Ricky was just walking into his apartment when his phone rang. "Yo Big Red, how's everything?" he asked as he threw his keys into the key dish next to the door and toed off the ridiculous loafers he wore to class every day. Nothing like being in school where you have to dress like a professional.

"Dude, can you get EJ and put me on speaker?" asked his best friend, a slight shake in his voice.

"Sure. Is everything okay? Shit, did something happen to Ashlyn?" Ricky asked, suddenly very worried about what his best friend was going to tell him. "EJ, get out here!" He rushed through the apartment to bang on his roommate's door.

"No, Ricky, calm down, Ashlyn is totally fine. I just wanted to talk to two of my best friends. At the same time."

Ricky let out a relieved exhale. "Good grief, man, don't scare me like that!" He walked to the living room and dropped onto the couch.

"What's with the racket?" EJ asked, coming out of his bedroom dripping wet and covered by just a towel, his hair soaked.

"Ugh, dude, it can wait for you to put clothes on, I'm sure!" Ricky groaned, and he heard Big Red laugh nervously on the line.

"Did he come running from the shower again? Sorry."

"Yep!" Ricky answered his best friend, before looking up at. "EJ, Big Red's on the phone, said he wants to talk to both of us."

"Well, I'm here, put him on speaker," EJ insisted, grabbing the phone from Ricky and dropping onto the couch next to him.

"Great, now the couch is soaked," Ricky muttered as EJ put the phone on speaker.

"Red, we're both here, what did you need both of us for?"

"I'm going to propose to Ashlyn."

Ricky and EJ looked at each other and grinned. "Congrats dude, that's awesome!" Ricky said.

"Yeah, it's about time, you guys've been together since high school!" EJ agreed.

"She'll say yes, right?" Red asked, and Ricky could definitely hear the nerves in his best friend's voice now.

"I'm sorry, what did you just say?" EJ asked, a mix of confusion and amusement on his face.

"Dude, I know for a fact that you and Ashlyn have discussed marriage dozens of times over the eight–nine?–eight years of your relationship. And she's always said she wants to marry you."

"As her favorite cousin, I can confirm that she definitely wants to marry you. She'll say yes."

"You're right. We agreed that we would get engaged a year after school, and we're now a year out of school."

"Exactly, dude," EJ said, rolling his eyes and shaking his head at his friend.

"So what's your plan to propose?" Ricky asked, and Big Red instantly started explaining some convoluted plan involving a dance class, a red carpet, and a cardboard cutout of Dolly Parton.


After talking to his two best friends, the next person Big Red called was Carrie Wilson, Ashlyn's roommate when she was in Los Angeles. He checked Ashlyn's location on his phone to make sure she was really on the set of her current project before hitting the FaceTime button.

When Carrie answered the call on the third ring, she immediately rolled her eyes. "Are you really wearing tie dye? It's not the 70s anymore, Big Red."

Big Red laughed. Carrie always had something to say about his Slices uniform. But he also knew that she adored the shop, thought their pizza was amazing, and had definitely flirted with the assistant manager the last time she was in town. "Carrie, I actually need your help with something. And no, it's not with my restaurant's uniform."

"Oh wow, you're serious. What's up? What do you need?" Carrie's voice had instantly shifted from cold and disinterested to warm and concerned, just like he knew it would. Carrie had been hard for Ashlyn to get close to, but when she had chased Carrie's ex away from her in a bar a few months after they met, Carrie decided Ashlyn was a keeper and had been one of her most loyal friends ever since. Except for a couple of the old Wildcats gang.

"It's nothing bad, don't worry. It's kinda the opposite, actually. I'm planning on proposing."

Carrie squealed and jumped up off the couch where she had been lounging. Red watched the screen shake like crazy for a minute before she finally calmed down and started carrying him to the kitchen. "Red, that's amazing! I'm so excited for you guys! Ashlyn is so in love with you. What can I do? How can I help?"

