Christian laughed. “Blaming it on Winnie, huh?”
She smiled. “Yeah, that would sound much better than me being too old for nightclub music. But we won’t be there long.”
“I’d love to join you.”
She knew he meant it.
* * *
The music was felt from the stairwell as if it pulsated the very ground. Winnie turned when she got to the door. Tamyra pointed her back around.
“I really don’t think this is for me,” Winnie protested.
Riley wasn’t sure it was for her either. Not the music, but her body. She had to pull against the railing to even get herself up the stairs, as if her body was washed-out. She tried to act normal as she and Christian walked through the doors of the nightclub. Strobe lights moved to the beat of the music.
“This isn’t Arthur Murray,” Laine said in Riley’s ear.
“No, it sure isn’t.”
“You sure you need to come in here? I’m sure Max would understand if you didn’t think you should.”
“He asked me already. I’ll be fine. Thanks, though.”
Mia was already inside talking to Max and the other guests who surrounded his tables. Drinks were flowing all around, and Riley felt as if she were drowning. Her head was fuzzy and heavy, and the whole scene brought back a lot of memories. She hadn’t been to a nightclub in a long time, where drinks flowed freely, bodies collided, and where, when the lights finally came up at the end of the night and people got a look at what they were dancing with, most ran for cover.
She touched Christian’s arm. “I’ll be right back. I just need to go to the ladies’ room for a minute.”
“Sure, I’ll be right here.”
She walked into the ladies’ room and leaned against the sink; turning on the faucet, she dropped her hands beneath its rapid flow. The coolness of it jolted her slightly. She pulled her hands from the water and patted them softly against her face. She blinked her eyes rapidly, trying to get the blood flowing through the fog.
Mia came through the door and saw Riley standing there, hands pressed against her face. “Riley, are you okay? You don’t look that good.”
Riley shook her head and reached for a paper towel. “Just feel kind of strange. That headache got me, I guess,” she said as she wiped her hands.
“Here, I’ve got this extra-strength headache reliever.” She turned the pill in her fingers. “At least I think that’s what it is. Let’s go out and get you something to drink and you can take it.”
“You know, my head really isn’t hurting that badly anymore. I think I might just need caffeine or something. It’s been a long day. Maybe when I finally sat down, I realized how tired I was.”
“Well, come on, let’s go get you a Coke.”
They sidled up next to the bar, and Riley looked at the amber-colored liquids that lined the wall. She stared at them, remembering.
Mia nudged her, a martini already in front of her. “Riley, he’s asking you what you want to drink.”
Riley hadn’t even heard the bartender speak to her. “Oh, sorry. Could I have a Dr Pepper please? Just need some caffeine.”
“Dr Pepper it is.”
“You sure you don’t want this?” Mia asked, pushing a nondescript white pill in front of her.
Riley’s head throbbed slightly behind her eyes. “Yeah, sure. I still have a little nagger.” When the bartender set the drink down in front of her, she took the pain reliever capsule and chugged her drink, hoping it would give her the boost of energy she needed.
“Thank you. You’ve been there every time I’ve needed you this week.”
Mia patted her on the back. “It’s been a pleasure, Riley. Really, I’m sorry Laine has stressed you out so much this week. That woman is a handful.”
Riley rubbed her head again and laughed softly. “She’s really a great woman. You just have to get her to let her guard down. I’ve become quite fond of her and you, too. You haven’t really told me any of your story, Mia. How did you get here?”
Mia shifted on her stool. Her smile tensed. “My mother . . . well, she felt like I should get out and explore the world. She has really high ambitions for me, you know.”
“Sounds like most mothers.”
Mia’s laugh sounded forced. “Yeah, sure. Most moms are that way. But I was working in the hospitality industry in Sydney and heard about this opening and thought it might be nice to get away from home for a while. Just couldn’t get away from . . .”
Either her words trailed off or Riley just couldn’t focus. She blinked her eyes hard.
“How are you able to come in here tonight with the bar and everything?”
Riley blinked hard again. Her body was beginning to feel even more out of control. She shook her head. “Man, I just feel weird. You sure that was a headache pill?”
“Yeah, it has to be. That’s all I carry in my purse.”
Riley blinked again and looked at Mia. Her vision doubled. She heard her laugh coming as if from across the club. “I feel like I’m drunk and I haven’t had a thing. That will teach me to get more sleep and to not let myself get so stressed out.” She took another drink of her soda and that was when she heard the music change.
The DJ’s voice broke through the intense chatter of the club. “And a special request goes out for some of the ladies in the house. We bring you an old classic, not our typical music flavor, but it is from the icon himself, Frank Sinatra.” The
