Page 46 of Brooklynaire

But Lauren doesn’t answer the question. “Do you need any aspirin? Or a glass ofwater?”

“I guess water is a good idea. I just feel soodd. Like I had ten drinks instead of one.” The bed sinks under my weight and I sigh with relief that I’ve made it thisfar.

Lauren brings me a glass of water from the bathroom. “Look, do you think we should call yourdoctor?”

“No! One glass of champagne can’t kill me. I don’t want to make a big deal out ofit.”

“Are you sure?” she presses. “Nate won’t bemad.”

“Yes, he will!” I yank the comforter down and climb underneath. “I’m just gonna sleep it off. Don’t tellanyone.”

“Okay,” Lauren agrees. “Under one condition. You let me take your key card and come back to check on you in a couple ofhours.”

“Deal.” I don’t really think I’m in any danger, but if Lauren wants to babysit me, it’s her funeral. “Card’s on thedesk.”

Sleep takes me the minute I get the wordsout.

* * *

Ihave nice dreams.

There’s a sale at Bloomingdale’s. All the cashmere is 70% off, and I’m the only one who’s noticed. Everywhere I turn, there are more sweaters. I’m flipping through a rack of cardigans, my try-on pile growing huge, when someone sits down on the edge of the bed and strokes myhair.

But I’m too sleepy to care much. And I have a cardigan with funky buttons to try on. So I turn my face away and continue todream.

“Rebecca,” says avoice.

“Nmrph.” The pillow is my best friend in the wholeworld.

“Bec,” it triesagain.

My subconscious prods me. Lauren had said she’d check on me. But that’s not Lauren’svoice.

I roll over and open one eye. “Nate?” It comes out hoarse. The fact that he’s on my bed in a hotel room ought to seem strange. Butwhatever.

He brushes the hair off my forehead, and his touch is so tender that it wakes me up a little. The brush of his fingertips across my brow feels amazing and unfamiliar. “What’s the matter?” I manage togrunt.

“Nothing,” he whispers. “Just checking onyou.”

I realize what this means. “Lauren tattled onme?”

“No.” He smiles at me in the dark. “I saw you leave the party looking shaky. I was asking around for you and Lauren only told me where you were on one condition—that I don’t yell atyou.”

“Oh.” I yawn, but the truth is I’m awake now. Stretching, I sit up in the bed, leaning against the upholsteredheadboard.

Nate makes a soft sound of surprise, and it takes me a moment to realize that my skimpy lingerie is most likely the cause. I look down and see my boobs looking back up at me, barely covered in lace and satin. But it’s dark, so I’m not too worried. And, hey—if you sneak up on a sleeping girl, you’re going to get a glimpse at herjammies.

“You just woke me up from thebestdream,” I say suddenly, the memory coming back tome.

“Urghl?” Nate coughs. “Really?”

“Yeah.” I lean back with a sigh. “All the cashmere sweaters were on super sale. And there were good colors on the rack. Not just the yellow ones, you know? And I think I saw a sign about a shoe discount. I was going to check that outnext.”

Nate’s eyes widen, and then he laughs. “Sorry to ruin your shopping dream. Just wanted to make sure you were stillbreathing.”

“I feel much better, honestly.” Taking the water glass off the bedside table, I drink it down. Nate takes the empty glass from my hand and goes to the darkened bathroom to refill it. “I’m totally awake now, you jerk,” I say when he returns to hand it back. “What time isit?”

“Twoish.” He sits down beside me on the opposite side of the bed. Then he kicks off his shoes so he can pull his feet up onto the comforter, knees bent. He’s still wearing his tuxedo shirt, but his jacket is missing and his bow tie is hanging loose around his neck. “You’re sure you’reokay?”