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Harry, it turned out, had never used a valet before.
“Seriously?” he’d asked when we pulled up to the doors and a valet boy rounded toward the driver’s side. “They actually do this? This isn’t just in movies?”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s a real thing.”
And Harry was also surprised when I left my shawl at the coat check, receiving my ticket from the girl and tucking it into my clutch. “Wow,” Harry said, shaking his head at where the girl disappeared. “Why not throw the jackets over the chairs?”
“So uncivilized,” I said dramatically, leaning into his chest. Underneath my fingers, I could feel his heart beat steadily, unlike mine.
There weren’t too many people in the foyer of the country club; they must’ve already gone into the banquet hall, where everyone mingled until dinner would be served in the main dining area. Mom and Dad were probably in there now waiting for me to show.
Harry seemed to catch a hint of my hesitation. “After you,” he murmured, holding his arm out like a gentleman in a movie would.
With a small, shaky grin, I took it. “If we’ve got no other choice.”
Harry patted my hand. “It can’t be that bad.”
“I feel like you’re jinxing it.”
He laughed beside me, the sound barely there.
Before getting into the main hall, we had to pass the collection of kids in the corridor. When Nellie spotted us, her eyes widened bigger than I’d ever seen them. Behind her, Jamie slowly pushed to his feet. “Uh, who ishe?”
My date offered a hand out to Nellie, smiling. “I’m Harry.”
Jamie came closer, gaze almost distrustful as he looked at Harry. Wary, at the very least. “Is this the guy you went on a date with and kept it from Mom and Dad?”
Harry blinked as I inwardly winced.Off to a fabulous start.“I—I wanted to introduce him to Mom and Dad.” I wound my arm around Harry tighter, feeling his body press against the side of mine. “And introduce him to you too.”
“I think they’ll like him,” Nellie said cheerfully. “I can tell. Harry, I’m really into words. Give me one to spell.”
Harry glanced at me, quirking his mouth to the side. “Hmm. Cashier.”
Nellie hunched her shoulders as she smiled, a burst of excitement working through her. “That’s too easy,” she told him, and then cleared her throat. “C-A-S-H-I-E-R. Cashier.”
“That was great,” he said with a grin, holding his fist out to her.
Nellie slammed hers into it. “Thanks.”
“Well, we should head in,” I said, addressing no one in particular. Maybe I was waiting for Jamie to say something, to step forward and be friendly as well, but he didn’t. “We’ll see you guys later.”
“Nice meeting you two,” Harry told them warmly as I pulled him away, toward the main hall’s archway. “They’re sweet.”
“They’re terrors. But they have their moments.”
At least seventy people were stuffed into the banquet space, all dressed to their best, mingling and laughing. I pretended I was taking in the scene for the first time, putting myself in Harry’s shoes.
Much of the ceiling was made of glass, which gave the entire room a light and open feel. The entire space had been decorated to its usual grandeur, with the sparkling champagne and the elegant tables dressed along the sides of the room. Plenty of space for the dance floor, of course, and couples mingled around it like little social butterflies.
Margot had been right—they had hired the band everyone enjoyed dancing to, and they played a carefree song.
I glanced at Harry, taking in his startled expression. Thankfully, it wasn’t aWhat did I get myself intoexpression. “What are you thinking?”
“I—I’m thinking you were right. There are a lot of suits.”
I wondered if he was calculating how much money was in this room right now. Sometimes I did that. How much money did renting the country club out for the night cost, how much money did Mrs. Meyer’s dress cost—add it all together, and how much did we have?
“I’m also thinking it’s really beautiful in here,” he went on before my thoughts had the chance to wander too far. His expression still looked a little awestruck. “I’m thinking I like the glass ceiling and the marble flooring. Makes me wish I’d added a skylight to my house. It’s pretty.”
