Lucky 33 (Love in the District #2)

16. Fireworks

CHAPTER 16

FIREWORKS

“ I acknowledge this is dorky, but I got you a present. Happy two months,” Drew said, kissing Amy as she buckled her seatbelt.

“Two months already. Wow. Somehow, it both feels like less and like I've known you for my whole life, all at the same time.”

“I was thinking the same thing. I guess that’s what it’s supposed to feel like with the right person. It should be easy. It should stay fresh but also be a deep connection. Anyway, you have me lecturing right now and it’s summer break.”

Amy nodded but was still stuck on his ‘right person’ comment. I won’t be able to focus if I think too hard about that. I’ll revert to a giddy teenager, and I don’t have time for that. We have a 4th of July party to get to.

“I’m nervous about meeting your friends.”

“Put a pin in that ridiculous insecurity and open your present,” he urged.

She had already forgotten about the gift. He’s so thoughtful. I should have done something for him. She opened the small box to find a silver necklace with a charm of the UVA Rotunda.

“I wanted to commemorate our first meeting. Too on-the-nose? ”

“I love it,” Amy chirped, putting the necklace on. “In fact, I would have picked it out myself. You have excellent taste.”

Drew looked pleased with himself as she examined her reflection in the vanity mirror.

“And I love you,” Drew said, causing her breath to catch. “I hope it’s not too soon to tell you that. I don’t like to play around with my feelings, and I felt it was silly to go without telling you that since I’ve known for a while.”

Wow. I wonder when he knew.

“You don’t have to say it back,” Drew continued quickly. “I just wanted you to know how I feel.”

“Are you kidding me? I feel the same way. I love you too, and I don’t care if anyone else would say it’s too soon to tell you that. We’re adults. We know how to figure out feelings and communicate.”

“We sure do. Amy, you’re the best thing to ever happen to me, hands down.”

Amy couldn’t stop smiling. Her cheeks were going to be sore by tomorrow. Just a few months ago, she had no idea she would end up sitting next to her dream man and telling him she loved him. It was pure magic.

“Now, let’s get going so I can show you off to everyone,” Drew said, pulling her out of her romance haze.

“Right, back to that. What should I know about your friends? Hopefully that they like potato salad,” she said, gesturing to the Tupperware in her lap.

“Everyone likes potato salad, and everyone likes you. There’s nothing you need to know to prepare yourself. Just go in there and have a good time. I won’t leave you to the wolves.”

The party was at a stunning colonial-style home over the Maryland line in Chevy Chase. Drew’s friend was either a higher up at AU or, more likely, with the home prices there, not in academia at all.

The hosts had gone out of their way to create a festive atmosphere, with red, white, and blue bunting attached to the railings of the wide front porch, cozy seating with holiday-appropriate pillows accenting the cheerful wicker furniture, and an ample supply of citronella candles to keep the bugs away. Guests seated on the porch waved to Drew and Amy as they approached.

“Whose house is this?” she whispered to Drew.

“It’s awesome, huh? It belongs to a former Maryland Congressman. He gave a guest lecture in one of my classes a few years ago and we got along so well we stayed connected.”

Amy was in over her head. She hoped it wasn’t a whole party of politicians. That was a risk with Drew’s area of expertise, but she tried to avoid the wonks and politicians in daily life. It was the natural defense system a DC native cultivated.

The guests she saw as they made their way inside and through to the backyard ranged in age, with the youngest being around Drew and Amy’s age and the oldest looking like late middle age. Everyone appeared to be at ease and having a good time. Amy relaxed a little and found a spot for her potato salad.

Drew started the round of introductions with their hosts, John and Clara; the latter greeted them with a warm hug.

“What a fabulous house,” Amy told Clara.

Clara’s eyes lit up. “It was built in the 1930s, so it has some quirks, but I’ve had the best time decorating it. We were fortunate that it was move-in ready. The previous owner did most of the major remodeling work.”

“My mom is really into interior decorating, so I can imagine it was quite a project,” Amy replied, taking in her surroundings.

