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“Do you like the party, darling?” Mom said, kissing my cheek. “You deserve it. You were incredible tonight.”
“Magnificent,” Dad said. “I’m very proud of you.”
“Thanks,” I said. I wanted to give more, feel more for them but I couldn’t. This party was exactly how everyone described: a nice gesture. Kind. Generous. But not enough to fill the gaping hole my parents had put in my life.
All at once, I understood the strange tension I’d felt in the theater, both before and after the show. It was Isaac. Or rather, it was the absence of Isaac. He wasn’t onstage with me or in the audience watching. He wasn’t here to look beautifully handsome in a tuxedo. To dance with me, hold me close and whisper never doubt in my ear.
Dad cleared his throat. Everyone was looking at me.
Quickly, I put a smile on my face. “It really is lovely.”
“Well, the party is only one part of this evening’s festivities.” My father glanced around, but apparently didn’t see what he was looking for and turned back. “It’s early yet. Enjoy yourself, sweetheart.”
Angie leaned in to me after he’d left. “What was that all about?”
“I have no idea. He’s been hinting at some sort of a surprise.” I glanced around. “Where’s Marty? I thought he was right behind us.”
“I’m going to the ladies’ room to powder my nose,” Bonnie said. “Angie, will you get me a glass of white wine please?”
Angie gave a little salute. “If they don’t card my ass. Willow?”
“Diet Coke with lime? I’ll guard our table.”
“Please.” Angie dumped her purse on the chair beside me and walked away. A split-second later, my throat constricted when I tried to call her back. To scream for her to come back.
My parents were approaching the table again. My father wearing a satisfied smile, my mother looking straight at me, her face perfectly blank as they walked over Ross and Melinda Wilkinson.
Beside them was Xavier.
The temperature in the room dropped a hundred degrees. I broke out in gooseflesh as the blood drained from my entire body, leaving me weak and cold.
He wore a dark suit with a gray tie. His black hair was slicked back and glinted in the muted lighting of the ballroom. His large, dark eyes raked me up and down, a faint smile curling his lips. He was handsome in the way a vampire was handsome. Dangerous and sexy, but no less a monster that would suck the life out of you and leave you in a state of half-dead, half-alive.
Until he comes to finish you off.
I stared without breathing. An icy boulder sitting on my chest.
“Willow, my dear,” my father said more confidently, as if we were standing on firmer ground. “You remember the Wilkinsons? Ross, Melinda and their son, Xavier?” He beamed proudly. “Xavier just finished his degree at Amherst and is set to pursue a career in politics.”
“Good to see you again, Willow,” Xavier said in his smooth, low voice. I only stared, and in the silence, his smile tilted a little with annoyance.
My mother’s gaze darted between us, her mouth slightly ajar.
My legs shook as I rose to my feet, still unable to tear my eyes from Xavier. If I blinked or looked away, he’d pounce and tear me to shreds.
“What are you doing here?” I managed through chattering teeth.
My father cleared his throat. “It’s part of the surprise I wanted to share with you tonight. Is Martin Ford here? No? Well, you can share the news with him when he arrives.”
“Daniel,” my mother said in a strangled tone. “May I have a word?”
“In a moment, dear.” He put his hands behind his back, the way he did when giving speeches to stockholders. “Willow, I was telling Mr. Wilkinson about your endeavors with the Harmony Community Theater. I had my secretary investigate the particulars of the building and its financial standing. I’m pleased to say the Wilkinsons—by way of the Wexx Foundation for Charitable Works—have agreed to invest in the project. We’ll ensure the entire block is preserved and maintained, and we’ll establish Martin Ford as the creative director for time in perpetuity.”
My vision clouded gray. I didn’t think the ballroom could be any colder. Xavier looked angry and nervous now. Hands jammed in his pockets and rocking back and forth on his heels.
The Wilkinsons are going to be part owners of the Harmony Community Theater.
I thought I was going to be sick.
