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My mouth dropped open.
“No, really. Who are you?”
“Louisa. Sienna’s best friend, thanks, and Eric’s girlfriend. We were at Electric Carousel, remember?” I couldn’t help but sound snarky.
Cruz lifted one shoulder carelessly. “Nope.”
As I shoved twenty pounds into the collection tin, I glared at him. “I’m here for moral support, fun, and a fashion show. Are you here to be a moody prick to people?”
“I’m the entertainment.”
If sex was a tone of voice, Cruz just hit the right note. Though I wasn’t into him, my body reacted to his words. I didn’t know what kind of entertainment he meant, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to find out. Mind you, I couldn’t seem to banish the image that had sprung up in my mind’s eye. The tiny quirk of a smile on his face didn’t help matters. In fact, it also reminded me of Sienna’s problem model.
“I also have family in the show. So, I’m here for moral support, too, I guess.” Cruz shrugged.
“Family?” Eric questioned.
“My brother, Aug.” Cruz glanced over to where the redhead was straightening up Augustus’ outfit.
My mouth fell open. Cruz was a member of the nobility?
“Cruz!” Sienna prowled toward us. “What are you doing?”
“I’m getting donations from these delightful people.” He shook the tin.
“That’s not your job. Give the tin to one of the other interns. You need to get ready to play.” Sienna glanced at Eric and me. “Mad Lurchers are the soundtrack to the after-party portion of the evening. Now go, Cruz. Jeremy’s been looking all over for you.”
“You know no one tells me what to do, strawberry. But I’ll let it go this time since it’s your special night. As long as you make it up to me later.”
Sienna couldn’t disguise the look of lust that crossed her face at his warning. Still, she tried to act all defiant and pointed to the stage. “Get your ass to the dressing room.”
Cruz sauntered away obediently.
With a deep breath, Sienna turned her attention to us. “Sorry about that. He can be such a jackass.”
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“Yes, I’m fine. Now, come and get your seats. I reserved some for you right in the front row.” Sienna took my hand, and I took Eric’s, and I let her lead us over to the fold-out timber chairs. “Enjoy the evening.”
The seats were already filling up as we sat down.
“Wow, right by the ringside, all right,” Eric whispered to me and looked up at the runway within arm’s reach of us.
“Eric. We’re sitting next to Cheryl and Kimberley,” I whispered back.
Confusion crossed Eric’s face. “Who?”
I forced myself to stay calm as I smiled politely at the blonde and the dainty brunette.
“Tell me later,” he mumbled with a kiss on my cheek.
That was a wise decision. I was sure it would be fairly embarrassing to them and me if I rambled on to Eric about my obsession with the British girl band the ladies were formerly members of.
My internal fangirling was interrupted when a stylish waif of a woman walked out to the end of the catwalk. She was graceful and reminded me of how a cat walked languidly without caring for what others thought of her. She was queen bee, and we were her attentive subjects.
She lifted a microphone to her mouth. “Hello, everyone. Welcome to the twentieth annual Estate Styles’ Charity Gala. I’m Sonja, the founder of the company I started in my home twenty-seven years ago. Now we’re a global phenomenon with stores all over Europe, Canada, and America, and we also have our eye on the Australian and Asian markets. With such success comes a responsibility to give back, and that’s why we began holding these yearly events all those years ago. Christmastime is not a happy one for all, and so I feel it is our duty to donate to those less fortunate than ourselves. This year we are donating all funds raised through donations and purchases made tonight to the Children’s Health Foundation. They are an organization that does wonderful work researching childhood cancer, and hopefully, one of these days, they will make a breakthrough that will rid us of this horrendous disease once and for all.”
Applause rose from the audience.