“Sure was. I need to go check on the entertainment. We found a cute little band to play, so I hope you are wearing your dancing shoes. I’ll find you in a bit so we can get to know each other. It’s so nice to see Drew with a pretty, sweet young woman. I’m glad you were able to come.”

Amy waved as Clara headed off, and she turned back to rejoin Drew and John, who were already deep in a political discussion that she had no interest in. Drew must have sensed that and wrapped up the conversation quickly before leading her off to introduce her to more people.

“Are you close to these people?” she asked.

“I’m social with them and with lots of others. I’ve struggled to form deep relationships since moving to DC. Apparently, that’s common in this town. Lots of transplants, but no real system for everyone to get to know each other,” he shrugged.

She could understand that. This was an area that had a lot of people moving in and out of it. It was rare to meet a native of any part of the metro area. Even with the advantage of being from here, she understood how hard it was to make adult friendships. Everyone was so busy and wrapped up in their career.

Amy excused herself to find the bathroom, and Drew was pulled away by an intense-looking man in his early 40s.

That looks like it’s not going to be any fun. I’m glad I’m taking a bathroom break instead of listening to whatever that guy wants to say.

They were still talking when she rejoined the party and even though they were just a few feet away, she had a hard time hearing what they were saying. She watched Drew discreetly hand the man a small plastic baggie and then look around to see if anyone noticed.

What is that?

She approached them and wrapped her arm around Drew’s waist, startling both men.

“Hi, I’m Amy,” she said, offering her hand.

“Pedro,” he responded, ignoring her outstretched hand. He glanced around, looking squirrely. “Later man,” he said to Drew and slipped away.

Before Amy could ask Drew what Pedro’s deal was or what he’d given the guy, Clara called her over to a group of women to introduce her.

Amy chatted with the group of women and soon forgot all about Pedro. Clara was so kind to introduce her to the wives and girlfriends who had gathered into their own group to catch up and talk about a charity clothing drive one of them was organizing with the Junior League.

By the time it was dark enough to start getting a seat to watch the fireworks that the neighborhood country club was setting off, Amy had met almost everyone at the party. Drew was a man of his word and had stayed by her side all night to ensure her comfort. She was having an excellent time.

“Thirty-three minutes until showtime,” John called out.

Drew and Amy smiled at each other. Drew held up three fingers on each hand. She had never imagined that she would have a lucky number, much less share one with someone important.

John and Clara were experienced party planners. They had rented enough fabric poufs for every guest to have a seat for the fireworks. Amy needed it badly after dancing with Drew for the last hour. The band had been a hit. Most of the guests had taken a turn on the dancefloor that Clara cordoned off on the patio.

Amy was looking forward to the fireworks. When she and Laura were little, they would fight the crowds at the National Mall to watch them, but they had long grown out of the patience needed to go down there and find a spot. She secretly preferred to watch the fireworks on PBS at home in the air conditioning, anyway. But tonight, she would experience them with the guy she loved in a beautiful backyard.

The lightning bugs had started coming out, and John was making the rounds with drinks to ensure everyone was settled. It was almost time. Amy scooted her pouf closer to Drew’s and leaned her head on his broad shoulder. He turned to kiss her hair.

The sky exploded with color, and all was right with Amy’s world.

The long 4 th of July weekend was quickly becoming Amy’s favorite holiday memory. She and Drew had been inseparable. Her final day off was one for the books. It was a clear, textbook summer day, and everyone in town was in a festive mood.

“Jake invited me to hang out with him and his buddy Tim tonight. Is that cool with you?” Drew asked, passing Amy the tube of sunscreen.

“Why wouldn’t it be? You’ll like Tim. He can be a bit of a doofus, but he’s a good guy.” Amy reapplied sunscreen to her nose and leaned back with a satisfied sigh. She and Drew had gotten a day pass for the Hearst Pool and were enjoying a day of sunshine and swimming.

