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I’ve never spent any time with her myself. I only know who she is because Stella’s told us all about her, and Sidney invited Stella and Olivia to a concert earlier this year. I hope that as Stella and Gray’s wedding gets closer, I’ll get to know her better, mostly because she just looks like she’s really nice.
I walk to the edge of the dance floor and watch Keaton at work.
He smiles in that charming way he does, and when Sidney shakes his hand, he pulls it up to his lips so he can kiss her knuckles.
Yeah, he’s laying it on thick.
But Sidney doesn’t seem to mind. She laughs at something he says, and when he gestures and seems to ask a question, she nods enthusiastically.
Looks like Keaton might have just scored. Good for him.
“You’re alone.”
I look over in surprise to find my dad standing with me.
“Yeah. Ike’s off talking football with Will, and Keaton just deserted me for a pretty girl.”
“Sounds about right.” He passes me a fresh glass of champagne. “How are things going with Ike?”
“We’re doing well. He’s a good guy, Dad.”
He just nods and drinks his own champagne. “I like him. He looks at you like you’re the best thing since football, and that’s a good thing.”
“He doesn’t come from a great family. And I’m not talking financially or anything stupid like that. I mean, his dad isn’t a good person.”
Dad doesn’t look surprised. “No, he isn’t. I overheard a phone conversation that night you introduced him to us. And then I did some digging there.”
I stare at him in surprise. “You did some digging?”
“Our family has connections, Sophie. If you think I won’t use them to keep you safe, you don’t know me very well.”
I let out a long breath. “Okay. What did you find out?”
“That his dad’s an asshole. He isn’t very nice to his wife. Has some debt and likes to gamble. Nothing too crazy there, but he definitely spends beyond his means. He’s not dangerous, and that was my main concern.”
“I feel completely safe. And Ike got his mom out of there, moved her to Florida with her sister just last week.”
“Good, I’m glad to hear that. What kind of security does Ike have at his house?”
I roll my eyes, but Dad just continues to look at me as if he’s waiting for me to answer what I want for dinner.
“He has a gate and alarms on all the doors and windows.”
“Okay.” He nods and leans in to kiss my cheek. “Come on. Let’s dance.”
“You want to dance?”
He just raises an eyebrow, and I laugh. “Okay. Let’s do it.”
“My dad just isn’t a dancer,” I say as I get out of the truck and wince at the pinching of my poor feet. The shoes were okay for the first couple of hours, and then they were basically torture devices. “Sure, he slow dances with my mom, but he spun me around that floor three times.”
“You looked like you were having fun,” Ike says with a grin and unlocks the door.
Buster comes running to greet us.
“Aww, hi sweet boy. Did you miss me?” I kiss his cheek three times and then rub his back vigorously. “You sweet man. I completely adore you.”
“Is it possible to be jealous of a dog?” Ike winks at me as he takes off his jacket and tosses it over the back of a chair.
“He’s just a baby. Aren’t you, buddy?” I give Buster another kiss and then join Ike and give him a big hug. “You were awesome tonight. Thank you.”
“I had a good time.”
“I have to get out of this dress,” I inform him. “And no, you don’t have to rip it off of me. I want to get comfy and talk about all the things.”
“You go ahead. I’ll still get you naked later.”
I smirk and walk up to his bedroom, where I have some clothes stashed. When I walk into the closet, I stop cold and take in the scene.
It looks like a massacre.
There are clothes and shoes all over the floor. My favorite running shoes have been chewed to a pulp.
“Ike?” I call out. “I need you to come in here.”
“What’s up?” I hear him jog up the stairs, and then he’s behind me, and he lets out a long whistle. “Well, shit.”
“I guess Buster didn’t like being left alone. I told you we should have gated him in the kitchen or something.”
“With what? A stern talking to?”
All I can do is shrug, and then we hear a little whine come from behind us. We turn in unison to find Buster lying on the bed, looking completely pathetic.
“You’re not innocent,” I accuse the canine, pointing at him. “This is a bad thing. A bad, bad thing.”
He just whines again and moves onto his back.
“Yeah, I can see that he’s sorry.” Ike takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “I think I’ll have to call in a trainer for some help.”
