One Night of Trouble

“Hey,” she said as he hopped to his feet. “Where the hell were you tonight?”

She tried not to convey just how annoyed she was, but jeez, she did not like being stood up. She’d been ready to leave the party an hour after she’d gotten there, but she’d hung around at the pub for two extra hours waiting for AJ to arrive. Two hours of listening to Jessica babble on about makeup and shoes. Two hours of watching Jordan get drunker and drunker, a state that never failed to lead to an argument between him and Jessica. Which it had. A very loud one, too.

And she got home to find AJ hunkered down on her doorstep like a street urchin?

“I waited for hours,” she said accusingly, her annoyance spilling over before she could stop it.

“I’ve been calling for hours,” he shot back. “Why didn’t you answer your phone?”

“Because it died right after we talked.” She scowled as she rummaged in her purse for her keys. “Seriously, dude, what the hell happened to you? Jordan was bummed that you didn’t show.”

“Oh, I showed,” he mumbled.

Brett yanked her key ring out of her bag. “You did not. Trust me, I’d know if you did. Unlike you, I was actually there.”

“You sent me to the wrong place,” he said darkly. “I’m still trying to figure out if it was an honest mistake or if you were pulling a prank on me.”

Her irritation dissolved.

Cue: confusion.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She strode inside and flicked the light switch, then kicked off her heels and spun around to face him. “I think you might be pranking me.”

“Ha. Says the prank master.” AJ glared at her. “I went to Donnelly’s, Brett. You weren’t there.”

“Of course I wasn’t.”

“Ha!” he said again. “See?”

“Because Jordan’s thing was at Donaghy’s.”

“You said Donnelly’s.”

“Nuh-uh, I said Donaghy’s. Do-na-ghy’s.” Her victorious smile faded when she noticed the miserable look on his face. “Why? What happened at Donnelly’s?”

“What didn’t happen at Donnelly’s?” was his muttered response.

Without another word, he stalked to the kitchen and rifled through her fridge like he owned it. He pulled out a bottle of Heineken, the last of the six-pack he’d brought over the other night, then twisted off the cap and took a hearty swig.

Brett watched his strong throat as he swallowed. She frowned when a flash of silver winked beneath the overhead light.

“AJ…” She spoke in a cautious tone. “Is that glitter in your hair?”

“Yeah.” He chugged some more beer. “The stripper was throwing it around during his set.”

Brett fell silent.

She had no clue which part of that sentence to deconstruct first.

“I’m sorry, but did you say stripper?” She paused. “His set?” Another pause. “What exactly did you do tonight?”

He set down the bottle, and his cheeks hollowed as if he were grinding his molars. “I went to an engagement party for Liam and Steve.”

Brett pressed her lips together. Fought hard not to laugh. “Ah. Okay. And who are Liam and Steve?”

The teeth grinding continued. “Just a couple of dudes.”

“Uh-huh. I figured as much. And how did you meet these ‘dudes’?”

“Well, I went to Donnelly’s”—he shot her a dirty look— “like you told me to—”

“I said Donaghy’s!”

“—but you weren’t there, and there was a mix-up at the door when I gave them your name. Turns out there was a Brett inside, except it was a man, and he was like seven feet tall and wicked-terrifying.” AJ’s breath spiraled out in a rush. “The next thing I know, I’m surrounded by a bunch of guys celebrating their friends’ engagement, and then Man Brett wouldn’t take no for an answer and pulls me onto the dance floor. But he ended up being a really nice guy, and—”

Brett lost it.

A howl of laughter ripped out of her throat as her body doubled over in hysterics. She couldn’t even focus on AJ’s face anymore, because tears were running down her cheeks.

“Oh my God. You danced with him?” Every word popped out in the form of a wheeze.

AJ’s tone took on a defensive edge. “He was a good dancer!”

“And then a stripper showed up?” she wailed between giggles.

“Quit laughing at me, woman. And no, the stripper was later.”

“Later?” She clutched her side, howling again. “How long were you there?”

“A few hours.” AJ shrugged. “After the dancing, Man Brett and Frankie talked me into a darts tournament, so we did that for a while—I won, by the way—and then it was time for the speeches. Son of a bitch, you would have bawled your eyes out during Liam’s speech. So fucking poignant.”