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“Let me grab my phone.”
His lips flickered in a smile. “The one in your hand?”
“I mean my Chapstick.” I tucked my phone, hotel key, and Chapstick in my pockets, then let myself into the hallway.
“You look incredible,” he said.
I chuckled. “Save it for when the gown is on, mister.”
“Trust me,” he muttered. “It’ll bear repeating.”
Chapter Thirteen
It was such a shameI wasn’t given advance notice about the possibility of attending an event like the fundraiser, because I had gowns at home. Yes, I was a bit of a shopaholic. I didn’t spend my money on anything else, and my job put me in a position to receive invitations to enough events that most of my gowns got a fair amount of use.
I owned many gowns in a variety of colors and styles that would have been perfect for this evening. But when Rhett took me into the little dress shop on the Lower East Side, and they already had a selection of formal dresses picked out for me to try on, I was feeling a little bit like Cinderella, with Rhett as my fairy godmother—but also, hopefully, the prince waiting for me at the castle too.
I slipped on a deep-red gown that hugged my curves just right and fell silkily to the floor. The fabric whispered over my skin as I walked. I had never been so grateful that I shaved my legs that morning, or my hairy shins would have poked through the thin silk. I slipped on some black stilettos and was pleased with what I saw in the mirror. My dark hair was up, the dress was sleek but not revealing, and the shoes were tall, which made my calves look amazing when they peeked through the knee-length slit.
When I stepped out of the dressing room, Rhett was on the phone. He stopped talking immediately, his eyes shooting to me. I lifted my arms and did a little spin. “Will this do?”
“Yeah.” He swallowed. “It’ll do.” He brought the phone back to his mouth to speak into the receiver but did not take his eyes from me. “I need to go, Hal. Talk soon. Bye.”
Hal? As in Hallie? Why was he talking to his sister? I gathered my jeans and tee, and the shop bagged them up for me. I shoved my Chapstick and room key into my bra and carried my phone. Rhett held the door for me, then helped me into the SUV, Jax in the shotgun seat.
Rhett’s phone lit up, and his mouth tightened. “Karina is there. I kind of wondered if she wouldn’t show up.”
“Does she have a habit of not showing up?”
“No.” He put the phone in his jacket pocket and relaxed against the seat, turning to face me. “She texted me the other night about a reconciliation, and I turned her down pretty flat. I didn’t know if she was going to bail on our bargain now out of spite. The publicity is probably too good to pass up, though.”
“Or the opportunity to win you over.”
“Nah,” he said, smiling at me. “She is undoubtedly in it for the publicity right now.”
I knew this wasn’t a real date, but it still felt like we had this secret, special thing between us that no one else knew about. When he looked at me that way, it was impossible not to feel like the only person in the universe. I had Rhett Myers’s full attention, and hewantedme around.
...as a friend.
I tried not to cringe. I didn’t really understand what dating Karina had to do with his father stealing a bunch of money, or why Bridget started to think while we were in Boston that it was a good idea for them to reconcile, but I wasn’t a publicist. It wasn’t really my business anyway.
Either way, I didn’t want our entire evening to be about her. “So tell me, Rhett, what do you enjoy about these functions?”
“The food, mostly. There’s usually dancing, which can be fun with the right partner. But mostly I suffer through that as well.”
“I feel slightly misled,” I joked.
“I thinkyouwill have fun. That’s why I wanted you to come with me.” He hesitated when the car rolled to a stop, his hand on the handle. “Listen, Beth, I don’t want you to get the wrong idea about why I asked you here, especially when you see me with Karina.”
What did he mean bythat? He didn’t want me to read into him asking me on a date to be his third wheel? He already told me this was just a friend arrangement. I had no idea what to read into the convoluted situation anyway. I was just honored to be asked.
I squeezed his forearm. “Don’t worry, Rhett. I will subdue my jealousy as much as possible.”
Someone opened the door outside, and his gaze snapped back to me. “I meant entirely the opposite of that.”
“That I should allow my jealousy free rein?”
“That you don’t need to be jealous at all.”
