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“You just became my new best friend, Bristol. And for the record, I can tell you, without a doubt, Anson never touched her. She’s married to a record producer and has been flirting with Anson for the last four years. She might have been screwed by Anson, but it was only in her dreams. He’s not the type of guy to mess with a married woman. And certainly not one so…icky.”
She stopped and shivered as if the very thought was too gross to handle.
“Wow. I’m not even sure what to say to that.”
She laughed. “Trust me, you’re going to meet some very catty women in this industry. Ignore them all and most importantly, Bristol, ignore the rumors.”
Her mouth dropped open when she glanced down at the ring on my finger. She picked it up and smiled before her eyes met mine.
“I never thought I’d say this, but I’m glad his temper got the better of him this time and Robert made him leave Nashville for a bit. I’ve only caught a glimpse of him tonight, but he looks the happiest I’ve ever seen.”
I glanced around the room until I found Anson. The moment his gaze caught mine, I felt butterflies in my stomach.
“Goodness, the heat you two put off is enough to make a girl blush.”
I smiled and let out a soft laugh. “He makes me very happy.”
“Anyone who looks at the two of you can see it. It reminds me of my relationship with my husband.”
Her hands went to her stomach. “We’re expecting.”
“Congratulations!” I said.
“Thank you. I’m scared and excited all at the same time.”
“My best friend Mindy is pregnant with her first. I think she feels the same way.”
There was no reason to tell her any more of Mindy’s story, especially since I didn’t really know Lindsey.
Anson came over, leaned down, and asked in a seductive voice, “Dance with me?”
My entire body tingled. I turned and placed my hand in his, then looked back at Lindsey. “Thank you again for the advice.”
She winked. “Good to see you, Anson.”
Anson was still staring down at me when the sound of his name broke him from the spell he was clearly under. It made my chest race knowing that he only had eyes for me.
“Hey, Lindsey, good seeing you too.”
Then he swept me up against his body, and we walked out to the dance floor.
He pulled me into his arms, and we slow-danced to a Frank Sinatra song.
“What happened in the bathroom? You look flushed.”
Leave it to Anson to notice something was amiss.
“Nothing important at all.”
He pulled back and looked at me.
I sighed. “Fine, some blonde twit tried to talk trash about you, but I set her straight. Lindsey overheard it all, and now she wants to be besties.”
A deep frown appeared on Anson’s face. “Who was it?”
With a shrug, I replied, “I don’t know. She didn’t tell me her name, and Lindsey didn’t offer it up.”
“I’m sorry, Baby. Most of the people you’ll meet are great, but there will be one or two who are complete assholes. They thrive on gossip and making other people miserable.”
“It’s okay,” I said as I grinned up at him. “I’m not going to let some random woman ruin this evening for us.”
“Good,” he said as he kissed the top of my head.
After making a few more rounds, it was time to sit at the tables and eat. It didn’t take long to figure out this wasn’t just any charity event. It was one that Anson had started. He never mentioned it, but a few other people had. He mostly kept his name out of it so that the attention went to the charity and not to him. As we walked toward our table, I felt Anson stiffen next to me.
“Is everything okay?” I asked.
He nodded and smiled. “Yeah, everything is great.”
As we got closer, I could see that three other couples were already seated at the table. I couldn’t help but notice how Anson and the older gentleman in the middle exchanged a look. Anson looked pissed, and the guy just shrugged.
I focused back on the table and smiled down at Lindsey. A good-looking guy sat next to Lindsey, his arm draped casually around her shoulders.
“Bristol, this is Lindsey’s husband, Ryan,” Anson said.
Ryan stood and reached for my hand. “Lindsey has already informed me of your new friendship. It’s nice to meet the woman who stood up to Monica.”
I laughed and shook his hand. “Thank you…I think!”
He laughed, as did Lindsey.
Anson turned and motioned to the older couple. They looked to be in their early 40s, if that. “This is Robert Hanley, my manager, and his wife, Jane. Robert, Jane, this is Bristol Overmann.”
Aw, so this is the guy Anson met that night six years ago. I still have his card in Anson’s scrapbook.
“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Bristol. I’ve…” His eyes moved to Anson quickly then back to me. “I’ve heard quite a bit about you over the years.”
