Judith spoke to her son again after her husband moved away without a backward glance at her. “Have you seen that lovely young actress lately, Bryan? The one who won the Academy Award. She seems so nice.”
He pulled Grace closer to his side. “She didn’t win the award, Mother, she was only nominated. And I haven’t seen her—or anyone else—since Grace and I got together.”
“I see.” She eyed Grace speculatively. “Are you originally from Little Rock? Do I know your family?”
“No, I grew up in Searcy. My parents still live there.”
“Oh? What do your parents do?”
“My mother’s a schoolteacher. My father sells insurance.”
“I see.” And she couldn’t have been less impressed.
Bryan’s arm tightened around Grace’s waist. His voice was terse when he spoke. “Grace and her sister co-own a decorating accessories shop in the River Market district. They’re quite popular with local decorators because they carry such an interesting selection of mirrors and other unique items. You would probably love it.”
“We call the shop ‘Mirror Images,’” Grace added, feeling a need to help him keep the conversation moving.
“I must make a point to drop in sometime.”
“I would love for you to do so,” Grace lied in reply.
“Oh, there’s the first lady. Dreadful color she’s wearing, isn’t it? Ah, well…excuse me, I have to go speak with her. Her feelings will be hurt if I don’t.”
“Actually I think the poor woman would be relieved,” Bryan murmured into Grace’s ear. “My mother is a snob, but she’s not as bad as the first impression she gives.”
“I have a feeling she would have been friendlier if I had an Oscar on my mantel,” she answered wryly.
“She’s just sulking because I haven’t kept her up-to-date on who I’m seeing, and that keeps her out of the gossip loop. I never discussed Chloe with her because I didn’t want to talk about my plans until Chloe and I had a chance to get to know each other.”
What he meant, Grace decided, was that he hadn’t wanted to mention Chloe until he knew whether she was going to marry him. “So your own mother doesn’t know for certain that you were dating Chloe before she met Donovan?”
“No,” he said with a quick glance around to make sure she hadn’t been overheard. “And neither will anyone else—unless you broadcast it tonight.”
Fully aware that no one was close enough to overhear, Grace only shrugged. “I suppose you haven’t told your parents why you’re now taking pains to be seen with me?”
“No. I saw no reason to discuss that with them, either.”
“So they probably believe what they hear through the grapevine—that you and I are involved in a serious relationship.”
The discussion seemed to be making him increasingly nervous. He was standing so close to her that she spoke almost directly into his ear; an eavesdropper would almost have to be standing between them to overhear. To everyone else, it probably appeared that they were engaged in an intimate conversation. Still, Bryan made it clear that he’d rather not talk about their relationship—or lack of one—under those conditions. “Would you like to dance?”
“Not particularly.”
“Great. Let’s go.”
She stifled a sigh and allowed herself to be towed to the dance floor.
The one redeeming aspect of the fund-raiser, in Grace’s opinion, was Bryan’s dancing talent. Despite her initial rejection of his offer, she loved to dance, and wasn’t able to do so very often. It was nice to have a skilled partner who seemed to enjoy the activity as much as she did.
They danced the rest of the evening away. Maybe it was because Bryan was trying to avoid further stilted conversation with his parents—or trying to spare Grace from the chore. Or maybe it was the novelty of finding something they could enjoy together without the underlying friction that usually existed between them. They even laughed together while they experimented with intricate dance steps. And when the movements brought them close, their bodies brushing as they moved slowly to some blatantly romantic arrangement…well, that was nice, too.
A bit too nice, as far as Grace was concerned. She had to keep reminding herself not to confuse make-believe with reality.
“You never told me you were such a good dancer,” Bryan murmured into her ear as the orchestra played a sultry rendition of “Misty.”
“Should I have included dancing on my personal résumé for you?”
He chuckled, making his chest vibrate pleasantly against her. “I have a feeling there are several tidbits on that résumé that I would find interesting.”