“I’ve also been known to be a doofus, so it sounds like a match,” Drew said, making a goofy face at her.

“Do you know what you guys are doing?”

“Jake said something about strippers and strip steaks.” Amy shot up to a seated position and stared at him wide-eyed. “I’m totally kidding. We’re playing pickleball and then getting something to eat.”

“Sounds terrible.”

“And that’s why we didn’t invite you. I think it’ll be fun. Do you want me to come over after?”

“Of course. Even if you’re back late, it’s fine. Just wake me up,” Amy said, pleased that Drew was forging a friendship with Jake and Tim. That had to be a good sign. He wouldn’t want to get entangled too much with them if he wasn’t planning to stay around long term.

“Amy,” Drew whispered, pushing her hair back and kissing her forehead.

“What time is it?”

“About 12:30. You were passed out. I’ll let you get back to sleep.”

“No, no, I’m up. Tell me all about your night.” She rubbed her eyes and stretched her neck.

Drew told her about the pickleball games and how he thought he could get into them. He was gesturing excitedly and nearly knocked over the water glass on Amy’s nightstand. He told her that only Tim had played pickleball before but still didn't have a lot of experience, so they were all on the same level. Amy had to smile at how exhilarated Drew was about his evening with the guys.

“I met some guy from Jake’s frat, Connor. He joined us so we could have an even number. Kind of a douche, but a fourth is a fourth for a game. He played with Jake, thankfully. From what I could tell, Tim didn't like the guy. He didn’t say anything specific. I just got a feeling.”

Amy couldn’t help wrinkling her nose at the idea of Drew hanging out with Conner. The guy was a hard partier, and from what Laura had told her, Amy knew that there was no substance he hasn’t abused. She hoped he wasn’t the one deciding how their night would go.

Amy nodded. That tracked with what she knew about Jake’s group. “Where did you go after?”

The neighbor’s yappy dog started going wild over something, distracting Drew. He peeked through the closed blinds to find the source. Amy cleared her throat to bring him back to the conversation.

“Sorry. Anyway, the courts are in a sketchy part of town, so we wanted to head back toward Northwest. Conner knows a guy who could hook us up, so we followed his lead.”

“Hook you up? How?” she asked cautiously.

“We went to a place I hadn’t been before, The Crown and Crow. Nice place.” He sniffled and rubbed his nose for a moment before continuing, “It had a Victorian vibe. I think you’d like it. We’ll have to go some time. They had a tavern cat. Have you ever heard of such a thing?” Drew asked.

Amy brightened at the idea of having a drink with a cat on her lap. “No, but I love it.”

“I swear, this little guy knew I was allergic to him and wanted to taunt me. I’m covered in cat hair.” Drew rubbed his nose again .

“Wait until you meet my sister’s cat, Meatball. He’s roughly the circumference of Jupiter and very furry,” Amy laughed.

“Sounds like a fine specimen of a cat,” Drew said, nodding seriously, eyes distant like he was picturing Meatball.

“What did you think of Tim?” she asked, steering the conversation back to Drew’s evening. “He can be a little tough to get to know, but it’s worth it. He is deeper than he comes across at first.”

“I liked him. Oh, I have gossip for you.” Drew flopped on the bed, rolling to face her. “Tim has some secret girlfriend that he won’t discuss. He hasn’t even told Jake about her. It’s a big mystery.”

“Really?” He had Amy’s attention. Laura would be all over that. She and Tim had forged a friendship last year when he helped her get back together with Jake after a bad breakup. She’d have to ask her sister.

“Yep. I wish I could tell you more. I know women like to get the details, but guys tend to be light on them. I’ll keep my eyes and ears open.”

“Thank you, and also thank you on behalf of my favorite busybody, Laura.”

“I’d love to stay up all night yakety-yakking with you, but you have a full day of making the world a cleaner place ahead of you. How about we call it a night,” Drew asked, stifling a yawn.

Amy couldn’t help but yawn back. She’d sleep easier with him back and in her bed and away from bad influences that make her think terrible things.