"I have some ideas for her ring, but I want you and Gina's opinions. EJ's going to fly home this weekend to come with me, but you and Gi know her taste in jewelry better than he does. So, can I FaceTime you from the jewelry store?"

"Red, of course you can! Just give me half an hour's notice so I can hide from Ashlyn before you go." Carrie took a quick sip from a glass of water before continuing. "I'm really happy for you guys. And I know you'll be really happy together."

"Thanks Carrie. You're a good friend."


Gina was already on the phone when she saw that Big Red was calling. "EJ, you were right, he's FaceTiming now. So, I should go, but we should catch up soon! It's been forever since we really just talked!"

EJ laughed, "Gi, it's been a week. But yeah, we should! FaceTime coffee date tomorrow morning? My treat!"

Gina laughed too. "You don't need to treat; I can buy my own coffee. But yeah, that sounds great. 7 your time still good for you?"

"Always, talk to you then."

Gina hung up the phone just to answer again. "Hey Big Red, I hear you're proposing, what can I do to help?"

Big Red rolled his eyes fondly. "EJ called, didn't he. Ugh, just like him to ruin my fun surprise."

Gina laughed. "Dude, it's not like we haven't all been expecting it. Ashlyn has been talking about marrying you for years. She'll be thrilled."

"Well, I hope I can surprise her. When she went off to school to become an actress, we agreed we would try to emulate Dolly Parton and Carl Dean, so I've got a bit of a Dolly themed proposal in store."

"I'm sure she'll love it, whatever you do. That woman has been head over heels for you since high school." Big Red blushed a little, which Gina found ridiculously endearing.

"Well, what I need the most help with right now is choosing a ring. I already called Carrie, but I was hoping you guys could both FaceTime in with me when I go to the jewelers? EJ said he would catch a flight home this weekend to come with me, but I need female perspective as well."

"Red, anything you need, I'm there. I can even fly back for the weekend if you need me to. I can fake a stomach bug on Friday after a show, and my roommate would totally cover for me if the director got suspicious. She owes me."

"You're a little scary when you get so intense like that," Red said with wide eyes. "But I don't want you to miss any work. Just FaceTime will be perfect."

"Well, you got it! Now, I'm about to hop on a train, so I'll probably lose cell service. Talk to you later?"

"Of course! Thanks Gina! Be safe in the big city!"

"I always am! Bye Red!"


A couple weeks after Big Red proposed, Ricky got a text as he was walking to his car after class. Apparently it was a group text with Big Red, EJ, and Red's cousin Nick, who Ricky had met dozens of times over the years.

Big Red: Hey guys, I've got a favor to ask.

Big Red: It's for the wedding.

Big Red: Nick, you're my closest cousin, practically the brother I didn't have. EJ, you're Ashlyn's favorite cousin, which means you're about to be my cousin too, not to mention we've been good friends for years. And Ricky, you've been my best friend my whole life.

Big Red: EJ, Nick, will you guys be my groomsmen?

Big Red: And Ricky, will you be my best man?

Big Red: I don't think I can get married without you guys. I definitely won't survive my wedding without you.

EJ: Red! I am honored! Of course I'll be a groomsman! I'm so happy for you guys, and I'm glad you're officially joining the Caswell family!

Nick: Same! Congrats Big Red!

Ricky smiled at the text thread. It felt like an accurate picture of their friendship over the years.

Ricky: I've got your back, man. Always. Even if it means I have to wear a suit.

Big Red: Thanks, guys! You're the best!

Big Red: Now Ash will probably add you to a bridal party group text once she asks her friends to be bridesmaids.

Big Red: She says it'll be easier than trying to communicate with you separately.

Ricky: Whatever, man. It'll be great, I'm sure. Whatever will make your lives easier.

When Ricky made it back to his apartment that evening, EJ was making a salad with more enthusiasm than usual. "Hey man, how was work today?" he called as he kicked off his shoes.

