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I could understand that—her father was a proud man. One who was usually suave and full of confidence. To know that anyone, let alone his daughter, had seen a crack in that polished façade would likely make whatever he was feeling a hundred times worse.
“But maybe you could go?” Serena suggested, and I almost choked on my drink.
“Me?”
“Yeah.” She swiveled in her seat and put a hand on my arm. “The second course is still being served, and it’d only take a few minutes. Maybe track him down and distract him with something event related so he doesn’t think I sent you.”
“Event related? Like what?”
“I don’t know.” She grimaced. “Maybe someone found a hair in their bisque.”
“Seriously? I don’t think that would make him feel better.”
“Okay, maybe not something food related.” She eyed the empty champagne flutes on our table, then the one in my hand. “What about something to do with the drinks? They’ve run out of Dom? What’s that, your second? I’m sure everyone’s guzzling it down. It could happen.”
As she talked about how I should go find—and console—her father, I drank mythird, not second, glass dry, because there was nothing I’d like more than to make Archer Carrington feel better.
“Okay, okay. I’ll go find him.”
Her eyes filled with gratitude as I got to my feet, and something twisted in my gut—guilt.
“Thank you.”
I ran my fingers down her cheek, then left my date and friends, weaving my way between the groups of Elysium members gathered at their tables. I smiled and waved at several people who greeted me, but didn’t stop as I hurried through the hall in the direction I’d seen Mr. Carrington go.
I could do this. A quick checkup. Make sure he wasn’t consoling himself by getting blind drunk or thinking of hurling himself off the Elysium’s top-floor balcony. Then I could go back to Serena and tell her everything was fine.
Sure. No problem. But first, I had to find him.
I exited the main hall and through the foyer, and was about to head upstairs to his office when I heard a noise close by.
There were a couple of recreational areas off the east side of the foyer, cigar and billiards rooms, and as I started in that direction, I found Mr. Carrington sitting in one of the private alcoves that lined the hallway.
“Preston.”
Mr. Carrington got to his feet, and my eyes fell to the glass in his hand. I wondered if that was his first or second pour, and I figured that was as good a segue as any to get him talking.
“Needed something stronger than champagne tonight? I thought it was a fully stocked bar.”
Mr. Carrington blinked then looked to the glass in his hand. “It is. I just needed to toss a couple back and didn’t want anyone to see.”
That’s what I thought. Always the professional. Always the gentleman. There were plenty of members who would be fall-on-their-ass drunk from the open bar tonight, but Archer Carrington wouldn’t be one of them. Even if his moron ex had shown up to crash the party.
“No one would care,” I said, stepping out of the hall and into an alcove barely big enough for the clubman chair and side table that was nestled into it.
“Yes, but I would.” He let out a sigh, and something about the vulnerable response had me remembering why I was there.
“Are you all right?”
His eyes shot to mine, and his lips parted like a denial was on the tip of his tongue. Something in my expression must’ve made him change his mind, though, because he shook his head. “I guess you noticed Stuart.” He swirled the contents of his glass. “Just another reminder I’m going to end up old and alone at Christmas.”
As he threw back another mouthful, the buzz of alcohol had my ears ringing. My first inclination was to refute what he’d just said, because how the hell could someone like him ever think hedidn’thave a long line of guys kicking down the door to get to him?
And I was the one there. With him. Not in a line, not behind a door, but only a few feet away, close enough I could take a couple steps forward and have my hands on him.
No. That was crazy.Don’t think about touching him.
My body wasn’t listening to my brain, though, because before I could stop myself, I’d closed the gap between us. I wrapped my hand around his on the glass, and surprise lit his warm brown eyes before they settled into something I recognized all too well, just not from him.
