ask Ike to walk me down the aisle. Drake mentioned asking him to be his best man, which means he’ll need him, too.”
My heart hurt for Alexa. I hadn’t lost my father, but mine had been cold and distant my entire life.
“I’m afraid that I’m going to wake up and this will all be a dream,” I commented.
Devney had grabbed my hand and then Alexa’s. “Alexa, Drake is amazing and loves you so. Just talk to him. And Kory, Hayden is over the moon for you. I’ve known the Foster men all my life, and let me tell you… he’s smitten as a kitten.”
It was hard to believe I’d been in Skagway for only twenty-four hours yet felt more at home than I ever had in my entire life. People I’d barely met were more like my family than my own flesh and blood.