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 Check it out, it s Blue Dog Babylon  these guys are
phenomenal, Seamus told Buzzkill, gesturing toward the
stage.  Jonah and I found them on Myspace and then heard
them play at a club in Silver Lake.
Alexa glanced up to see the band: four hot young guys,
decked out in tuxes but wearing battered Converses on
their feet.  Hey, the lead singer, who had curly brown hair
and big brown eyes, said into the microphone.  We re so
psyched to be playing here tonight& .
Alexa set down her spoon, struck by a sense of recognition.
She turned to Holly, whose face was already crimson.  Hoi,
isn t that   Alexa began as Sugar glanced from one girl to
the next in confusion.
 Zach, Holly managed, looking back at the stage in
wonder. So it had been him she d seen yesterday with
Margaux and Jonah. Of course. My band, Blue
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Dog Babylon, he d told her that day on Zuma Beach. What
were the chances? Holly felt a wave of shock wash over her
that recalled the cool ocean waves against her skin. It
seemed like it had been only moments ago that she d
pulled him from the water, but yet there he was, alive and
well onstage.
First Seamus, and now Surfer Boy, Alexa thought dazedly
as Zach said something into the mike that made everyone
laugh.  Are we in some freaky alternate universe? Alexa
whispered into Holly s ear.
Holly grinned, her eyes on Zach. She remembered the
feeling she d had earlier, that she and Alexa were entering
into a fairy tale.  Yes, and it s called Hollywood, she
whispered back.
 Please give a great big welcome to Mr. and Mrs. Paul
DeMille! Zach was calling into the mike, lifting his arms
above his head and grinning in a way that made Holly melt
a little.  And as my grandpa would say,  Mazel tov! 
Thunderous applause greeted Margaux and Paul as they
flitted onto the dance floor in a black-and-fuchsia blur, and
Blue Dog Babylon struck up a raucous, punk-rock version
of The Ronettes  Be My Baby. Holly cupped her chin in her
hands, forgetting her soup as she watched Margaux and
Paul move across the floor in perfect tandem, and listened
to Zach s rich, strong vocals. His voice was
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confident but not showy, with just enough scratchiness to
sound badass.
When the waiters had cleared away the soup, Belle
returned to the wedding-party table  she was stranded
over at casablanca with Charity Durst and her cronies  to
summon Holly onto the dance floor. The band had started
playing a new song  something about surfing blues and
Margaux and Paul were swallowed up by a blur of beaded
minidresses and black tuxes.
 I ve seen how you can shake it, Belle said, her black eyes
flashing as she pulled Holly to her feet. Holly felt a knot of
nervousness; what if Zach saw her from the stage? Would it
be weird? Though she supposed she could try to accept his
thanks and not act like a freak this time. She blew Alexa a
kiss as Belle led her out onto the dance floor.
A second later, Sugar and Buzzkill got up to dance as well,
and the rest of the wedding party followed suit, until only
Seamus and Alexa were left at guess who s coming to
dinner ?, facing each other across the black rose petals
and wineglasses. Alexa could almost hear her pulse
tapping in her throat.
 So. Seamus gave her a teasing half smile.  You ve clearly
got a talent for photography, but how are your moves on the
dance floor?
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Alexa tried to glare at him, but then she broke into laughter,
realizing how Seamus s compliments always gave her a
little thrill.  I m awful, she joked.  And I ve got on dangerous
heels, so I m a real threat.
 I ll take my chances. Seamus pushed back his chair and
stood, extending one hand toward Alexa.  Shall we dance?
The old-fashioned way Seamus posed the question made
Alexa s heart flutter. She accepted his hand  which
caused more fluttering  as he led her onto the crowded
dance floor. It was strange; there was still the same
mocking, barbed vibe between the two of them, but Alexa
sensed something else simmering beneath the surface 
a deeper emotion that might have been there all along, if
Alexa had only opened her eyes.
Closing her eyes, Alexa rested her head against Seamus s
shoulder as he put one hand on her waist and moved with
her across the floor, his steps confident. She could feel his
heart beating rather quickly through his silk vest, and that
made her knees go kind of wobbly. Blue Dog Babylon was
playing a slow, sweet song, with lyrics about finding love
where you least expect it.
 You lied, Seamus said after a minute, and Alexa felt the
vibration of his chest as he spoke.  You re not an awful
dancer at all.
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 No, you lied, Alexa shot back, opening her eyes and
pulling away slightly, but Seamus kept a steady hold on her
waist, his eyes sparkling.  Or, at least, you kept the truth
from me. How can I ever trust you again? Her tone was
light; Alexa knew she could trust Seamus  with
everything. How had she never before noticed his insight,
his thoughtfulness?
 My apologies. Seamus leaned Alexa backward in a dip,
and she couldn t help but laugh at the dramatic gesture.
When he brought Alexa back up, he grinned and added,
 But fine, fair enough. Feel free to ask me anything you
want about myself and my secret, evil motives.
Alexa stared up into his hazel eyes, overcome by how much
she suddenly wanted to know about Seamus Kerr. What s
your favorite book? Are you an only child? Have you ever
been to Paris? Why is that you can get a rise out of me
when nobody else can? Her tongue quivered with the
desire to speak these questions, to find out about the boy
she was dancing with. Alexa wasn t sure she d ever been
so curious about another person.
 Here s a question, Alexa finally said, coming to her
senses.  If you and Jonah are so buddy-buddy, why weren t
you at the Standard party on Tuesday night? And more
important, did he tell you about me? she wanted to add, but
she held back.
Seamus paused in their dancing, and reached into
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his jacket pocket to pull out his cell phone. Flipping it open,
he revealed a picture of the most adorable baby boy Alexa
had ever seen.  My nephew, Seamus explained with a
crooked grin.  My sister, who lives near my parents in La
Brea, just had her first kid, so I was doing a lot of family stuff
this week  even watching my nephew some nights to give
my a sister a break. I was bummed to miss Jonah s party,
but, as you can see, this little guy is sort of hard to resist.
So are you, Alexa thought before she could stop herself.
Guys who were good with kids never failed to make her
melt. Alexa was about to ask Seamus more about his
nephew, when someone touched her arm. Turning around,
Alexa saw the petite, dark-haired Paz Ferrara, wearing her
trademark thigh-high boots with a short red dress cinched
in the middle with a fat satin ribbon.  Gail s daughter, si?
Paz asked, grinning up at Alexa as if she hadn t totally
ditched her at Gail s party on Monday.  I did not know you
knew the Eklundstroms, Paz added, her eyes wide. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]