"Ugh, we had a series of promos for Chicago Metro Schools' Model UN program, and the actors they hired to be in it were older than I am," EJ complained as he chopped lettuce. "None of them looked remotely like they could be in college, let alone high school. But the producers didn't care. If they think this is going to convince high schoolers to participate in Model UN, they should really have gotten people who look like teenagers. But is that really what you want to talk about?"

Ricky chuckled. "You're excited to be a groomsman, aren't you?"

EJ's eyes went wide and he waved the knife around in one hand and half a head of lettuce in the other. "I can't believe he asked me! I'm so excited! What does it entail to be a groomsman? I've never been one before!"

Ricky approached carefully, reaching for the knife. "It's just about supporting the couple however you can. I was Mom's 'Man of Honor' for her wedding to Ray, and that mostly meant helping with invitations and following up with vendors and going to a cake tasting. And yeah, their wedding was super small in comparison to whatever I'm sure Ashlyn's dream wedding is, but it's the same principle."

"Yeah, I'm sure you're right. Just in case, I'm gonna do some research, too."

"By research, do you mean invite Julie over for a wedding movie marathon? And FaceTime Gina in, if you can manage it?"

EJ shrugged. "Sometimes that's the move. Besides, wasn't Julie in that wedding last year? She has lived experience that I plan on using to my advantage!"

Ricky snorted. "Yeah, I wouldn't exactly say she was 'in' a wedding, more like she crashed a wedding by mistake and bonded with the bride on the dance floor and then sang with the wedding band when the real singer nearly choked. It was memorable, and it's a great story, but it's probably not the kind of experience Red and Ash are hoping their bridal party will have."

"Fair point. But I know Gina's been in a wedding. Her brother got married last year, and she was one of the bridesmaids."

"Speaking of Gina, are you gonna use the wedding as an excuse to finally ask her out?" Ricky asked with a slight smirk.

"I would choose not to dignify that with a response except that Gina and I discussed weeks ago that we would be each other's plus one so we don't have to find one, since we're both too busy to date at the moment."

"Ahh, so instead of asking her out like a man, you chose the coward's way out by making it a 'just friends' thing, even though you've been in love with her since high school," Ricky summed up with a snicker.

"For the record, I do want to ask Gina out–"

" –yeah, I know–" Ricky interrupted.

EJ cleared his throat and gave Ricky a dirty look. "I do want to ask Gina out, but I also haven't seen her in person in almost two years. And being platonic plus ones was her idea. My plan is to remind her how great we were together back in high school and then sweep her off her feet at the end of the night, and then hopefully take her out for risotto the next day or something. My plans aren't solidified yet, but you get the gist."

"You're still on about that risotto date? I'm pretty sure she's tried risotto by now, dude."

"That's not the point, and you know it! The point is I want her to remember that I'm still that guy who was really into her in high school, who she really liked, too. And we never did get our risotto night."

"Eej, I hate to break it to you, but none of us are the same people we were in high school. If we were, do you think that you and I would be such good roommates? No way, sorry man, but you can't convince her that you're the same when you're just not."

"But I'm still–"

"You're still EJ Caswell, but who cares a lot more about his people than he used to, who's a lot more down to earth than he used to be, who's still a total dork but no longer pretends not to be, who's way more comfortable failing now than he used to be, who's dated several women since your only kiss with Gina right before you graduated, but has secretly compared every one of them to her anyway. And I bet you can think of dozens of ways Gina's different now too, since you guys are best friends and all."

EJ cut his eyes over to his roommate. "I still want to take her out for risotto."

Ricky laughed. "I get it, it's sentimental and romantic. Just don't get so wrapped up in what you guys used to be that you lose sight of what you are now. You can build a really great relationship on the friendship you guys've had for the last however many years, ya know? It doesn't just need to be about the girl you liked in high school, it should be about the woman who's still your best friend."

