Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 75734 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75734 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
I shrugged. “Surviving,” I replied.
Trev let out a bark of laughter that caused the other people on the balcony to look over at us. Trev lifted his hand in a wave.
“Where did you get the whiskey?” Saxon asked him.
“The bar,” he replied.
“They didn’t card you?” I asked.
“Please, I’m a Hughes,” he replied, then took another drink.
Saxon glanced back at the doors we had come out of. “How much longer before we can escape, do you think?”
“We’ll have to survive the dinner first. Once the auction starts, we should be able to sneak out,” Trev replied. “How did you get out of bringing Declan?” he asked Saxon.
Saxon shrugged. “I told her my mother expected me to escort Maddy.”
I winced. I hadn’t realized that. This would only make my interactions with Declan even more difficult.
“Ouch. You’re gonna pay for that one,” Trev told him.
Saxon didn’t reply. I felt like apologizing, but then was it truly my fault? Instead, I stayed silent and took another drink. Glancing back toward the glass doors that were now standing open, I scanned the crowd until my eyes found Blaise. He was standing with a redhead. Even from here, she appeared elegant. The diamonds around her neck glittered under the lights.
“Ready to go back inside?” Trev asked me, and I jerked my gaze off Blaise and his date before Trev realized who I had been looking at.
“Should we?” I asked him.
“Probably,” Saxon answered instead.
“They’ll all move to the dining room soon. We’ll be seated at the same table. The Hughes and Houstons always are,” Trev told me.
That eased some of my nerves. I hadn’t been sure where I was supposed to sit, and the thought of having to make conversation with these strangers was slightly terrifying. I knew nothing of their life or what they wanted to talk about.
“Why didn’t you bring anyone?” Saxon asked Trev as we made our way back inside.
Trev shrugged. “I didn’t want to be expected to entertain someone.”
Melanie’s eyes found me as we walked inside, and she noted Trev standing beside me. The pleased smile on her face made it clear she was happy about it. This would only further her belief that Trev was interested in me romantically. I wished she could just accept we were friends.
“You’ve made Mom’s night,” Saxon said in a whisper beside me.
I didn’t have to ask him what he meant. I’d noticed it too.
“Is Melanie still Team Traddy?” Trevor asked with a smile.
“What the fuck is Team Traddy?” Saxon replied.
I understood his meaning. A smile spread across my face, and I fought the urge to laugh.
“Trevor, Maddy—Traddy. It’s called shipping. Jesus, do you not watch television?” Trevor asked him.
Saxon frowned at him, as if he had just spoken a foreign language. “Apparently, we aren’t watching the same things,” he replied.
This time, I did laugh. Maybe it was the second glass of champagne getting to me. I’d broken my rule of not drinking tonight simply because I needed the courage. I didn’t plan on making this a habit, but right now, I was glad I had done it. Laughing felt good.
Trevor took my hand and placed it inside the crook of his arm. “Let’s make Melanie’s night even better,” he replied.
I was led through the people all slowly making their way to the next room. Several of them spoke to Trevor, and he introduced me. I could feel the women studying me, as if they were looking for my flaws. The men appeared much nicer and welcoming.
I knew I’d never remember any of their names, but I smiled politely. It wasn’t until Garrett Hughes stepped in front of us that my nerves returned. Although he was smiling at his son, I could see tension and disapproval in his stance. There was no doubt Garrett knew exactly who I was, and no amount of dressing me up could trick him.
“Trevor,” he said, then turned his attention to me. “Madeline.” He said my name with a nod of his head. “I see my son was quick to make sure the loveliest lady here was on his arm. He is rather charismatic that way.”
My tongue suddenly felt swollen, heavy, and stuck to the roof of my mouth. My nerves were not only back, but they also exploded inside me, to the point that I feared I might be trembling slightly. I wasn’t going to look around, but I felt eyes on me. Watching me, as if I were under a microscope. I didn’t like attention, and this was way beyond that.
Somehow, I managed to smile. He had complimented me. I should thank him or something. My mouth, however, wasn’t working.
“I’ve got excellent taste,” Trev replied, filling in the silence.
His father looked over our heads toward someone else, and I could see a slight narrowing of his eyes before he looked back at us and smiled once again.