The driver is watching me. I smile. “I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name.”

“Colin, Miss Parker.”

“Well, Colin, thank you for everything. Take care of him, OK?”

Colin smiles. I shut the door. Rene instantly darts across the room to bounce on her knees on the sofa.

Rene raises her eyebrows. “We should call him. He can get us into all the best parties.”

“God, Rene, we just left him. Besides I don’t know how to call him.”

Rene frowns, then grabs the phone. Who is she calling? I panic and then realize it’s the doorman.

“This is Miss Parker. Could you please arrange for a car to pick us up at eleven and that we are on the list tonight at wherever is currently considered the hottest night spot in Manhattan.”

Rene smiles. She listens. She nods. “Thank you very much.” She hangs up and bursts into laughter. “God, Chrissie, I’d love to be you for just one day.”

“I am not going out tonight. I am not partying until after my audition Monday.”

“Oh, yes we are, Chrissie. We are alone. It’s Saturday night. We are in Manhattan. We are going out.”

Chapter Five

Rene sloshes her Cosmopolitan all over my bedroom rug as she finishes the last touches of makeup on me. I’m not sure about wearing her black halter mini dress. I feel like an overdressed Barbie, but Rene is happy so I don’t put up a fight.

Rene hands me a tiny silk wallet.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a bra purse. Mom makes me carry one every time we’re out of The States. Put your ID and cash in there so we don’t lose it.”

I do as instructed and frown. “Do I just take it out right in front of people when I need something?”

Rene laughs. “Yes, Chrissie. It’s no big deal. It’s not like anyone is going to see anything.”

She picks up my drink and hands it to me. “Pound it, Chrissie. You need to loosen up. I want to have fun tonight. I sure as hell don’t want to sit around here all night watching you look at the phone every ten seconds waiting for Alan Manzone to call. Face it, Chrissie, he isn’t going to call. He’s not interested in you. Jeez, he’s not even interested in me.” She makes a face. “Maybe he’s gay.”

The intercom buzzes and Rene jumps to her feet. “I have a friend.”

I roll my eyes. It’s just the doorman informing us that the car is here, but Rene is in a festive mood and is going to be a wild handful to keep up with tonight.

Grabbing my hand, Rene pulls me at a running pace into the elevator and then collapses against the mirrored walls as we chug slowly to the lobby.

Our driver is waiting with Elliot the doorman.

“Miss Parker, this is David. He’ll be your driver while in New York.”

David gives me a carefully trained smile from an emotionless face.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I say.

“Miss Parker.” He nods.

Somehow David gets to the car before us and is waiting patiently with a door open to the backseat. I turn to stare out the window at the passing lights, as Rene flicks on the sound system, flipping through songs before settling on Paula Abdul.

She rummages through the compartments until she finds the mini-fridge. “Look. A bar.”

She pulls out a bottle of champagne, pops the cork, and then lets it fizz all over the carpet before taking a swig from the bottle.

“We’re going to have fun tonight, Chrissie,” she orders, pushing the bottle on me. “Drink.”

I take only a small sip because, for some reason, I hardly touched my dinner and I know this is not a good idea on top of the Cosmos we had in the bedroom.

Rene gives me the look and tilts the bottle upward until my mouth is full and I have to take a large swallow.

“We’re celebrating our freedom. Just think, in another month no more boarding school…,”she makes a face, “…no more rules. No more Eliza. Freedom, utter and complete freedom.”

Trying to match Rene’s high spirits, I do a little tip with the bottle. “To our new lives.”

Rene beams. “Hopefully, it starts tonight. Face it, Chrissie. Our life in Santa Barbara is so pathetic.”

“Which club are we going to?”

Rene shrugs, taking the bottle, and laughs. “I haven’t a clue.” She rolls down the privacy partition. “David? Where are you taking us?”

David’s eyes shift and I can see them in the rearview mirror. “I was told to take you to The Blue Light, Miss.”

Rene makes a face at me. “The Blue Light?” she whispers. “Have you ever heard of that club, Chrissie?”

I shake my head.

“It’s new, Miss. Very popular. I’m sure you’ll have an enjoyable evening,” David says, somehow hearing Rene.

Rene chokes on a laugh and eagerly rolls up the partition. “I’m sure we’ll have an enjoyable evening,” she says with a heavy male voice impression.

I laugh.

Rene takes another long pull on the bottle. “God, David’s cute. Like a blond Nordic God. We’re going to have to take the car every chance we get.”

“Is there anyone you don’t enjoy messing with?”

“Nope, pretty much not.”

We’re suddenly laughing our heads off and we’ve killed the bottle of champagne by the time the car rolls to a stop. It’s impossible to go out with Rene and not have fun. She’s got such an I don’t give a crap what anyone thinks, self-confident manner.

“Are you ready to party?” Rene bellows. The door opens and David offers her his hand. She has a sweetly docile, ladylike smile on her face. I curl over in the seat laughing.

“Elliot assures me you are on the list, Miss,” David says formally as he assists Rene from the car.

“Thank you, very much,” Rene says slightly aloof, slightly stuffy.

Behind David’s back she makes a face at me as I’m assisted from the car. I bite my lip not to laugh.

This must be a popular club. The sidewalk is packed and the line well down the street, and there are plenty of tabloid photographers here. There is a little bit of everything that is New York crowding the concrete waiting to get in: the always hot; the always not; the always freaky; and the artsy.

“I’ll be waiting across the street, Miss Parker. When you are ready to leave, don’t come to me. I will come to you, Miss.”

“Yes, David,” I say obediently. So much for no rules.

Rene loops her arm through mine as we stroll to the door. “God, Chrissie, you mystify me. I don’t know why you don’t love your life. If I were you I’d be out having mad fun 24/7. It’s like having nothing but E-tickets in the pack. There isn’t any place you can’t get into. Except perhaps the White House with a Republican President.”

I roll my eyes. “Why do you always have to exaggerate? My life isn’t like that and you know it.”

“It could be like that.”

Rene gives my name to security at the door, the bouncer checks the list and we are immediately allowed to enter. Rene makes a face. “E-ticket. I hate it when you downplay thinking I’m jealous that you have the famous dad. It’s so annoying, Chrissie.”

“It’s no big deal,” I say fiercely. “I hate that you make such a big deal of it.”

“Then let’s own it for one night and have some fun, Chrissie. Let’s get into some crazy-ass trouble. Let’s show Eliza how the real hot girls roll.”

She does a loud whoop! holding up her arms and makes a sassy swish with her hips. Instead of coming off looking dorky, it draws every set of male eyes to Rene. But that’s Rene, everything always works for her.

The three-story club is hot and packed and earsplitting with the sounds of a live band. The walls are black and all the furnishings covered in blue velvet. There are strobe lights and floor steam and two levels for dancing, and Rene drags me behind her as she fights our way through the crush of bodies.

“God, Chrissie, this place is so incredible. Why don’t we have something like this in Santa Barbara? Peppers looks so small town lame by comparison.”

We finally find two free spots on a sofa near the downstairs dance floor and she plops down with a heavy drop. “We should have gone to the clubs in LA more. We didn’t take full advantage of our partying opportunities.”