"Huh. That was actually… wise, Ricky. Thanks."

"Um, you don't need to sound so surprised. Also, you're welcome."


As Gina walked into rehearsal one morning, she got a text from Ashlyn.

Ashlyn: Gi, I sent you a package that's supposed to be delivered today. I need you to FaceTime me before you open it!

Gina: Sure! I'll call you the minute I get it.

Ashlyn: Perfect!

Gina was greeted by her fellow chorus members as she made her way to the barre for warm ups, and she promptly forgot all about Ashlyn's mysterious package as she started her workday.

When she made it back to her apartment with her roommate-slash-castmate Allie, there was a cardboard box sitting on the ground outside their door. Allie picked it up excitedly before pouting and handing it to Gina. "It's for you, Miss Regina Isabella Porter." Allie said in a gently mocking tone. "I didn't know your first name was actually Regina."

Gina shrugged as she turned her key in the door. "Eh, I'm not a big fan. I like to keep things short. I've only ever told a couple people my full name, actually."

"Oooooh, including EJ?" her roommate asked, complete with a suggestive eyebrow shrug.

"Yes, including EJ," Gina said with a sigh and a dramatic eye roll as she made her way into their apartment. "We've been best friends for, like, a million years. Of course EJ knows. Plus, I lived with his cousin for two and a half years in high school. I went on their family beach trips and their family reunions. His whole family knows practically everything about me. His cousin is like the sister I never had. And I think this package is from her. She texted this morning about something being delivered today."

"So open it!"

"I have to call Ash first. She made me promise." Gina carefully set the box on their tiny kitchen table and reached for her dance bag, digging through the side pocket for her phone. As soon as she found it, she scrolled through her contacts to hit the FaceTime button next to her best friend's photo.

"Gi! Hey!" Ashlyn squealed as soon as she answered the call. "The box came?"

"Yep, it was waiting on our doorstep when Allie and I got home from rehearsal," Gina said with a grin. "So, can I open it now?"

"Of course! Go on!" Gina set down her phone, leaning it against her water bottle so she could still see Ashlyn.

Gina used a key from her keychain to cut the tape on the box. "So how was your day, Ash? Is that super-secret big project of yours going well?"

Ashlyn rolled her eyes and shrugged. "My co-star is super immature. But he's a talented actor, so no one cares. But he keeps making all these snide comments about me and Big Red. Like he knows anything about our relationship. But Nini's working on a song for it for me, so she stops by occasionally. That helps."

Gina got enough tape off the box to pry it open and was met with lots of sparkly purple tissue paper. "Okay Ashlyn, what's this?"

"Keep opening! And then I've got something to say," Ashlyn responded with a coy smile.

Gina pulled huge pieces of tissue paper out, revealing a square black box, a jar of hand lotion from a local artisan in Salt Lake, and a flash drive with her name written on it. "Ash, what is all this?"

"Gina Porter, you swept into Salt Lake City and shook things up almost ten years ago. While at first you were little more to me than a scheming castmate who threw my cousin through a loop, eventually you moved in with me and became my roommate, my best friend, my soul sister. We've been through a lot, and our friendship has endured storms both literal and figurative, distance, and my family's insanely dramatic beach trips. Almost no one knows me better than you do, and I can't imagine getting married without you by my side. Will you be my maid of honor?"

Gina's eyes filled with tears and she nodded at her best friend through the phone. "Oh my gosh, Ashlyn Moon Caswell, of course I'll be your Maid of Honor! Ugh, I wish I was with you in person so I could give you the biggest hug!"

"Well, I'm flying up to New York next weekend to see your show, so we'll hug then! For now, look at the bracelet! I want you to wear it at the wedding, but also I just want you to see it. Yours was by far the most fun to do!"

Gina opened the small box and gasped. "Ashlyn!" She picked up the dainty bracelet and held it close to her eyes. "These charms are stunning!" There was a feather, a ballet shoe, a music note, a mixing bowl, an apple, a violet, and what looked like–"Ash, is this a cheese charm?"

