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He accepts it, of course, and some of the tension lessens around us as I let go.
“You look wonderful tonight, Natalie.” Dad smiles down at me.
“Thanks.” I twist side to side, making my skirt dance. “You don’t look too shabby yourself.”
Dad sighs and places a hand on his tux-covered stomach. “The tailor has been sneaking into my closet and making everything smaller again.”
I snort. “I’ll be sure to chastise Mr. Thompson the next time I see him.”
Dad narrows his eyes at me. “Pest.”
Luke makes a choking sound.
“Something funny?” I ask my husband.
He shakes his head. “Nope.”
“No need to lie, son.” Dad claps him on the shoulder, apparently over the awkwardness. “It’s no secret my daughter is a stubborn woman.”
Luke grins, also moving past the weirdness. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Smart man.” Dad nods. “Alright, I’m gonna hit the bar. I’ll find you at our table.”
“’Kay.” I smile, then turn back to Luke. “Well, that broke the ice.”
Luke groans. “I swear, I keep looking worse and worse in front of him. The next thing will be your dad walking in on us having sex.”
“Like what Jackson did?” I lift a brow.
He grimaces. “Yeah, I guess we already ticked that box.”
I reach for Luke’s hand. “I’d love to leave that as a one-time-only experience.”
He closes his fingers around mine. “Deal.”
Together, we take our time looking at the auction items, and I put in a few bids on random items. But it’s mostly just to bump up the prices since I don’t care that much about winning.
“Did you want another drink before we sit?” I ask Luke.
He shakes his head. “You?”
“There’s wine on the table, so I’m set. But I think your whiskey is just at the bar.”
“Then let’s find our table. I need to stop after one anyway.”
My mouth pulls down. “I forgot you’re leaving again tomorrow.”
Luke’s hand flexes around mine. “Just for two nights. Then I have a surprise planned.”
I side-eye him as I lead him toward our table. “Hopefully a good surprise.”
He just smirks.
“Natalie!” A brunette woman holds her hands out toward me as she comes around the table. “So glad you could make it.”
“Hi, Sasha.” I greet her, accepting her hug. “Wouldn’t dream of missing it.”
Sasha Mazzanti pulls back, beaming at me. “I can’t tell you how excited I was when you emailed to say you were moving here. And please let me apologize again for that asshole employee in Vegas. As soon as we realized it was our resort that leaked those videos, Vincent fired him. And blacklisted him from any other hospitality job in the state.”
