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Chapter 35
Alison looked around the table at the assorted guests who populated it. Besides Troy, and Mila, all three of Troy’s brothers were there, along with Alison’s new friends, who just happened to be their significant others.
Dang, she realized, I’ve really gone all in on the Valentine family when it comes to creating my new circle of friends here.
And, of course, at the end of the table was the guest of honor. Caroline.
Alison couldn’t help but see her new friends through Caroline’s eyes, since her agent was here in the room. Or rather, what she imagined Caroline must be thinking and feeling as she observed the raucous laughter, at any rate. It was difficult, as always, to get a read on what the woman’s true reactions were. Sitting at the end of the table quietly, she gave Alison nothing to go on but a slightly bemused expression.
Trying to judge Caroline’s reactions to people or situations was nothing new to Alison. It was a game she’d been playing since she’d met the coolly elegant woman. What was different this time around was that Alison found she didn’t really care what Caroline thought about these people!
Oh, sure. It would be nice if her agent approved of her new friends. Like a bonus. But it wasn’t necessary. Even if Caroline utterly hated them it wouldn’t change Alison’s plans, or how she felt about these new people in her life.
It was a freeing mindset, trusting her own judgement. She liked it. In fact, she liked it a lot.
Troy stood and tapped his fork against his glass. It took a couple of tries to get the attention of the animated, laughing group but he finally managed it.
“I’d like to propose a toast,” he began, and Alison found herself hanging on every word. She couldn’t help it. When Troy was around, she was totally wrapped up in him. It was beyond her control. “To our guest of honor, Caroline. I realize we’ve all barely gotten to know you, but Alison speaks so highly of you that I know you must be an amazing person. Here’s hoping we see more of you in the future. To Caroline.”
Troy put his glass up and the others echoed the gesture, repeating the words. “To Caroline!” they chorused, and she inclined her head in acknowledgement.
Before the conversation moved on, though, Troy continued. “I’d also like to toast the woman who’s hosting this incredible dinner, and who invited us all here today.” He paused and looked down at her and they shared a smile. The moment felt intimate, like all of the other people in the room had faded away, leaving only the two of them. “Alison. You’ve only been in Valentine Bay a short while, but in that time, you’ve made all of our lives better. You’ve made my life better, in more ways than I can count, and I hope you’ll always be part of it.”
He held his glass up, but never tore his eyes from hers. “To Alison,” he finished softly, and she was so carried away and wrapped up in the moment that she couldn’t even have said if the rest of the group echoed his words or not. She only had eyes for Troy.
