The Hero Next Time: A Novel of the Terribly Acronymed Detective Club (Book 4)

Chapter Fifty-Four: Sunny, Fall, 2011

It wasn't his idea of a great time, and he wished he hadn't agreed to Lauren's invitation, but he had promised to take Tej out on the town more, and a swanky do at Rachel's house with other adults was a change from their normal routine of work and family. The thing was, the only people he would know at this party were his friends. Everybody else would be coworkers of Lauren's and Rachel's at Justiciar. 

When they arrived, there were hardly any other people there besides the friends, which was a bit of a relief, as they could now hang back and blend in, and not feel the need to introduce themselves to everyone. Lauren did introduce him to Ralph Rose, one of the other two partners running the firm, and his wife. He was the one who was supposed to meet him when Justiciar first took on Westminster Law Group as a client. 

"I still can't believe I sent Lauren to an initial client meeting with a person she was friends with so long ago," Ralph said.

"It was serendipity," Sunny agreed. "If we hadn't chosen you guys as our contractor, who knows if the rest of us wouldn't have reunited?"

"The rest of you?" Liz, Ralph's wife, asked. She gestured to them all. "So you, all of you, were childhood friends?"

"Well, not me," Tej said sadly, "though I wish I'd been there. Still, they've made me feel just as at home as if I had been."

"It wasn't hard," Al said. "You're delightful, and the only one who could keep this punk in line." He playfully punched Sunny on the shoulder.

More coworkers trickled in, constantly being buzzed in by Rachel. The couple for which this Jack and Jill party had been organized were the last to arrive, as if they'd forgotten this party was for them. They were in their twenties, and seemed unused to all the attention; they appeared to shrink into themselves as they were passed between well-wishers. Eventually, though, they warmed up and let themselves enjoy the adulation, telling everyone stories about who approached whom and how they finally knew they were in love.

As they didn't drink alcohol, Sunny and Tej had a front-row seat to how people's behaviours changed when they drank. They got louder, more boisterous, less inhibited. Even with a glass of wine or two, Lauren and Rachel were laughing together, hugging, and playfully squeezing each other's behinds, which he didn't think they would have done sober, it seemed oddly intimate even for the two of them, who were always the closest of the LSDC.

Al, on the other hand, seemed to be more of a quiet drunk. He sat at one of the dining room tables, taking sips of wine and sleepily gazing out at the room. 

Joe didn't appear to be drinking at all, standing tensely in the middle of a sea of revellers, looking at something on his phone. He looked miserable, actually; being so large, this tight crowd must have felt claustrophobic. Sunny considered going over and chatting with him, but by the time he decided to, Lauren was already making her way over, weaving a little, as if the drink was already affecting her balance. 

When Lauren took Joe's hand, he jumped as if electrocuted and looked at her, startled, quickly putting away his phone. What was that about? He looked furtive, all of a sudden, like he was hiding something. That wasn't like big Joe at all, but Lauren didn't seem to notice, or if she did, she made no mention of it, and after they chatted a few seconds, she stumbled into him, then raised her arms like a child wanting to be picked up. Embarrassed, Joe gently dissuaded her, but then, shockingly, she fumbled at the buttons of his shirt and grabbed him through his pants. 

Joe batted away her hands, and Lauren cried, loud enough to be heard over the buzz of the room, "Why won't you love me, Joe?!" 

He looked around to see if anyone was paying attention. More than a few were.