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“It is in times like these where I lament my heroic endeavors of curating a select group of skilled aestheticians, nail artists, hair stylists and sales associates, and instead, should have committed my intelligence and vast resources to gathering favors owed to me by an elite assassin or two,” Nora drawled.
I caught Blake’s gaze and gave her an Eek! face.
She gave me one back.
Somehow, although Nora was on the event committee, tickets had been purchased by, or more likely for, AJ Oakley and his date, Paloma Friedrichsen.
This was making the night uncomfortable, considering AJ was Jamie’s dad, and they hated each other, and Paloma was Tom’s ex, and he might not hate her, but she hated him, and she hated Nora more.
So our table, which included Blake Sharp, her dad, Ned, Nora, Jamie, Tom and Mika and Mika’s PA, Teddy and his husband Faunus were getting bombarded by dirty looks coming from Paloma, and weird looks sent our way from AJ.
Making this worse, Nora’s ex-husband, Roland Castellini, was there, and he did not bring a plus one. Though at least with him, Nora knew he would be in attendance. But he was sending searching glances Nora’s way, which she was blithely ignoring, but Jamie was not.
I leaned into Hale and whispered, “And I thought this night would be boring.”
He turned his head and grinned down at me.
God, I love you, I thought.
I didn’t say it. I wanted to, but I didn’t.
We had to have the conversation. I knew we did. I wanted him to know, and I wanted to know if I was reading all the signals he was sending correctly.
But now we had smooth. We had easy. It was good, no…great.
He seemed happy. Even so far as riding a baseline of content.
And I certainly was…both. And part of that was because he was.
But I didn’t tell him I loved him. Not yet. It wasn’t the right time. He was leaving to go to Munich soon, a short trip, a couple of days, then he was coming right back to New York, where he’d collect me, and we’d head to Arizona for Chloe’s wedding.
Though he couldn’t miss that was how I felt because I wasn’t hiding it.
Instead, I grinned back and then returned my attention to my dinner.
I didn’t have the opportunity to get too involved with my chicken, because suddenly, Jamie stood, throwing his napkin down and announcing, “I’ll be right back.”
“Jamie,” Nora said urgently, reaching out to him.
He glanced at her, shook his head tersely and left her behind as he prowled to an exit at the side of the ballroom.
The one AJ was already using.
Blake gave me big eyes, I returned them, but looked to Mika when she said, “Let him do what he has to do.”
Nora was half out of her seat.
“I do not have posting bail scratched onto tonight’s schedule,” she returned worriedly.
Tom stood. “I’ll go.”
Hale stood too. “I’ll go with you.”
They nodded to each other and followed Jamie’s footsteps.
“Please sit down, Nora,” Ned murmured, reaching for her hand. “There’s nothing you can do.”
“Well, hello.”
