The 3rd Thing You’ll Learn from reading BEFORE AND EVER SINCE…

No tour stop today, so let’s get straight to the business of what Emily has to tell us.  🙂  The 3rd Lesson in BEFORE AND EVER SINCE…

Emily Life Lesson #3…  Never say you’re never going to do something, like going out for girls night in a powder blue Winnebago.  It guarantees you will.

I wasn’t going to ride in Big Blue. 

Aunt Bernie, Holly, Cassidy, myself and my mother were dressed to go out, looking good, feeling good, and I wasn’t about to ruin that by piling in a giant trailer. 

Aunt Bernie was the one who’d brought it up, pointing out that we all had smallish cars and five people would be crowded.  Holly eyed the monstrosity warily.

“I think we’ll be just fine,” I said.  “It’s just across town, we won’t be in the car long.”

“Seriously?” Cassidy said, looking like she was ready to burn up Manhattan instead of Main Street.  She had on a tight little red dress that fell off one shoulder and was made to bring men to their knees.  “Come on, Mom, it’ll be a hoot!”

I stared her up and down.  “Dressed like that, you want to drive around in a Smurf-mobile?”

“Hey!” Aunt Bernie said, hands on royal blue hips.  Royal blue everything.  It was evidently the color of the day.  “You know, we can just leave your little butt here on the curb,” she said loudly.

I held up my hands. “Sorry.  I just pictured a little nicer evening.”  I gestured at Mom in her black pantsuit and pearls she wore to any nice event, and Holly in her little green dress which was eerily similar to my requisite little black dress, but made her hair look gorgeous.  “I was told to dress nice for Mom’s birthday.”

“And we are,” Cassidy piped in, linking arms with Aunt Bernie.  I wanted to know what day she sold out to the other side, because I’d missed it.  “And I think that makes it even more fun to ride around and make it a party bus.”

My mom laughed and turned around before she could get targeted. 

“A party bus?” Holly said.  “Have you ever been on a party bus?”

“As a matter of fact I have,” she said, crossing her arms.  “And I think with the right attitude,” she said, throwing a glare my way.  “We can make this whatever we want it to be.  For Nana.”

“Oh lord,” Holly mumbled, smoothing her dress and looking around as if people who knew her might be hiding in the trees.

“Mom, what do you want to do?” I asked.

She just grinned.  “Anything that will get us going.  I’m hungry.”

“Well, there you go,” Aunt Bernie said.  “Let’s get to The Grille.”

“The Grille?” Holly said quickly.  “I thought we were going to Phillipe’s?”

“Oh hell no,” Cassidy said, laughing.  “We’d never get reservations there, why’d you think that?”

“Be—cause of how you said to dress, I guess—” Holly said, trailing her words miserably as reality settled on her.

“Come on,” Cassidy urged.  “Where’s your sense of fun?  We dress to the nines and make a splash, looking like movie stars going to eat burgers and nachos.  Party it up with some beer and champagne on the bus, just like it was a limo.”

“Well, except that I’m driving it,” Aunt Bernie said.

“I can get Josh to come drive it, if you want,” Cassidy offered. 

“Oh good God, no,” Aunt Bernie said, patting her on the back.  “Nobody drives Big Blue but me.  He’d hit everything on the way.”

“And where will you park it?” Holly asked. 

“I always find a way,” Aunt Bernie said, looking proud.

I looked at Holly, knowing it was inevitable.  I was riding Big Blue.

***

Ever had a crazy night out in something odd?  I’ve never done a Winnebago…but I have trolled the beach in a psychadelic hearse once.  There’s a story…  🙂

You can preorder BEFORE AND EVER SINCE at Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and you’ll have it on release day!