Ashlyn laughed. "I wanted to make sure you remembered that sometimes, the best choice is four-cheese! You don't need to get any fancier than that."

Gina groaned. "I'm never going to live that down, am I?"

"Never!" Ashlyn responded with a chuckle. "Now, really quick, can we talk about whether EJ has asked you to be his date to the wedding yet."

"Ugh, not you too!" Gina groaned, gathering her things and heading to her room to avoid the obvious eavesdropping of her roommate. "No, EJ has not asked me anything of the sort. But we talked the other day and agreed to be platonic plus ones. Since he and Jenna just broke up, he said he wasn't looking forward to trying to find someone, and you know with my hectic schedule it's hard for me to meet anyone at all."

"Okay Gi, for the record, EJ and Jenna went on maybe six dates total, and that ended like three months ago. We're planning on a wedding in roughly six months. Any normal person who was actually looking could find a good enough wedding date in that time frame no problem. It's obvious he wants to go with you, but he doesn't know if you want to go with him. Also, you're a gorgeous, talented, triple threat performing on Broadway. I know there are straight, single guys who are definitely into that in one of the biggest cities in the world. You could find someone too, if you wanted. Can't you guys just cut the crap and admit you want to be together?"

"Ashlyn, please stay out of it. EJ and I may be a mess, but we'll figure it out. It's hard when we never see each other in person, so I thought it might be lower stakes if we agreed to just be platonic dates. But I'm cautiously hopeful that unless he finds someone between now and then, when we're finally together in person we'll be able to really decide if we can or even still want to be more than that."

"Ahh, so platonic dates was your idea. Interesting. Well, if you insist, I'll stay out of it, but know that I'm rooting for you two crazy kids to grow up and talk about the lingering feelings that you've had literally since high school. But like I said, I'll move on. I did have another date-related question for you: Ricky is trying to find a date. We had a whole conversation about it last week when he came to visit his dad for the long weekend. There's this girl in one of his classes who wants to work in rehab clinics and she's super cute and fun and I think he really likes her. Should I warn Nini?"

"Oooh, that is a good question. I mean…" Gina pulled her sweatshirt over her head. "Their break up is ancient history. Ricky definitely moved on, and Nini did too, right? They've both had serious relationships since then."

"That's true… But I would want to know if my childhood sweetheart was going to bring a date to an event I was gonna be at."

"Well, considering you're about to marry your childhood sweetheart, I don't think that'll be a problem," Gina teased. "But if you think it'll bother her, then just let her know. You see her every few weeks, you could just casually mention it the next time she asks about how wedding planning is going."

"This is true. And it's not like I'd be betraying Ricky's confidence, right?"

"Did he tell you about rehab girl in confidence?"

Ashlyn scrunched her face as she thought about it. "I don't think so. It can be kind of hard to tell with Ricky. He tells me and Big Red everything, but he doesn't always tell everyone else. And I never know what he has or hasn't shared with others."

"Well, I would assume that casually mentioning that he's planning on bringing a date won't be a betrayal of his confidence, regardless. Most people bring dates to weddings."

"True, true! Thanks Gi, you're the best."

"Of course, Ash! I love you!"

"I love you too! I'll see you next weekend!" Ashlyn blew Gina an exaggerated kiss through the phone and then hung up the call.


A few weeks later, Julie pushed open the door to Ricky's apartment. "Gentlemen, there's a lady in the house!"

"A lady? Did Flynn come too?" Ricky teased from the couch.

Julie rolled her eyes as she set her full grocery bags on the counter. "I guess someone doesn't want any of my incredible vegetarian chili mac, huh?"

"Oooh, Jules, did you just say vegetarian chili mac?" EJ asked.

