It’s almost something of a relief. At least she’s acting normal again.
I, meanwhile, stop in the door and suck in a breath at the sight of it all laid out before me.
My eyes scan the room to see if I can find the guys. Sterling is supposed to meet me at the entrance, but I don’t see him anywhere.
Just when I’m about to slip into the crowd and start an earnest hunt, I feel a pair of hands wrap around my waist from behind and I turn to see Sterling. I’m actually rather surprised that he’s being bold enough to put his arms around me in this public of a space.
I’m so used to the opposite that just this brief display of affection makes my heart almost hurt.
“Hey,” he smiles as he leans forward to give me a small kiss. He seems much more relaxed in this moment than I had expected him to be—almost strangely so.
And I didn’t think it was possible for my heart to hurt even more.
“What are you doing?” I ask once he pulls away. I look around quickly to make sure that no one saw the kiss, especially not Bridget.
“I’m kissing my beautiful date,” he says, eyes raking over me.
Sterling seems off somehow. He is overly affectionate and sweet, and he’s smiling wider than I’ve seen him smile before.
So wide, in fact, that it kind of takes me aback. It almost looks as if he’s forcing himself to make sure he doesn’t look miserable, a false cheeriness that makes him look like a wax figure made of himself—a poor replica of the real thing, in my opinion.
My only guess is that it has to be his father’s presence here that has everything to do with his high level of uncomfortable anxiety.
“If Bridget sees us—”
“Screw Bridget,” he says. “I couldn’t care less what anyone has to say about anything tonight.”
As much as I think his sudden decision to be reckless here of all places is sure to end poorly; I do admittedly like this brazen side of him.
“You look absolutely stunning,” Sterling says with a stargazed look in his eyes.
He looks like he might lean forward and try to kiss me again, but I take a step backward, not because I don’t desperately want to kiss him too, but because that’s not what we’re here for. I need to make a good—no, a great impression with the review board.
And making out in the entrance while people clear their throats to get around us in not the way to go about that.
“So how does this work?” I ask him as we step aside and into the throng in the hall. “Is there like a formal time to be able to talk with the review board members, or is it more of a casual mingling sort of thing?”
I have to raise my voice to be heard above the swell of the music.
Sterling shrugs his shoulders. I can tell that he couldn’t care less about the review board and even though his father is on it, there’s a good chance he doesn’t know too much about it. He and his father, after all, have never seemed particularly like the type to spend a second longer together than absolutely necessary.
“It’s more of a casual brown-nosing event,” Warren says as he walks up with Bridget on his arm. He sees the startled look on my face and adds, “I’ve been to so many of these things, you just get good at hearing people over the music.”
Bridget looks at Sterling’s arms that are still wrapped around my waist even though I’d backed up a bit to make some space between us. I’m worried that seeing me with Sterling might make her snap—really snap—but surprisingly it just makes her face contort into an awful expression that looks like she’s going to vomit.
At least it doesn’t send her over the edge like I was worried it might.
Not yet anyway.
And to think that not too long ago, that was the whole goal.
“You wouldn’t know how to mingle and rub noses with the board members if your life depended on it,” she sneers.
Though, maybe I shouldn’t have reconsidered quite so quickly.
I just force a false smile of my own onto my face. Between Sterling and I, we must look quite the nightmarish pair.
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” I say sarcastically, “but I think I’ll be fine.”
I make a point to reach for Sterling’s arm as we walk away from Bridget and Warren. I can feel Warren’s eyes following me and I’m sure that Bridget can pick up on her brother’s lingering gaze too. Between her jealousy of me with Sterling, and her overprotective nature of her brother; Bridget must truly hate me at this point. There must be so much of this that is driving her absolutely crazy right now.
I have to admit, I don’t mind driving Bridget crazy for one minute. If there’s anyone who deserves to be tortured a little tonight after all—it’s her. Especially with how she just keeps making it so damn easy.
When we get further into the party, I can see Chase standing by the punch bowl in-between the silent auction table and a group of men in suits that look more expensive than all the money I will probably make in my whole entire life.
“Hey,” I smile as we walk up to where Chase is standing.
“Wow,” he says when he turns to look at me. “You look absolutely amazing.”
“Thanks,” I smile. It definitely feels good to be dressed up and have all three guys unable to keep their eyes off me. “What are you doing over here by yourself?”
“Eh, I didn’t want to bring a date,” Chase answers with a shrug. “It’s too hard to be able to bail out of these things whenever you want to if there’s a date involved.”
Chase
