At Last by Ella Stone Read Free Book Online Page B

if on cue, Kevin’s cellphone rang. He grabbed for it, but it fell to the floor--he really was drunk already. He fished it from the floor and looked at the readout.
    “Liz,” he said, answering it with a “Hello.”
    He listened for a few beats before saying, “Ah, nothing really. Just some midnight margaritas.”
    Susan looked around the room for a clock. She was surprised it was so late already. Seemed like she’d just woken up.
    He said, “Not really.”
    Susan could all too well imagine what question he was answering for Liz.
    “Sure,” he said, and held out the phone to her.
    She hesitated. She didn’t remember much, but she knew Liz had been with her through the wedding fiasco. And somehow she knew Cancun was all her idea too. Kevin shook the phone at her impatiently. Obviously, he still didn’t love talking with Liz.
    Susan took the phone, and for a moment she just held it, pondering if she should just hang up. Liz would just call back, and even if Susan smashed the cellphone against the wall, she would find some way of getting a phone to her.
    “Hey,” Susan said tentatively into the phone.
    “Suze, you’re out of the coma! Tell me, was it a deeply spiritual experience or did you just watch reruns of I Love Lucy all day?”
    Susan smiled wryly. “There was Leave It to Beaver and Happy Days too.”
    “Leave it to you to turn a coma into your usual weekend on the couch.”
    Susan felt weird lying to her, but she was sure Liz didn’t need to know about the real life reruns plaguing her mind.
    “So have you even left the room yet?” Liz’s voice broke through Susan’s momentary reverie. “Will I have to pry you out of there with a crowbar when I arrive?”
    “No, Liz, Kevin dragged me out this afternoon. We went paragliding.”
    “Para what?” Liz’s laugh was a little uneasy. “Tell me it wasn’t some stupid sex thing! ’Cause I’ll rip Kevin’s--”
    “No, silly. It was like hang gliding, except with a parachute, and you get towed around by a speedboat.”
    “Oh.” She sounded even more worried, and she got sarcastic. “How did that go, Little Miss Scared of Heights? I remember someone freaking out in line for a ferris wheel once.”
    Kevin was gulping down the last of his margarita, and smiled as Susan said, “No, I didn’t have a panic attack this time.”
    The eyebrow he raised fit perfectly with the “Yeah, right,” Liz muttered over the phone.
    “I mean it, Liz. I did great.”
    Kevin threw his head back and chuckled, mouthing the words, Big, fat liar !
    Susan stuck out her tongue at him, and he laughed even harder.
    “Well, however it happened, at least you’re getting out of the room.”
    “So when are you coming down?” Susan wanted her other best friend with her, needed her there.
    “Two, three days, tops. I’ve got an important showing to get through--busy, busy--then I’m all yours.”
    Susan bit her lip, feeling that warm, wet feeling behind her eyes.
    Kevin saw it, and shook his head. “Sorry, babe, but I’m too drunk for chicks crying right now.” He stood up and teetered back on his heels. “I’m gonna leave you two alone and say good night.”
    Susan sniffled and tried to smile.
    “Pussy!” Liz chided in her ear.
    Kevin walked unsteadily to the back of the suite and took a right into the common bathroom. A couple of seconds later, Susan heard the shower running.
    “Hey, he’s done really well with me crying. You’ve got to give him credit for that.”
    “Sure, sure. He’s a freaking saint...Saint Kevin of the crying woman! I hear the Pope will be inducting him into the Martyr Hall of Fame.”
    “You’re terrible!” Susan said. “I thought you two had a truce going or something?”
    “Or something.” Liz clucked her tongue. “Thank God he finally grew into a stud. Soon he’ll find some nice girl, and they’ll get married and have nice babies, and leave us alone.”
    “What?” The thought of Kevin finding someone was... It made her head