"Ah yes, EJ, my favorite brother," Julie answered back with a grin as she ducked her head into the living room. "Yeah, I'm making vegetarian chili mac–that is, as long as you guys don't mind me borrowing your kitchen and maybe crashing here tonight? Kate kept me up all night last night with her crazy video games. Like, you know I have nothing against gaming, but you don't need to shout at the other players. Especially if they can't hear you because you don't even have a mic."

"Julie, I don't know why you ask. You cook and crash here at least once a week. We don't need an explanation anymore," EJ answered. "Especially when you cook."

Julie laughed as Ricky added. "You're always welcome here, Jules. Even though I'm deeply offended that I lost favorite-brother-status to a man who isn't even your brother."

"Actually Carlos Molina is my favorite brother, since he's my only actual brother," Julie called over her shoulder as she made her way back to the kitchen. "Although Ricky Bowen, you're the best stepbrother I've ever had, and EJ Caswell, I've never had a better stepbrother's roommate. And really, that means you're all my favorite in your own ways!"

"And you're sure you don't want to go to law school? With logic like that, I bet you'd fit right in!" Ricky quipped as he followed her into the kitchen.

"Ugh, no way!" Julie answered in disgust. "I'll leave law school dreams to EJ, thanks. I'm still a musician, thanks in part to you. You can't take that back now."

Ricky pulled the fridge open and pulled out a beer. "I wouldn't want to. Your gift needs to be shared with as many people as possible." He came up behind where she was rinsing vegetables and pressed a brotherly kiss to her cheek before reaching for a glass from the cabinet behind her. "Someday, you're gonna wow the whole world."

"Thanks big brother. I'll settle for my voice teacher this week, though. My performance midterm is coming up."

"You should really just stay here the rest of your semester, Julie," EJ called from the couch. "You know you'll rest better in a decent bed and without a crazy difficult roommate who plays Call of Duty until 2 am. Plus, Ricky drives to campus every day, so you'd have a definite means of getting there and back."

"Yeah Julie, that's a good idea," Ricky agreed enthusiastically.

"I'll be fine, guys, honestly. I like living on campus. And dorm life isn't so bad. Especially when Kate spends the night elsewhere, which is most of the time."

"Well just know that you're always welcome to crash here, okay Jules? We've got your back." EJ answered emphatically from the living room.

"Thanks, you guys're the best," Julie answered with a gentle smile as she pulled her earbuds out of her pocket and tucked one into her right ear.

She worked quickly and efficiently for fifteen minutes or so while the guys watched the latest episode of The Bachelor, until she went to put the rest of her vegetable stock back in the fridge. "Who in the world is Elias Redonovich?" she asked with a chuckle when she saw an elegant wedding invitation hung there under a pizza-shaped magnet. EJ snorted.

Ricky grinned. "That's my best friend, Big Red. Remember him? He came with me to Mom and Ray's wedding, and he's been up to visit a couple times since I moved to Chicago."

"Oh yeah, your Flynn, but you guys are skate rats instead of singers. He's cool."

Ricky laughed at the comparison. "Yeah, he's my Flynn and very cool. Well, that's him, and he's marrying Ashlyn, EJ's cousin. EJ and I are in the wedding party."

EJ was still chuckling. "I had no idea Big Red's name was Elias. Dude. I'm never gonna call him anything else for as long as he lives."

"Eej, how did you not read the wedding invitation for your favorite cousin?" Julie asked incredulously as she finished tidying up the kitchen.

"He asked me to be a groomsman way before they sent out save the dates, let alone invitations. I'm in the wedding party group text with all the wedding info. I haven't needed to read the invitation," EJ said with a wide-eyed shrug. "Now when will the chili be ready?"

Julie rolled her eyes as she dropped onto the seat next to him. "You're ridiculous, Caswell. And the chili has to simmer for like 10 minutes before I add the pasta and then it's another 6 minutes or so. So, like, 20. Now what'd I miss?"

