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Nineteen
“I’ve never seen you look more stunning!” Cassandra embraced Hallie in another hug. The brunette’s big smile and boisterous attitude were completely contagious. Hallie felt shy accepting the compliment. But she tried anyway.
“Thank you.” She smoothed her hand along the red sheath. “I feel beautiful wearing it.”
“Gavin can’t tear his eyes off you,” Presley commented.
“That’s my favorite part,” Hannah said, her gaze following Presley’s across the room to where the Sutherland brothers were clustered at the bar. “Hallie has been looking at him like that for years. It’s past time he returned the favor.”
“Is that true?” Cassandra asked.
“Completely true,” Presley said. “She avoided him like crazy when I met her.”
“No, I didn’t,” Hallie murmured. A lie. She had totally avoided him.
Presley’s smirk communicated her disbelief. “I’m assuming we’re going to see a lot more of you two together.”
“Yeah, no more hiding him away in your dark bedroom,” Cassandra teased.
“We’re just having fun,” she reminded them. “Gavin and I are comfortable with the way things are.”
“Gram called him your boyfriend.” Hannah sang the word.
“Gram is a wishful thinker.” Hallie raised one eyebrow.
Publicly dating Gavin was one thing, but his being her “boyfriend” was another. There was a traditional, old-school part of her that embraced the idea, but she was now fun-and-fresh Hallie. The other part of her would have to catch up.
“The rule-breaking challenge was the best thing that ever happened to you,” Presley said. “You’re so happy you’re sparkling.”
“I think that’s the diamonds,” Hallie said, swishing her train. She had to smile. She was happy. Breaking a few of her rules had changed her life for the better. Was it so outrageous to believe Gavin was benefiting, too? Would he eventually decide he wasn’t a stuck-in-his-ways bachelor? Decide that, like his brothers, he was also eager to settle down?
No matter how many times she warned herself to halt this line of thinking, she couldn’t help circling the possibilities. She didn’t share her thoughts with her friends or her sister. Instead she sipped champagne and chatted about other innocuous topics. And when Gavin interrupted to ask her to dance, she didn’t share her thoughts with him, either.
She simply enjoyed dancing with him, swaying to the music as her gorgeous red dress sparkled under the lights. She kept her eyes on the sprig of holly pinned to his lapel and mused how he looked like a prince. Well, a prince in a cowboy hat, but that worked for her. They enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and she sipped more champagne, laughing and enjoying herself.
By midnight, the party was nowhere near winding down. Hallie, though, had almost had enough “peopling” for one evening. She hid a yawn behind her hand as Gavin made his way back to the bar for a refill. He didn’t make it before being corralled into a group of guys she didn’t recognize. They were slapping him on the back and laughing. He sent her an apologetic smile, but she waved him off. She needed a breather anyway.
She slipped into a shadowed corner and propped her arms on a high-top table. No one was around, giving her a precious moment to herself. Parties zapped nearly all of her energy. Plus, she wasn’t exactly a night owl. She preferred a hot tea over a martini most nights, and that’s if she wasn’t already asleep by now.
“My goodness, I thought you were Hannah.”
Mags Dumond intruded, her hand wrapped around an elegant stemmed glass. Her fingernails were long, painted glittery silver to match her dress. The sequins dotting the fabric were almost holographic. She closely resembled the disco ball hanging over the dance floor.
“Hannah is wearing pink tonight,” Hallie said with a patient smile.
“She’s also been wearing Will Sutherland. We get it. You’re in love.” Mags snorted at her own joke before drinking the remainder of her champagne in one gulp. “I noticed you hanging on to a different Sutherland man tonight. You and Gavin on the dance floor.” She fanned her face. “Save some for the bedroom!”
Hallie tried to keep the smile pasted on her face, which was always a challenge when dealing with Mags. The older woman had something snarky to say about someone—about everyone—if you talked to her long enough.
“What an odd couple you two make.”
Case in point.
“Well, it works for us.” Hallie was tired, and a little grouchy. She didn’t have the stamina to deal with Mags tonight. Hell, she hardly had the stamina to deal with Mags on any night. Not that that deterred the party’s host.
“Gavin is so... What word am I looking for? Free-spirited. He is the least serious of the Sutherland clan. And you, honey, in case you haven’t noticed, are no Hannah Banks. You are positively rigid. I can make out the set of your stiff spine in your flowy gown. Ha! I mean, even your irritating grandmother knows how to have fun. You know I’m kidding. I love her,” Mags lied with a smile. “Why are you hiding over here in the corner?”
“I’m not hiding,” Hallie said through her teeth. She didn’t love personal confrontations, and Mags had made this terribly personal. “Gram is the best person I know.”
