“Yeah he’s a total hockey rockstar,” Tenley says, her flat tone and the roll of her eyes indicating her sarcasm. “I’m coming with you, Liv.”
“Third wheel, much?”
I’m annoyed but deep down in the depths of my soul, the part I’m currently trying to kill with alcohol and bad decisions, that part of me sighs in relief at her declaration.
“Do you know him too?” the guy with Tenley asks. “Could you introduce me?”
“Do you want to possibly get lucky tonight? Or do you want to meet Tater Tot Garrison?” Tenley asks. “You don’t get both.”
Thankfully the guy doesn’t hesitate. “Let’s go.”
Gavin starts leading me through the crowds, off the dance floor, and to a small staircase in the corner. The upstairs of the club is walled off with plexiglass. It has chairs and couches, like the VIP area, but bigger as it runs the whole back wall of the club and is just as packed as the dance floor but less noisy.
I let him guide me to a corner by the bar. I jump up onto a bar stool and hope it looks graceful or at the very least cute. My feet are killing me and I just want to sit down. Tenley slips into the spot between me and the next stool, leaning on the bar. "You okay?"
“Yes,” I whisper back. “Why?”
“Because you aren’t acting like yourself,” Tenley explains what I already know. “Liv doesn’t get tipsy and dance with strangers and try to sneak off with them.”
“I’m not sneaking anywhere,” I argue. “I told you where I was going. And I’m a grown adult, Ten. Older than you. Maybe it’s time everyone started letting me grow up.”
Tenley blinks and her eyes shift to Gavin who is talking to the guy who followed Tenley up here, Tate's fanboy. They're waiting for the bartender to notice them and take their order. She looks back down at me. She's taller than me by an inch or two but tonight she's wearing heels that are two inches taller than mine. She's a freaking skyscraper. "No one wants to stop you from growing up Liv. In fact, no one thinks of you as not grown up. What's going on?"
“I’m just living.” I shrug.
“What will it be ladies?” Gavin asks.
“Water. Sparkling,” Tenley says and looks at me.
“Chocolate espresso martini.”
“Liv, I—” I glare at Tenley and she immediately stops talking and looks away.
The guys order two beers, my martini, and Tenley’s water. Gavin drops an arm around my shoulders. “What hotel are you at? We’re at Bellagio. We each have our own rooms.”
They look mighty proud of that fact. Also, I'm not so naive I don't know if it's an invitation of sorts. "What are you here for?"
“Work conference,” Gavin tells me. “I’m a doctor and I’m here for a medical conference.”
“Doctor?” Tenley interrupts, like she’s part of the conversation. “How old are you guys?”
"I'm thirty," Gavin tells her. He takes a small but noticeable step back as his gaze ping-pongs from Tenley to me. "Why? How old are you two?"
“I’ll be twenty-three next month,” I volunteer. “She’s almost twenty-two.”
His shoulders drop and he steps into me again. His smile is gentle. “That’s cool. I was worried you were underage or something. You live in Vegas?”
“Los Angeles,” Tenley says for me.
“But I’m from Maine.” I always feel the need to tell people that. Maybe it’s because Los Angeles, even after four years of school, doesn’t feel like home yet.
“Silver Bay, Maine,” Tenley’s guy says proudly because of course he knows where his favorite hockey player is from. He is still bursting with excitement. “So, wait, is your dad one of the famous Garrison brothers? Or the brother who didn’t make the NHL? Or are you from his mom’s side of the family?”
“Both,” I volunteer even though Tenley looks like she’d rather we were talking about anything else. “My dad is Devin Garrison, Tate’s dad’s oldest brother. My mom is also Tate’s mom’s sister.”
I can literally see the dude trying to build the family tree in his brain. Tenley sighs as the bartender places the drinks on the bar top. “It sounds incestuous but it’s not. Can we talk about something interesting now?”
Tenley grabs my drink off the bar, leaving me with her sparkling water. I glare at her. She ignores me. The guy is not giving up. “Wait, you’re a Garrison too?”