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“The House in the Cerulean Sea. . .”
Milo smiled. “Oh yeah. . .” Taking the book from Elliot, he used his thumb to fly through the pages. “She’s read this so many times, when I saw this copy in an email, I preordered it and got it as a random gift. I may have scored that night.”
“Over a book?” Elliot raised a single eyebrow. “I wonder if Jamie likes to read.”
Both Milo and I rolled our eyes. Elliot had asked about Jamie a few times and was even given her number, but never did anything with it. His brain was elsewhere, even if he was interested in Jamie. Stepping back to the table, I placed the book down next to a photo of Thomas Rhett.
“Another question,” Elliot shouted, turning toward a table to grab a card.
“You can play like everyone else.” A deep Southern accent filled the room, and my heart skipped not just one, but a few beats. “Stop touching things.”
Ophelia walked into the venue, her gold dress shimmering in the lighting of the bar. Her hair bounced, and her heels clicked on the ground. She radiated confidence and grace, and her eyes were focused on me. Sweet, sexy, bold—Ophelia Fuller was going to steal the show. She was a sight to be seen.
I watched as she walked toward me, flicking the trivia card out of my hand and placing it back on the table where it came from. She turned, gave me a sly, sexy smile and then gently slid a hand across my waist all the way around my back, until she was nestled into my body.
“You are exquisite,” I whispered into her ear, kissing her temple.
“I know.” She leaned into my kiss, placing her hand on my chest. “You don't look too bad yourself.”
“Well, aren’t you two adorable?” I heard Madeline’s voice, and it pulled me from the trance Ophelia had put me in.
I furrowed my brow at her and watched as she wrapped her arms or tried to around Milo’s waist. He, however, pulled her at arm's length and looked her up and down, taking in every inch of her.
“Was this,” he stammered, “was this the dress we missed at the show?”
“The one and only,” Ophelia said, her posture straightening as she smiled at the two of them. “Doesn’t she look stunning?”
Milo didn’t answer. He just pulled Madeline close and kissed her. A little hum came from Madeline as she sunk into him.
I looked over at Elliot, thinking he would be talking with Jamie, but he had made his way to the stage, picking up his guitar and starting to tune it. Jamie stood by the display table. Either he had yet to even talk to her, or she shot him down. I tapped my fingers along Ophelia’s skin, making her turn toward me.
“This place looks great,” I whispered.
“Can you believe we actually threw it all together? I mean, we did basically nothing.” She smiled, taking in the room around her. “The guests should be coming soon. Elliot’s going to play for us, right?”
I hummed, tilting my chin down slightly. “Just a few songs, he said, to ‘Give Madeline a taste of the reception.’”
She laughed. “I’m sure she will enjoy every second of it.” She ran her hands along my waist and stepped in front of me, her hands clasping behind my back. “I have something I need to talk to you about. Do you think we can try to sneak away before all the guests arrive?”
I furrowed my brow and opened my mouth to respond, but just as the words were about to come out, a loud cheer could be heard from the stairs. It seemed that every guest we invited all decided to show up at the same time, cheering and whooping as they approached Milo and Madeline. I smiled and looked back down at Ophelia.
“Sneak away later?” I asked.
She sighed and gave me a small smile, one I couldn’t quite read. She nodded, her gaze traveling down to our feet. “Yeah, later,” she whispered back.
I lifted her chin with my thumb and forefinger, bringing her lips to mine, giving her a fleeting kiss. “We should probably mingle.”
She gave a small chuckle. “Let's go win that trivia game.”
“Oh, that's an option?” I smiled at her as she ran her hands down my forearms, her fingers trailing goosebumps down my arms. “I don’t remember getting a prize for a winner.”
“Bragging rights.” Ophelia winked.
Even though she showed a bright smile and fun outer shell, I could see something stirring in her eyes. She wasn’t at ease. She was holding something in, and I had a feeling that something included me.
Turns out the trivia cards and display table were big hits, just like Ophelia had predicted. Even Madeline and Milo played along, trying to win the elusive bragging rights.
“I’m sorry, Milo, but I honestly don't know your favorite Marvel movie.” Madeline sighed, putting her face in her hands.
