“You want what you lost, is that it?”
I shrug. “Maybe. Or maybe I want to spend a couple of hours with someone I know I have a connection with. What’s wrong with that?”
“Nothing, man. I will never understand your emo moody ass, but the women dig ya. Go get Natalie, bring her up here. I want to see what ten years has done to her.”
With that, I walk out of the apartment, down the hall and to the elevator . . . and wait.
4
Natalie
As soon as I got out of the elevator, it took a while for it to really sink in on what just happened. I never thought I’d see Brennan McLean again and then there he was, right in front of me. I waited outside of Emerson’s door, leaning against it while I recollected every single thing Brennan and I talked about tonight. Yes, he’s famous now, but to me he will always be just Brennan, the guy I fell in love with back in high school.
The door swings open behind me and I shriek as I lose my balance.
“Oh my God,” Emerson laughs as she steadies me, “there you are.” She grabs one of the six packs of beer out of my hands before they fall to the floor.
I turn around and slap a hand to my chest. “You scared me.”
Emerson giggles and I can tell she’s already had a little too much to drink. She’s wearing a glittery gold top that shows off her shoulders that also goes along with her skinny jeans and gold heels. Her blonde hair is in long curls down her back and her makeup is absolutely perfect. She’s gorgeous and here I am in a sweater and snow boots.
She grabs the other six pack of beer in my hands and passes them to the first person she finds behind her. It’s a guy I’ve never seen before, but he had the build of a police officer. He has to be one of Callum’s friends. In my mind, I groan. I’m supposed to meet one of his fellow police buddies tonight.
Emerson flings her arms around my neck. “I was coming out into the hall to call you. It’s much quieter out here.”
The sound of music makes its way outside, but I hear more voices than music. My eyes widen when I see all the people in the apartment. Granted, she has a large home, but there are people everywhere. I recognize some of them from the hospital, but there are a lot I don’t know.
“Did you invite the whole city?” I ask with a laugh.
Emerson lets me go and glances back at the crowd of people. “I’ll probably never have another New Year’s Eve off ever again. Callum and I thought we’d start this new year off with a bang.” She turns back to me and takes my hand. “Come on. Let’s get you a drink.”
She pulls me inside and drags me down the hall to her bedroom. “Where are we going?”
She looks at me over her shoulder. “You think I’m going to leave my good wine out for everyone to drink?”
When we get to her bedroom, she shuts the door. “You can leave your stuff in here if you want.” I take my coat off and set it on the bed. My hair is a mess so I run my fingers through it as best as I can. On her dresser are three bottles of her favorite Riesling wine. One of the bottles is almost empty. She picks it up and pours the rest into an empty wine glass she has set to the side.
“I wanted to wait on you to start, but you took forever to get here.” She fills my glass to the top and carefully hands it to me.
“Maybe it’s because someone had me stop by the store,” I say, taking a huge sip of the wine. And because I ran into one of my ex-boyfriends who also happens to be famous now. Other than people I went to high school with, no one knows about my past with Brennan. I doubt anyone would believe me anyway. I’m not the glamorous type he goes for now. Scrubs are my daily wardrobe and I usually leave work with blood on my clothes. Not exactly part of the rich and famous crowd.
Emerson holds up her glass and taps it against mine. “Thank you for going to the store. You’re here now which means we can party. Also, Zeke’s ready to meet you. I think you’ll like him.”
I try to appear excited to meet him, but all I can think about is Brennan. My phone is in my back pocket, but who am I kidding to think he’ll call. He’s probably at Jordan’s party getting drunk and hooking up with women. Plastering on a smile, I salute her with my glass and take another huge gulp. I’m going to need it to get through the night if Zeke turns out to be a douche.