A perfectly shaped eyebrow rose. “You are a weirdo that way, that is true. If this is true, which I’m still not convinced of, where is this creature who scored the most eligible bachelor in New York?”
“She went for a drink,” I lied easily. I was a little fucking concerned Leah was pissed at me for real.
“Point her out to me.”
“She’s a brunette in a red Valentino dress wearing white sneakers.”
“Intriguing.” Victoria glanced around. “I’m off to run her down.”
Great. That would thrill Leah.
I turned and almost ran into Trevor. “Hey,” I said. “Can you chase Victoria down and make sure she doesn’t harass Leah?”
“I’m not your errand boy. Fuck off,” Trevor said mildly. “Just me being here stretches the limits of our friendship.”
“Fair enough.” I eyed my best friend. “Do you think you could stuff your face anymore?” He was holding an appetizer plate loaded eight inches high.
“Food is my cover. If I’m eating, I don’t have to talk. Just nod and listen. Nod and listen.”
“That is a solid strategy.” I glanced over at the patio again. I couldn’t see Leah.
“How’s the con going?” Trevor asked.
“Okay.” Currently, not great. “I’m in love with her.”
Trevor choked on a canape. “What the fuck? Are you kidding me? How did that happen?”
“I wish I knew. Man, I’m so fucked.” I could admit it to him. “And I don’t know what to do.”
“Don’t look at me.” Trevor picked up a scallop. “I don’t know anything about women.”
I wasn’t sure I did either. “I think she’s mad at me.” I explained about the theater.
“Buy her flowers? Fuck if I know.”
I didn’t know either and I hated that. I did not like not being in control of a situation and this was no ordinary business deal. This was my future. This was my damn heart, for fuck’s sake.
“Don’t they say you should do a big gesture?” I asked.
“Who the hell is they? But yeah. That sounds legit.”
I had an idea. I straightened my tie. If you want something, go out and get it. That was the Caldwell way. “I gotta go. See you later.”
“You’re going to do something stupid. I can sense it.”
Determined, I stole a scallop off Trevor’s overloaded plate and popped it into my mouth. “Never.”
Then I went off to find the woman I intended to marry.
Uneasy and not wanting to talk to any of Grant’s family, I slipped outside to the patio. No one was out there. It was cold and I shivered in my cocktail dress, rubbing my arms. The view was amazing. The grasses waved back and forth in the chill autumn breeze and the water was rest
less, tossing up white caps and hurling them toward the beach.
My feelings were as intense as the ocean. Churning, frothy, dangerous. All of those things.
I was in love with Grant and it was amazing and wonderful and overwhelming.
We’d done this all wrong. We’d complicated everything with contracts and money exchanging hands and expensive gifts.