"I'm going to introduce Mara around. My friends are dying to meet the woman who enticed you to come out of hiding."
"No." A brief look of panic flashed across Trent's face and he clamped his arm down, trapping Mara at his side.
She looked at him in alarm. He'd never been the shy type, so she couldn't imagine that he really needed her to stay close and help him socialize.
Sophia wouldn't be denied. She tugged at Mara's arm. "Trent, you can’t monopolize her all night. She needs to mingle. Meet people."
Trent glared at his sister, the kind of look that would have intimidated anyone else. "She can meet people with me."
Sophia simply sniffed. "Neanderthal."
"Shrew."
The two siblings grinned at each other in a way that told Mara the exchange must be a familiar one.
“I’ll bring her back. Eventually.” Sophia hooked her arm with Mara’s and tugged slightly. As she led her away, Mara glanced back at the last minute. Trent’s eyes stayed on hers until they were separated by the crowd.
* * * * *
TRENT LOOKED OVER his father's shoulder out at the crowd. He'd already greeted most of the people his mother wanted him to meet. It was important to her that members of the entire family were visible and seen as publicly supporting all of their charity work. He'd been ducking that particular obligation for too long. If it hadn't
been for Mara's insistence, he probably would have continued avoiding all public appearances the way he'd been doing for years. But if seeing him at a charity dinner encouraged some of the donors to open their wallets a little wider to help other kids like Travis, then he could certainly put in some face time.
Avery appeared at his elbow. She nodded hello to his father. "I need to talk to you." She looked around him. "Are you alone?"
"Mara's with my sister and her friends. What did you need to talk to me about?"
"Not here. Let's go up to the roof garden. I want you to see something."
Trent followed her, nodding hello to several people he knew on the way. The roof garden was one of his favorite spaces in the city. It was actually so visually stunning that he found it difficult to concentrate on whatever art exhibit was currently on display. There wasn't much that could compete with the Manhattan skyline in his opinion.
When they reached the roof, Avery spread her hands. "Isn't it magnificent?"
Trent followed her hands to the huge metal sculptures spread across the entire roof. Each sculpture was entwined with live ivy vines giving the appearance of a labyrinth.
"It's a maze?" he asked, moving forward to peer at one of the metal sculptures. He wasn't into art the way Avery was but he could appreciate pieces that made you think.
"In a way. But more than that, part of the display is sculpture and the other part is glass. It's a really unique effect when you walk through it. You're never quite sure if you're coming or going. It's the work of a Danish artist. Your mother convinced him to exhibit here early just for the gala."
Trent followed her into the beginning of the small maze, noting how the sections that were glass provided a warped view of the people on the other side. Once they were far enough in that no one was behind him, Avery looked over at him. "James told me. About what he saw at my graduation party."
"What are you talking about?" Trent suddenly remembered his brother's wild accusations a few weeks. "He didn't? I told him that nothing happened. He shouldn't have even said anything to you."
She trailed her hand over one of the glass partitions. "When I woke up next to you, I couldn't remember how I got there. I was freaked out so I got up and went back to my room. You don't think we could have …"
"No. I mean, I don't think so."
"But you don't actually remember what happened either, do you?"
Trent's heart rate sped up. The sound was loud in his own head. Feeling completely cornered and strangely defensive, he tried to make a joke. "Not exactly. But we were both hammered. I'm not sure I could have even performed under those conditions."
Avery didn't laugh.
"Haven't you ever wondered? About what things could have been like if you and I …" She gestured between them.
His heart rate kicked up another notch. The way she was looking at him, he'd never seen that particular look on her face before. She was eyeing him, the way you sized up someone you were imagining naked. It was wrong and just one shade too close to incestuous for Trent's comfort. Before he could formulate a response, Avery leaned against him and then her lips were on his. Her hands wrapped around his neck so tight, they were strangling him.
Trent backed up a step, breaking the contact. When she stepped forward as if to kiss him again, he moved back again, bumping into one of the glass panels in the exhibit.