No.
The word was wrapped in barbed wire as it tumbled through my brain. I’d lived silently with jealousy for so long, it didn’t make sense why I wasn’t any better at dealing with it. Every slow circle they turned as they danced together, his hands inched downward, and my blood pressure climbed toward the sky.
She gave a tight smile, grabbed his hands, and dragged them back to her waist. He shrugged playfully with a laugh. I couldn’t hear what he’d said to her but didn’t need to. “Can’t blame a guy for trying.”
Oh, did I fucking blame him. There’d been no seduction or effort on his part, and she was a woman who deserved all of that. I tightened my jaw so furiously, it should have cracked my teeth. Guys like him were the reason Sophia’s sex life hadn’t included orgasms. This young generation had no patience or work ethic.
As I’d already demonstrated to her, I had it in spades.
I lasted until the song was finishing, before rising from my seat and stalking across the dance floor. “Excuse me,” I said to the boy, “I need my assistant.”
It was satisfying the way she instantly abandoned him and gave me her full attention. “What’s up?”
I didn’t answer. I turned and strode away, expecting her to follow, which she did. When we were a safe distance away, I finally spoke. It came out more forceful than I’d meant it to. “Take a walk with me.”
She pulled to a stop. “I can’t.”
Displeasure fired through my veins. “What do you mean, you can’t?”
My irritation grew worse as she dropped her gaze to the screen of her phone. “It’s time.”
I stared at her dubiously. Time? There was nothing left on the schedule as far as—
“Ladies and gentlemen,” the announcer’s voice boomed on top of the music coming from the speakers, “your host requests your presence on the dance floor. We need everyone to help take part in a special celebration tonight.”
I hadn’t been privy to her plans and didn’t care for surprises, but Sophia looked ready to burst. Her brilliant smile covered her face, and her eyes were wild with excitement, and it was so beautiful it was downright incapacitating.
“Come on,” she whispered in a thrilled hurry.
Four hundred of Cape Hill’s elite gathered in the available space, anxious and as intrigued as I was. Staff had assembled in stations around plastic crates at the edges of the garden and began handing out white squares approximately the size of record albums to the guests.
Sophia grabbed one and passed it to me then grabbed another for herself.
“What you are receiving right now,” the announcer said, “is a sky lantern. Once you have one, please unfurl and hold it by the edges of the ring. Someone will be by momentarily to help you light it.”
The paper was delicate like silk, and when I grasped the ring, the balloon unfolded, falling to the grass. Thin wooden dowels crossed an X over the ring, and at the center, there was a tan square the size of a matchbox.
The music faded to the background so the announcer could be heard clearly. “While you wait, please know these lanterns are one hundred percent biodegradable, made from paper, bamboo, and wax. I’m told the wind will carry them out over the Cape, but the fire department is also monitoring the launch in case there are any issues.”
A man in a staff uniform came to Sophia, carrying a small butane torch, and lit the tan block of wax at the center of her lantern. As soon as it began to burn, he leaned down to grab the paper and expertly flipped the ring over before handing it back to her. The white balloon glowed yellowy-orange and expanded as it began to fill with hot air.
The announcer surveyed the crowd from the podium. “We’ve all seen fireworks, but Mr. Hale wanted a display that you, his honored guests, could each be a part of. When everyone is ready, we’ll start the countdown and release the lanterns together.”
The man with the torch repeated the same process for my lantern as he’d done with Sophia’s before moving on to assist another guest. I watched the staff with torches work as quickly as possible to ensure everyone was ready for launch, and the balloon in my grasp was already gently tugging to lift off.
I glanced at Sophia. “How long will these be in the air?”
“The wax burns for ten minutes, and once it goes out, it floats back down. When we tested, it was like twenty minutes tops.”
“All right,” the announcer said. “I’ve been given the signal. Since it’s Damon’s sixtieth birthday, we’ll count down from sixty.”
“What?” Sophia angrily muttered under her breath, voicing the same thought I’d had.
“I’m just kidding, folks!” There were humorous and appreciative groans from the crowd. “And here we go. In three . . . two . . . one. Release!”