Page 129 of A Vicious Love

I laughed. Actually laughed, at a crow table. The possibility felt unbelievable.

The men still spoke business between courses. They discussed marina routes, regatta sponsorships, and St. Cross licensing with the same controlled focus every Crow seemed to carry in his bones.

Amara asked about my dress.

Lucille asked about ballet.

Callum wanted to know whether dancers truly destroyed their feet or whether that was society mythology.

Weston listened.

When I answered a question, he didn’t glance toward his phone halfway through. He did not sigh if my answer became a story. He asked another question after the first.

It was strange.

I told Amara about the winter performance and how terrified I had been after the injury. Lucille asked whether I had always danced. I explained that ballet had begun as something my mother considered appropriate and became the only place my body ever felt entirely mine.

Weston just listened.

The first race ended while we were eating. Guests moved toward the terrace rail with cocktails to watch the boats return beneath the lowering sun. A small jazz trio began playing near the gardens. Staff brought trays of champagne, summer cocktails, and tiny desserts.

Weston appeared beside me with a glass of something pale pink.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Watermelon, mint, and something expensive enough to justify the size of the glass.”

I accepted it. “Is there alcohol in it?”

“Yes.”

“How much?”

“Enough to make the sunset better. Not enough to make the stairs dangerous.”

I smiled. “Thoughtful.”

“I try.”

He stood beside me near the rail while boats moved through the harbour below. His shoulder brushed mine once when the terrace became crowded.

He pointed toward one of the racing boats. “That one belongs to Elias.”

“The black one?”

“The one currently losing.”

“I can hear you.” Elias called from behind us.

Weston smiled. “Good. It’s an embarrassment to the dynasty.”

I took a sip of the cocktail.

Weston leaned closer so I could hear him over the music and conversation.

“Are you enjoying yourself?”

I stared at him a moment longer, before I nodded.