Jacks felt exquisitely uncomfortable. He shrugged self-deprecatingly. “Oh, come on—”
“—no really, how does it feel to know every lady Angel and woman on the carpet is worshipping you?”
“If you say so, Tara,” Jacks said.
“So, the question on everybody’s mind, and the speculation of girls and their moms across the nation, is, are you single? The big buzz this week is that you and a certain Angel are back together.”
“Well, I’m not in a relationship, if that’s what you mean.”
Tara took a quick breath. “Can you characterize your relationship with Vivian Holycross, then?”
“She’s a great Angel. I think she’ll make a wonderful Guardian.”
“But will she be wearing your Divine Ring one day?”
Jacks glanced at Darcy. She was glaring at him, stern and expectant. Tara’s eyes narrowed.
“Well, I have to get it first. Then we’ll see,” he said finally.
“So it’s still a mystery!” Tara shrieked into the camera. “Jackson and Vivian, are they secretly back together?!”
Jacks looked back at Darcy again. Her expression had transformed into relieved approval. She gave Jacks a thumbs-up. He felt that pang again, just for a moment. As though he wasn’t even here.
Darcy led Jacks toward the throng of Angels sipping drinks, talking, and laughing in the lobby. He recognized a few of the other Angels who were going to be commissioned this week, like Milo Trinity and the Churchson twins. They’d been a class ahead of him until this year, so he didn’t know them all that well, but it seemed they had shown up at his party despite the fact that the attention around Jacks had basically taken over their own Commissionings. Jackson had just pulled out his phone to text Mitch when he saw Vivian eagerly waving to him across the room.
“Good job,” Darcy said while pounding the keys on her phone. “I’ll leave you here. Go have fun, okay?”
“I will,” he lied.
Jacks sighed as he watched Vivian walk toward him.
• • •
They entered the lobby together and Vivian took hold of Jacks’s arm. Despite his attempts to disengage, she made herself inseparable from him, and they worked the party together. They chatted with the Archangels. They posed for pictures. It looked like they had never broken up. Finally they walked out to the patio to get some air.
“I just wanted to tell you I’m glad we took this break,” Vivian said as she led him to a quiet corner.
“Great, Viv,” Jacks said. “Me too.” Maybe he had worried unnecessarily. Maybe she was starting to move on after all. Had she started to understand how he felt about the whole thing?
“You’re young still,” he said encouragingly. “You should, you know, see what else is out there.”
Vivian stepped in front of him and put a hand on his chest, stopping him. Her flawless brow knitted together.
“I know what’s going on, Jacks.”
Jacks paused. “What do you mean?”
“I know this whole breakup thing is just for the press, a little publicity stunt before Commissioning, right? I get it.”
Jacks blinked. He could feel the shock on his face.
“Vivian, I told you I needed time to focus before my Commissioning, and that’s the truth,” he said.
“Jacks, I get it.” She smiled coyly. “I’ll play along, even though, seriously, like you need any more publicity! With your wings and early Commissioning, you’re going to be the biggest Guardian ever. I just want to hear you say we’re getting back together after you get your Divine Ring.”
He said nothing, too startled to be diplomatic. Vivian took a step forward and moved her body against his. “We’ll surprise everyone. They’ll discover our secret romance on some beach somewhere. Do you have any idea how much press that will get? The media will eat it up. And it will totally help sales for my fashion line.”
“Vivian,” Jacks began, but she put a finger against his lips. Her emerald eyes had becoming piercing and seductive. “You’re Jackson Godspeed. I’m Vivian Holycross,” she said. “It’s just . . . right. Right?”