Phil stared back at her, puzzled.

“Your mom was supposed to come alone…and I didn’t know where she’d want to sit…,” Bee trailed off, frustrated by her own explanation. She paused and then asked, “How do you know Hannah?”

“We’re in the same movie,” Phil said, grinning as he lifted himself from the ground and wiped his bloody hands on his pants. “Listen, give Matt’s mom a hug from my mom, okay? Barb was really good to my mom when we needed her. She’s a great lady.”

“Sure,” said Bee, bewildered. “Is your mom okay, by the way?” she asked politely.

“She’s got a cold tonight, but otherwise she’s great. She still lives in Matt’s old neighborhood, and she has a nice boyfriend now. A police captain.” Phil took a deep breath. “I guess she’s doing really great,” he finished emphatically.

Pleased with himself, he smiled at Bee again and started toward the parking lot before she could respond. “Congrats, by the way,” he called to her just before swinging his car door closed and starting the engine.

Vicki

“So, is Rochester, like, in Buffalo?” Jimmy Fee’s girlfriend, Jennifer, asked from the front passenger seat of the Sebring.

Jennifer was possibly better looking than Jimmy Fee. She had auburn hair that reached halfway down her back. She was skinny but curvy and wore a tight green dress and glittery eye makeup. She walked effortlessly in shoes that were taller than Vicki’s.

Vicki wanted to play Hannah’s casting game and choose an actress to play the beautiful Jennifer, but in Vicki’s dazed state she couldn’t think of any actresses’ names. This woman should be a model, Vicki thought. Jennifer was perfection, her nipples poking through her dress, their round tips pointing toward the sky.

Jennifer had befriended Vicki shortly after Vicki and Jimmy Fee returned from the tower, fully dressed, with Jennifer’s purse in hand.

“This is Vicki. She’s gonna ride back to the hotel with us,” Jimmy had said, taking Jennifer’s hands in his and kissing her cheek. Vicki nervously wiped her mouth as Jimmy placed one hand on Jennifer’s rear and said, “Let’s dance, baby.”

Jennifer had turned to Vicki and shouted, “Come with!” As Vicki tried to say, “No thanks,” Jennifer then grabbed her hand and one of Jimmy’s and pulled them both onto the dance floor. They’d made a triangle as they started a tired dance to the wedding band’s cover of the Usher song “Yeah.”

“Can you hear me?” Jennifer now shouted from the front seat of the car.

Vicki shook her head, finally responding to Jennifer’s question. “Rochester isn’t very far from Buffalo, but Buffalo is a different city. It gets more snow.”

Vicki put her hand up to her forehead as she looked out the backseat window and considered her situation.

Joe hadn’t even looked at Vicki or said good-bye after he’d discovered her midintercourse. He’d simply retrieved Hannah’s bags and hurried back to the reception. Vicki felt a pain in her chest, acknowledging to herself that the man with whom she’d spent much of her evening probably thought she was irresponsible and promiscuous. She’d caught him eyeing the dirty condom at Jimmy Fee’s feet. She’d been mortified.