Ricky looked at her with a strange look on his face. "Hey Julie, would you want to be my plus one to the wedding? I'm pretty sure my high school ex will be there, and I could use the support."

"Oh, because your roommate-slash-other best friend won't be enough," EJ teased, giving Ricky a curious look all the while.

Ricky rolled his eyes. "No one beats family, sorry Eej. Besides, she's technically your ex too, so I think we could both use some extra emotional support."

"Ooomph, bringing that up was low, Bowen," EJ answered in a mock-offended tone. "But also, you have a point. Julie, please be Ricky's date? We need you!" He begged.

Julie laughed at her boys' antics. "I'd love to be your date. The semester will be over by then, so I could take a few days if you wanted. I'd love to finally meet Gina in person, not to mention hang out with Mike. You know he's the best."

"Now, before you agree, EJ and I are both groomsmen, so we'd have to leave you alone for a while. You'll be okay, right?" Ricky asked cautiously.

"Richard, I am a grown woman. Of course I'll be fine." Julie looked utterly unimpressed with his apparent lack of confidence in her ability to socialize.

"Perfect."

Ricky smiled widely and turned back to The Bachelor, but EJ noticed a sparkle of mischief in his eye and discreetly sent him a text.

EJ: What are you planning?

Ricky: You remember Big Red's cousin Nick?

EJ: Seriously? A set up? You know Julie will hate that if she finds out.

Ricky: So she just can't know. It'll be fine. When have my plans ever not worked?

EJ: (eyeroll emoji) the list is too long.


Nini flopped onto the couch in Jamie Porter's fancy LA office. "Okay, give it to me straight. How many of the tracks did the execs find even remotely tolerable?"

Jamie laughed from his desk. "You always act like they can't stand your work. You know the executives love your songs. Sometimes, they don't think they fit your style and ask you to give them to other artists, but I don't think you've ever written a song that they absolutely refused to record."

"And? How many of my own songs are they going to let me record for my next album?" Nini pushed.

Jamie set down the file he was flipping through and looked at her. "Almost all of them. I think Brad wants to make "Desert Rain" into a Sunset Curve song, just because it fits the mood of the rest of their first album so well. But you know Luke, he's even more stubborn about his music than you are."

"Ohmygosh, Luke! That's a great idea!" Nini bolted upright and reached for her phone.

"Sorry, you think giving Luke your song is a great idea? You usually hate that kind of thing."

"No, no, I do hate it." Nini waved one hand at him as she opened a new text and began typing. "But I need a date to my friend's wedding back in Salt Lake next month. I was hoping that Jeff wouldn't turn out to be as much of an asshole as he is and that I could bring him, but that's not an option. And I can't go alone because my high school sweetheart is bringing, like, the girl of his dreams or something. I don't actually know, Ash didn't actually say who she was. But I refuse to be the one who looks lonely and pathetic. And Luke is hot as hell and can be pretty charming when he wants to be."

Jamie laughed. "I don't think anyone who's won a Grammy can look pathetic at the wedding of old friends. But Luke is a great choice, as long as there's someone else who can talk music. You know he barely talks about anything else."

Nini shrugged as her phone dinged. "That's fine, they're all artists in some way or another, they all know how to talk–Yes! He's free! Thank goodness! I just got a wedding date!"

"So, now that that's settled," Jamie said slowly, "can we get back to what you actually came in for today? Discussing your next album?"

"Right, of course! Sorry. Um, I'm down to collaborate with Sunset Curve on 'Desert Rain,' but that one's actually pretty close to my heart, so I don't know if I can give it up altogether."

Jamie nodded and started jotting down notes in the file in front of him. "Okay, I think Brad and the others could make that work. Maybe let it be a single from both of you, but let them put it on Curve's album?"

"I accept your terms if Luke does," she answered with a small grin. Odds were good Luke would fight having a song written by anyone else on his album, but Brad and the rest of the label executives could try.