Page 79 of 300 New Year's Eves

She takes a sip and eyes him over the rim, but instead of her usual judgmental glare, she’s smirking at him. “No.” She laughs. “You might piss me off sometimes, but even I have to admit there’s a good guy in there somewhere.”

Sergio wraps her in a hug. “Thanks, Rose. I promise. I’ll be good to him.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Rose pushes him off and then takes another sip of her champagne. “Now go help your boy; he’s being tortured by that blowhard, Chadwick Levinson.”

Sergio grabs his whiskey neat and Jeremy’s sparkling water with a twist of lime. “On it!” he says and walks away, weaving through the crowd as Holden jumps onto the stage and says into the microphone, “Alright, everyone, grab a glass of champagne, the countdown starts in less than a minute.”

“Here you go,” Sergio says, handing Jeremy his drink and inserting himself in the space between Jeremy and Chadwick.

“Thank you,” Jeremy says, as his shoulders relax, and his lips lift into a smile of relief.

“Sorry, that took so long. Rose had some words for me.”

Jeremy, bringing his drink to his lips, says, “All good things, I hope.”

“She seems to be coming around.”

“I always told her you weren’t so bad.”

“Is that so?” Sergio asks as Holden starts the countdown from the stage with a “Ten!”

Jeremy leans in close. “It’s definitely so.”

“Nine!”

“Are you saying you were hoping we could start over this week?”

“Eight!”

“I’ll admit it was on my mind.”

“Seven!”

“What about the hereafter?”

“Six!”

“We’ll have to see what tomorrow brings.”

“Five!”

“And what if there is no tomorrow?”

“Four!”

“Don’t be silly. There’s always a tomorrow.”

Three!”

“Well, in case there isn’t. I’m going to need another kiss.”

“Two!”

“I think I can give you that.”

“One! Happy …”

Chapter sixteen