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“You know who I’m talking about,” Mama replied in a low voice, leaning closer. “Mr. Gideon Saint.”
I took a sip of my wine in an attempt to ignore the heat washing over my face from the mention of him. It was a losing battle, especially when he glanced my way, a soft smile curving his lips. He looked so effortlessly handsome and confident, even among all these wealthy individuals.
Then again, he was extremely wealthy himself. But he didn’t flaunt it like most everyone else here did.
“Ah, young love,” Mama teased, a mischievous twinkle in her eye.
“It’s not like that.”
She arched a brow. “It sure looks that way. You may not have noticed, but all throughout dinner, he kept glancing in your direction.”
Oh, I definitely noticed. To be fair, I was surprised he wasn’t sitting with us to begin with. Liam explained since Gideon was a last-minute addition, he had his assistant put him wherever there was room.
I knew it was a bullshit response, considering Mitchell, the person Gideon had replaced in their foursome, was originally at our table. He just didn’t want him anywhere near me if he could help it.
“So tell me.” She leaned closer, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “What’s going on with you two?”
If she’d asked me earlier, I would have told her that nothingwasgoing on. That wasn’t the case now. Not anymore.
“We’re taking it slow. Figuring out if there’s something there.”
Mama pushed out a sigh of relief as she wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “It’s about time you got back out there, sweetheart.”
I closed my eyes, basking in her embrace. “I know.”
“And that you stopped letting the guilt you feel about Liam stand in your way.” She dropped her hold on me.
“I don’t?—”
“Don’t get me wrong. I adore Liam. While I questioned your friendship at first, considering your connection, I think you both needed each other. Needed that closure. But Ialsothink a lot of your decisions where Liam is concerned are influenced by a certain level of guilt over what happened to his mother.”
“I thought you were ‘Team Liam’,” I said, using air quotes. “Hell, you thought I should move in with him after the incident at the club a few weeks back.”
“I never said that,” she retorted.
“You didn’t?” I scrunched my brow. “He told me he called you. That you thought it was a good idea for me to move in with him.”
She shook her head. “That’s not what I said at all, Imogene. I simply told him that I was grateful he was nearby to keep an eye on you.”
I parted my lips, blinking repeatedly. “He made it sound like you were on board with me moving into his place.”
She covered my hand with hers and squeezed. “The only team I’m on is Team Imogene. I know how important it was for you to leave Atlanta. For you to have a fresh start, especially after everything.” She briefly glanced at the portrait of Samuel. “Call me crazy, but I don’t think you’d get that living with Liam. Plus, I know you…” She pulled her hand from mine and brought her wine glass to her lips. “There’s no way you’d move to Southern California and not live within a short walk of the beach.”
I chuckled, relaxing back into my chair as couples danced to the jazz ensemble that had replaced the string quartet.
“I can go from my bed to riding a wave in less than ten minutes.”
“He may not be your birth father, but Lachlan’s influence is written all over you.”
“If you ask me, that’s a good thing.”
“It certainly is.” She tilted her drink toward me and we clinked glasses. “You are a sucker for blue eyes, though, aren’t you? I almost had to do a double take when I saw him.”
“Who?”
“Gideon.” She discreetly nodded in his direction. “His eyes are the same shade of blue as Samuel’s were. But Gideon’s…” She trailed off, pinching her lips together in a tight line. “They’re more…haunted, I suppose. Samuel’s were full of life. Like every day was a new adventure.” She returned her gaze to mine. “Gideon’s don’t have the same spark.”
I hadn’t thought about it like that before. All I saw were eyes with the same aqua blue hue as the man I still mourned.
