Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 95950 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95950 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Her hand flutters to her hair as if to make sure every strand has been sprayed into place.
“You look lovely, Mom. Don’t worry.”
“It’s hard not to feel self-conscious.” She shifts from one foot to the other and takes another quick sip of her drink. “I feel so out of place.”
“We could always leave.” A hopeful note enters my tone. “Maybe pick up a pizza on the way home, get into our pajamas and watch a movie.”
I’d much rather be cozied up on the couch than here with a fake smile plastered across my face.
She gives me an are you crazy look before shaking her head and dismissing the suggestion. “That would be incredibly rude. Maybe we don’t have the kind of bank accounts that most of these people do, but we still have class and manners.”
I force a smile through the disappointment. “You’re right.”
She slips one arm around my waist before giving me a squeeze. While searching the sea of people, she takes another drink of champagne before craning her neck. “Oh, there’s Edmond!”
Edmond?
Before I can ask who she’s talking about, she takes off across the room, teetering on sky high heels until reaching Mr. Pembroke. He’s deep in conversation with Kristina and Benedict Morgan.
Oh god.
Edmond Pembroke?
My heartrate accelerates as my gaze stays fixated on her, watching as she leans in to kiss the slim blonde’s cheek before doing the same with Benedict. Her expression softens as she shakes Mr. Pembroke’s hand. If I didn’t know they were anything but employee/employer, I probably wouldn’t read too much into her behavior.
That, unfortunately, is no longer the case.
The wattage of her smile increases. She’s practically glowing as she stands beside the headmaster. I watch in horror as her fingers settle on his forearm.
“Wow, you look gorgeous.”
Knocked from my thoughts, I swing around only to find Jasper. He’s holding a flute of bubbly in one hand and a crystal tumbler of amber colored liquor in the other.
“Thank you.” My fingers drift over the pale pink gown with its sweetheart neckline and tulle skirt. “So do you.”
He flashes an easy grin. “I look gorgeous?”
Actually, he does. From his perfectly style blond hair to the crisp white shirt beneath a custom black tux, he looks like he could be an expensive model.
“What I meant to say is that you look handsome,” I correct, feeling foolish.
“Thanks.” He extends the glass of alcohol. “I thought you might want something to dull the pain. I have a feeling it’s going to be a long night.”
“Oh.” I glance at the delicate flute. “Thank you.”
Under normal circumstances, I don’t drink. That’s not to say I’ve never had a beer or two at a party, but I’ve found that it’s far safer to stay sober and keep my wits about me. Especially when running with this crowd.
But…Jasper makes a good point.
It’s going to be a long night, and taking some of the edge off wouldn’t do any harm. One visual sweep of the room shows that most of my classmates have flutes or tumblers in hand. This might be a school function, but none of the adults seem to care.
Some of my wariness dissipates as my fingers wrap around the fragile stem and bring the rim to my lips for a taste.
Mom’s right.
It’s delicious.
The effervescent liquid slides smoothly down my throat.
Jasper takes a healthy swallow of his liquor. “Where’s your mom?”
Still chatting with Pembroke and his parents.
A kernel of fear blooms in my belly as I remind myself that the two work together and there’s nothing odd about them engaging in conversation. No one is going to look at them and realize they’re having an affair, even though I feel like there’s a neon sign flashing over their heads.
Shifting his body, he leans closer. “Did you tell her what happened?”
My heart stutters a couple of beats. “No.”
His eyes sharpen. “She doesn’t know that we’re broken up?”
I shake my head, wondering why it would matter. In a couple of hours, the charade will be over.
There’s a moment of silence before he clears his throat. “Is there any chance you’ll change your mind?”
Just as he asks the question, Austin snags my attention from across the space. He’s here with his mother and sister. This is one of the few times I’ve seen Mrs. Hawthorne since the funeral. The brittle smile plastered across her face tells me that she’s trying to be strong and doesn’t want to be here. I recognize it because I’ve forced the same smile to my lips hundreds of times. When my attention returns to Austin, I find his stare already fixated on me. A shiver of desire dances down my spine as our gazes cling.
He’s ridiculously handsome in his tux.
The magnetic pull I feel is so intense that I have to stop myself from swallowing up the distance between us.