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We walk back to Tara and Eric, who are making small talk.
At our arrival, Eric extends a hand to Luke. “Thank you for taking that box. I could have managed.”
“Didn’t want you to mess up your pretty little hands. Heard they’re important. Geriatrics, correct?”
“Genetics.”
Luke’s hand grips Eric, and by the surprised, albeit challenging look, on Eric’s face, I’d say Luke’s handshake is a touch too firm for a greeting.
“Can I get anyone a drink?” I ask the three of them.
Tara lifts her wineglass to say she’s good. Luke shakes his head while Eric places a hand on the small of my back.
“Let’s go see what they have at the bar,” Eric says.
I take the advice I gave Melissa and order myself a glass of champagne. Just one. I don’t need to get sloshed at my friend’s engagement party.
The layout for tonight’s affair is elegant yet informal. There are passed hors d’oeuvres and three dinner stations placed strategically around the yard. It’s meant to have friends and family of the couple mingle as they walk about. Eric and I stop at the stations and get food. We sit and talk to some friends of Melissa’s. I watch in interest as Tara talks to Kent, a sergeant she dated last year.
I leave Eric to make Ainsley a plate and make sure she stops long enough to eat, and then I have a dance on the dance floor with my friends because that’s what one does when you’re at a party.
I’m enjoying a second glass of champagne midway through the night when I see Luke and Ainsley take to the dance floor. Her toes are on his shoes, except when she steps down for him to turn her in a series of twirls. Her dress spins out, and her smile widens with each turn she does.
Ainsley looks at Luke like he’s her hero. She’s always taken easily to adults, but there’s something about her bond with him that’s kismet and on another level. Her tiny soul knows he belongs to her.
“The manny really has a way with your daughter,” Eric says as he approaches my table.
I lift myself out of my chair. “Please stop calling him that.”
“I’m kidding. It’s a cute nickname.” Eric’s tongue pokes the inside of his cheek. “They’re very close.”
“They have a deep bond, yes,” I agree.
Tara appears a moment later with what might be her fifth drink of the evening.
“Will’s single brother isn’t here. I was really hoping to meet him tonight. I tried to talk to his divorced bro, Rob, but Melissa’s right. That dude is mean. He practically grunts at you in response.”
“Just enjoy the party. You don’t need to meet someone,” I reply.
“Easy for you to say. You’re here with Eric.”
“Didn’t you come here with Luke?” Eric asks her.
“Yeah, but he’s not a date. He’s just company. Besides, he’s either been staring at Jillian all night or hanging out with Ainsley. Not exactly the kind of man this girl wants to take home at the end of the night.”
Eric looks at me over the edge of his glass with a deep scowl written across his face. “Deep bond, you say?”
I give a closed-mouth smile and turn away, not appreciating the way he’s assuming things. The music changes to a faster one, and many people take to the floor.
Luke gives Ainsley a kiss on the cheek, and she runs off to find Hunter. Luke’s smile is proud, affectionately so, as he watches her run off. When he sees Tara, Eric, and me staring at him, he straightens his stance. His brow quirks, and his smile falls.
With long, sturdy struts, Luke strides over to where we’re standing by the table.
“Meeting of the minds, I see,” he croons, as if assessing the situation.
“Just watching you have a dance with Jillian’s daughter,” Eric states.
Tara giggles into her hand. “This is angsty. Someone—and by someone, I mean the hot doc—is way too jealous over there.”
