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He crosses his arms and frowns. “Oh, is it Margarita?”
I shake my head.
“Magdalena?”
“Nope.”
He looks to the ceiling for a moment and then says, “Magnolia.”
“I like that, but no.”
He snaps his fingers. “I know. It’s Margarine.”
I’m trying to hold my face still, but I can’t help cracking a smile.
“It is.” He has a bright smile on his face. “I knew it. That’s a weird choice by your parents – Elizabeth, Celeste, and Margarine. Guess they ran out of good ideas. I would have personally gone with Butter. I always go with butter over margarine.”
I grimace.
“Yeah. You’re right. Butter is no good. How about Buttercup?”
I take another sip of my wine without answering.
“Alright, Buttercup,” he says, leaning closer. “Is your sister going to combust?”
I laugh. “No. I think she’ll be okay. And it’s just Maggie.”
He shoots me a sideways look. “Just Maggie? It’s not short for anything.”
“Not short for anything, but you can call me Buttercup if you want.”
He grins, and I melt a little. I need to be careful around him. Flirting is fine – feelings are not. I know what this is. I know what Declan’s like.
“What’s your name short for?” I ask.
He snorts.
“Declamichael, Declaniah, Declanathon?”
He chuckles. “Oof – that’s a mouthful. Not short for anything, Buttercup.”
I study him for a second. “So Dex...”
He raises his eyebrow and I continue, “Have you ever met a woman you don’t flirt with?”
He picks up his bourbon and takes a sip without looking at me. “Not many. At least not if they are as beautiful as you.”
His eyes drift over to me, and I quickly pick up my drink and look away. I walked right into that.
Will’s phone buzzes and then he looks down. “Oh, woah.”
He turns the phone around so we can all see. “Senator Stowe just conceded.”
“It’s over.” Elizabeth blinks.
“He won,” Will says.
There’s a buzz the floats across the room that grows louder and louder until it’s a roar as the news spreads.
