Lacy connects the dots quickly and realizes she has two adversaries before her. She gathers her dress in one hand and clutches her champagne flute in the other, presumably preparing to bolt, but then her gaze shifts just over Ellie’s shoulder and her eyes light up. I watch as her smile turns from sour to sweet. A candy coating oozes from her pores, and I realize a moment too late that there’s only one person who would elicit that sort of reaction from Lacy.
I hear his deep voice before I see him.
“Martha, you’ve really outdone yourself with this event.”
I watch Martha blush a perfectly adorable shade of pink. My skin tingles, and I inhale a deep breath before I glance over my shoulder and find James standing only a few feet away. My heart comes to a screeching halt, plummets, and then starts to race. I quickly blink twice, trying to reconcile the idea that he’s here, standing so near after so many months apart. He looks the exact same as the last time I saw him, except his hair is shorter, trimmed in a way that emphasizes his handsome features even more.
I must say his name because his gaze whips to me and his smile falters. His eyes widen in shock and his body visibly stiffens.
“Brooke.”
It’s a statement and a question. He clearly wasn’t expecting to see me here.
“Hi,” I say, sounding breathy and flustered. “I didn’t know you’d be here.”
It’s the truth, and yet as soon as the words leave my lips, I wish I could reach out and steal them back.
He tilts his head down and frowns, and when he glances back up, his expression is stony and closed off. Then, I watch as a bitter smile spreads across his features.
“Apparently you haven’t looked up.”
I glance to where he’s pointing and see a large banner hanging there. In scrolling font it reads: Austin Philanthropic League 78th Annual Winter Gala. Beneath that is the BioWear logo. Now that I’m aware of it, I see it plastered on all the signage around the room. Apparently, his company is the event’s official sponsor.
Of course. Funny how Ellie conveniently left that part out when she first told me about the gala. I glare at her, but a deep frown and quick shake of her head says she didn’t know. Well then. I have no one to blame for this series of events, but it’s clear when I turn back to James and find his features haven’t softened that neither of us knows how to proceed from here. I’m attending the event to support Martha. He’s here because his company is a sponsor. This isn’t a planned reunion or reconciliation on either of our parts, and yet my body is humming with anticipation like maybe…it could be. I grip my hands into fists by my sides, trying to keep them from shaking too violently. I might as well be on the starting line of a race with the way my heart is pounding in my chest.
I open my mouth then close it again, at a complete loss for words.
Unfortunately, Lacy isn’t.
“James, you look so handsome! I told you a traditional tuxedo would look best.”
His steely brown eyes shift to her, and he manages a small smile.
“Will you come with me to get some champagne?” she asks with a pleading glance. “I’ve been greeting people for hours and I could really use a break.”
With all of us standing there watching him, he can’t very well turn her down. He nods gently and steps back with his arm outstretched, making way for her to join him. I shiver as she slithers past me. Her tactics are underhanded, but her point is clear: James belongs to her.
Martha nails that point home further when she chuckles in amusement. “God those two have been circling each other for years now. When will that man finally get some sense and marry the poor girl already?”
The other women in the group nod emphatically, clearly all t-shirt-wearing members of Team James and Lacy—Team Jamy, or maybe Team Lames. I prefer the latter.
Then Ellie speaks up. “If you ask me, I don’t think he’s all that into her.”
All eyes in the group whip to her in shock. Clearly, very few people have had the audacity to speak out against Lacy.
“Why do you say that?” Martha asks, sounding truly troubled by the idea.
Ellie grins and turns to me with a proud gleam in her eye. “Duh! Because he’s still in love with Brooke.”CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVENJames looks like The Bachelor right before a rose ceremony. There has been a constant stream of women grouped around him from the time Lacy led him away to get a drink until now. As soon as one woman manages to claim his attention, another one works up the courage to whisk him away. I watch the scene unfold from afar, sipping on my second flute of champagne and pretending to bid on silent auction items with Ellie.