She lifts her chin. “We’ll both have to live with your disappointment, won’t we?”
I hold her gaze, breathing hard. Her eyes flash in the light from the fairy lights. She’s so stunning she takes my breath away. I swallow hard and force my irritation down. “Let’s forget about it for now. We’ll just have to say this is an official party andwe’re having a separate informal get-together that includes your family.”
“That makes sense.”
“It doesn’t,” I say, pushing up to my feet. I hold out a hand and pull her up, then keep a hold of it as we start walking back to Orson, “but it’ll have to do. Come on… unless you don’t think you need to be here either? Do you want to skedaddle now?”
“Don’t tempt me.”
We both force a smile on our faces as we approach the other members of the Midnight Circle.
“Everything okay?” Orson asks, his gaze sliding from me to Chessie. “Maybe I should ask the staff to turn the heaters on. The temperature’s turned a tad chilly.”
“It’s all good.” I smile at a couple who are waiting patiently to say hello. “Ruth, Jan, great to see you again. This is Chessie. Chess, Ruth is the CEO of Underwood Enterprises, and this is her wife.”
“Oh, hello.” She shakes hands with both the women and gives them a smile. She’s trying. As they chat about the weather, I think about what she said, that her friends and family would feel uncomfortable here. I look at the two women before me, noting for the first time the diamonds in their ears, their coiffed hair, their designer dresses. Chessie wears jeans and T-shirts on a daily basis, as do all the people around her. It’s no wonder she feels intimidated. And it’s not just what they’re wearing. Chessie stands out because she’s not supercilious—she never looks down on others. She’s not spiteful or cruel. The celebrity world must feel very different for her, where everyone is highly critical of every segment of your life.
Even so, I’m still cross that she didn’t bring anyone.
“Congratulations on your engagement,” Ruth says. “We were so surprised to hear that someone had finally lassoed the indomitable Mr. Davis. How on earth did you manage that?”
Her words imply a girl like Chessie isn’t enough to tempt someone like me. I bristle, and I’m about to say something when her hand tightens on mine.
“I have no idea,” she says with a delightful blush that looks genuine. “I’m just me.”
“And that says it all,” I tell them, forcing a smile. “How’s Lennon?”
“He’s just started at the grammar school,” she states. “Thoroughly miserable, but he’ll get over it. Good luck this evening, I hope the ball goes well and brings in some significant funds.”
“Thank you, have a great evening.”
The two women move on.
Chessie lifts an eyebrow at me. “Her son’s name is Lennon?”
“She’s a big Beatles fan.”
“At least she didn’t call him Ringo.”
“Don’t make me laugh,” I say, “I’m still mad at you.”
Orson glances at me, then smiles at Chessie. “Why don’t I take you to Scarlett? She can introduce you to a few people she knows. She picks out all the nice ones.”
“I’d like that, thank you.” She lets Orson lead her away and doesn’t look at me as they walk across the lobby to the doors of the nightclub. A sign states there’s a private party at the club tonight, and a bouncer stands on the door, ready to deter anyone who doesn’t have an invitation.
I remain where I am, greeting guests, Orson rejoining me after a few minutes, and it’s only as the flow dies down that we decide it’s time to join the party.
We’ve worked hard to turn the Midnight Club into a suitable venue for the ball. Gone are the flashing laser lights and the dance music we play most nights. Later, there will be some dance music, but right now a four-piece band is up on thestage playing tasteful jazz, and it’s not loud enough to drown out the conversation. The navy and silver decor is classy and elegant, and we’ve emphasized it with the same color balloons and streamers everywhere.
On the back wall behind the band, above the huge clock, is a banner that declares this is a charity gala. Mostly, we keep it quiet that we funnel the majority of the profits from Midnight into charities, but word gets out, and tonight we’re quite open about our wish to help others less fortunate than ourselves.
There is a dance floor, and a few people are attempting to swing dance, but mostly everyone is sipping from champagne flutes and nibbling at appetizers from plates carried by smartly dressed waiters, who slip carefully between the guests. There are lots of nooks where groups of friends are meeting up to chat. There’ll be entertainment and dancing later, but at the moment, mostly people are mingling and exchanging pleasantries. Midnight is a place to make connections, to meet other people in business, and that is no different tonight.
“There she is.” Orson leads me across the room to where I can see Chessie talking to Scarlett and my sister, Marama, as well as a few others. All the women here are wearing ball gowns, and Scarlett and Marama both look stunning too, but Chessie still stands out in her ruby-red velvet gown, with that gorgeous copper-colored hair.
I don’t want to remain mad at her for the rest of the evening, and so I slide my arm around her waist and kiss her cheek. “How are you doing?”
She blushes. “I’m good, thank you.”