On the Record (Record #2)(8)
Author: K.A. Linde

Instead, she changed into a long-sleeved black sequined dress, thick black patterned tights, and shiny black heels. She wrapped a white infinity scarf around her neck and paired it with matching white gloves and her trusty black peacoat. The temperature difference was stark compared to the balmy seventy-five degrees she had been relaxing in in Tampa.

The five of them piled into James’s Expedition and drove into town. They normally would have taken the Metro, but Jamie had been given a parking pass too.

James pulled up in front of the Gaylord Hotel at Washington National Harbor about thirty minutes later. When Liz laid eyes on the building, she was blown away. It was a colossal structure that looked more like a compound than a hotel, with a glass greenhouse and full Bellagio-style water display inside the waterfront structure.

A valet handed James a ticket and then they were whisked away into the giant hotel. An attendant checked their tickets and directed them through the red-carpeted lobby to a massive ballroom. Hayden wrapped an arm around Liz’s waist to hold her close to him as they stepped over the threshold together.

The room was already packed nearly wall-to-wall with people dancing to the DJ’s beats. She could see that the space had been divided into different areas depending on whether you wanted a DJ, live entertainment, or a slightly quieter environment. A set of stairs led up to a secluded VIP area that had her mind drifting off and away to a time when she had walked up similar stairs in Charlotte the very first time she had ever met Brady.

After depositing their jackets at the coat check, Jamie led the way through the crowd, bouncing along like no one was elbowing or running into one another. Finally they found a slightly quieter area and sent the guys to go get drinks.

Jamie spotted an available table near the corner and skipped over to grab it before someone else did; then she waved Liz and Meredith down as if they hadn’t been following her. Free spirit simply did not do Jamie justice. Sometimes Liz wondered how she and Hayden were related.

“Oh my God, Liz, I am so happy that you’re here. Aren’t we, Meredith?” Jamie asked without waiting for Meredith to respond. “I just knew that you and Hayden would start dating. He’s so much cooler when he’s with you. Do you think I could have dragged him to this without you? No way. He’s too uptight.”

Liz laughed softly and took a seat at the table. “Well, I’m glad I could oblige you.”

“Plus, I totally love you as a person. Doesn’t she have such a great presence, Mere?” she asked. Meredith opened her mouth to say something, but Jamie just kept right along. “I’m just so glad that he brought you for New Year’s this year. The snobby bitch he brought last year drove me nuts.”

“What?” Liz asked, before she could think better of it.

“I mean, we weren’t even going to the same party, and I was ready to ditch her before dinner ended. Do you remember her, Mere?”

“Wait, what girl?”

“I remember her,” Meredith said, getting a chance to speak up. “Redhead, right?”

“Yes! That’s her. I don’t remember her name, but I’m glad she’s gone. And I’m glad you’re here!” Jamie cried with a practically buoyant smile.

“Her name wouldn’t happen to be Calleigh, would it?” Liz asked. She heard her heartbeat in her ears when she asked the question. It had to be Calleigh. Who else was a redhead that Hayden had been involved with? But Liz hadn’t thought it was serious. Certainly not enough to bring Calleigh to D.C. with him for New Year’s Eve.

“Calleigh! Yeah, that was it. Do you know her?” Jamie asked.

“She was editor of the paper last year.”

“Oh, yeah, I remember her going on and on and on about that. When Hayden made editor, I was hard-pressed to be happy for him, because she was so annoying about it.”

Liz shrugged, trying for nonchalance. “I didn’t know they were serious.”

Jamie paused as if realizing for the first time what she had just walked into. “Oh, I don’t know if they were. And anyway, that was a long time ago. They broke up when she moved.”

“To Charlotte?” Liz offered.

“Yep. That sounds right. It’s been long, long, long over,” Jamie said with a reassuring squeeze to Liz’s arm.

Liz wasn’t sure why she even let this bother her. She was certain it had something to do with the fact that she just did not like Calleigh anymore. She had once idolized her, but now she realized how misguided that had been. Why had she thought it was ever genius that made the other woman turn down her job offer in New York for the paper in Charlotte? Maybe she had simply wanted to stay closer to Hayden.

The thought struck Liz so clearly that she almost knew it for a fact.

Hayden and James reappeared just then, drinks in hand. Liz couldn’t keep her brain from working overtime, and Hayden gave her a quizzical look. It was as if he could see the wheels turning.

Liz snatched her drink up and grabbed Hayden’s hand. “Come on. Let’s go dance,” she said, drawing him away from the group.

Jamie bit her lip in concern, but Liz turned her back on her. She knew that she should probably talk to Hayden about Calleigh. She had been curious about it since May, when Calleigh had confronted the two of them outside of a club in Raleigh, and it had only intensified since they had started dating. Sure, it was old news. Calleigh and Hayden were over and done with, but the thought of them together made her sick. The thought of Calleigh staying close by because she wanted to be near Hayden made it even worse.

“This way,” Hayden said, moving ahead of her. She followed him and they walked into another room. A band was playing and people were dancing around, but it wasn’t as packed as the dance floor she had been heading for. Liz started to veer toward the center of the room, but Hayden tucked her arm into his and walked her to a far wall. He circled her and pushed her back against the wall softly.

“What did Jamie say?” he asked with a sigh.

“What?” Liz asked, playing dumb. She didn’t want to talk about this. She just wanted to go dance and forget.

“I seriously hate leaving her alone with people. Her big mouth always manages to say the exact wrong thing. And she said something to you, didn’t she?”

“Hayden, it doesn’t matter.” She tried to put a smile back on her face and push away from the wall, but he stopped her with a sharp kiss on the mouth.

“It matters,” he breathed when he pulled back. “I haven’t seen your gorgeous self in three weeks. I couldn’t care less about the party. I don’t like to see you unhappy. And I can’t make it better if you don’t talk to me.”