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“Oh, my God,” he quietly squealed as he looked around. “This is fabulous! I should probably be sorry that Rob couldn’t come.” Pregnant pause. “But I’m not!”
Monique didn’t mind that Rob wasn’t there, either. But she was glad that he’d finally sent her an email stating he was okay and would call her soon.
“You fit right in,” she said, brushing a stray piece of lint from Lance’s lapel. And he did. Handsome enough to be a model, Lance wore a black Giorgio Armani tux with pale-pink-and-silver-striped shirt and silver bow tie. His raven-black hair was slicked back in a debonair fashion, bringing out the angular lines of his face and the stark blueness of his eyes.
Said blue eyes were shining. “I’m going to look like a groupie but I’ve got to take pictures. Brandon will be so jealous. He would have loved this!” He pulled out his phone and snapped a surprised Monique, underscoring his point.
“Monique, darling!” It was Margo. Monique turned, immediately aware that her godmother was in her element with diamonds dripping, silver silk swirling and not one hair out of place.
She reached where Monique and Lance were standing and held out her arms, first hugging Lance and then Monique. “You look positively radiant!” Margo stepped back to look at her goddaughter. “I love it when you wear your hair down. And I told you that the dress I ordered was perfect. You look positively stunning!”
“Thank you, Margo. I never would have chosen silver as a gown color, but I must say, this darker shade is beautiful.”
When Margo had told Monique that silver attire was strongly recommended for the Silver Serenade Concert, Monique had balked. “Silver? No, Margo, that will wash out my skin. I’ll look ashy, like I went to the mall for lotion and they were sold out!”
“I’d seen that gown earlier in a fashion magazine and had immediately thought of you. It’s a darker shade of silver, and I knew it would complement your tone perfectly. The earrings, necklace—” she looked down “—your shoes. You should really tip your stylist. She did you a grand.”
“She put me together,” Monique said to Lance. “Thank you, Margo, for doing an amazing job. And you, lady.” She shook her head as Margo let the silver fox boa slip from her shoulders. “I’m sure you must know that you’re the belle of the ball.”
“The competition was fierce for which one of us would shine the brightest.” Margo looked around, her sixty-plus-year-old eyes shining. “I think my sparkle is pretty bright, if I must say so myself. Oh, I see some of those ladies now. Come, let’s go over so I can introduce you to the board.”
Lance chose to stay and people watch while Monique and Margo crossed the lobby and entered a room for VIPs. There were uniformed waiters offering various hors d’oeuvres and flutes of champagne. In here, the air was rarefied. The bougie of the bougie, Monique thought, as she imagined that the jewels alone worn by the women could probably fund a third-world country for about ten years. After Margo introduced her to the board, they continued around the room, greeting Margo’s other friends. Surreptitiously, she scanned the crowd, looking for Niko without consciously realizing it. They hadn’t talked since sharing the meal at Cove Café. Crazy, but she missed him and was almost certain he’d attend.
They made the rounds. She didn’t see him or any of the Drakes, for that matter. Surprise and disappointment vied for dominance, even as she spotted several Paradise Cove citizens. Thankful for the diversion, she began chatting them up. Margo left abruptly, before Monique could ask about the whereabouts of the Drakes. Figuring she’d find out soon enough, Monique continued talking with a man who owned several Paradise Cove businesses. She had just accepted a flute of champagne when an undeniable murmur spread across the room. About the same time her heart twisted. And somehow, innately, she knew. He was here. At the mere thought of seeing him again, she smiled and slowly turned around.
And there he was—handsome, even dastardly—parting a path in the room with his aura much like Moses did the Red Sea. The smile froze on her face and she was thankful for it. Because it gave the false impression that she was okay with the fact that he was not alone.
