Page 120 of Bling

“Play, Doll. I’ll help you.”

She giggled. “I don’t know if you’re allowed to help me.”

Alan shrugged, “Everyone will be drunk anyway. I doubt they’ll object and if they do, they won’t remember it in the morning.”

“Count us in then, Alan,” Garrett said, patting the boy’s shoulder.

Alan shifted uncomfortably and looked around the room then leaned in and whispered something to Isabelle who grinned and nodded. “Yep, that’s him,” she said.

Alan’s hand shot out and Garrett took it, trying to keep the surprise off his face as the kid vigorously shook his hand. “Thank you so much, Mr. Oliver, for the scholarship. You don’t know how much that meant to me.”

Garrett grinned. So, this was the Alan who had worked at his facility.

“I’m always happy to help someone get an excellent education, Alan. Think nothing of it. According to your cousin, there’s no one who deserves it more than you.”

Alan beamed and bounded off, hollering someone else’s name as he went. Garrett wasn’t sure he’d encountered a louder group of people.

Isabelle gripped his hand and dragged him to a table where some of the cousins her age had set up camp.

The group boisterously greeted them and made room for them. Dinner was being set up buffet style along one wall and people were milling about while they waited for it to be served. He noticed a dozen or more young children on the dance floor playing and running around.

The younger cousins, Isabelle’s nieces age range had also grouped up and were playing board games at another group of tables and a group of elderly relatives seemed to have a game of spades or something of the sort going on in another corner.

“You look a little overwhelmed,” Isabelle said as she sipped her margarita.

He chuckled. “I suppose I am a bit out of my element and perhaps somewhat intimidated by the sheer size of this gathering.”

“You rub shoulders with the most famous politicians in the country. You were just at a party with two dozen celebrities where you got casually invited to throw something on the grill at the governor’s mansion.” What could possibly be intimidating about this?”

Laughter shook him at her look of incredulity. “Well, when you put it like that it really does sound ridiculous. In those environments I have a canned response for just about any situation that might arise. I know exactly how I’m supposed to act, who I need to shake hands with and what information I need to gather to consider the outing a success. Here there seems to be no mission.”

She giggled. “Right now, I think your mission is to stop being so serious and maybe get me another drink. I have a feeling I’m going to finish this one soon.”

She was cute when she was tipsy. He slid her his mostly untouched margarita. “If you’re not going to go slow. I will. Someone has to take care of you later.”

By the time dinner was served, she’d nearly finished his margarita as well. “Will you get me another one now?” she asked.

He shook his head and fixed her with his dominant glare when she gave him a pout. Grasping her wrist, he tugged her into his lap, and she draped her arms around his neck.

“You’re cute,” she said, pressing her forehead to his.

He tried not to smile as she rubbed her nose on his. “And you’re already tipsy. Don’t make me go full on Dom on you tonight. You’re still required to take care of yourself or I’ll spank you. Only I’ll wait until you’re sober and hungover to do it.”

She huffed. “I thought you were going to take care of me.”

He grinned. “Yep, and that just might have to include a trip over my knee if you’re not careful. I’m not saying don’t drink. I’m not even saying don’t get drunk. I’m saying don’t be stupid.”

“Good, because I’m definitely getting drunk. It’s the one party of the event that I can let myself relax at.”

He pulled her in for a tequila laced kiss. “I’m all for you relaxing. It looks like dinner is ready. Let’s feed you and then you can party all you want.”

She clapped her hands together and stood. Garrett noticed her cousins were watching them, but he knew he’d been speaking too quietly for them to hear him.

They went to the buffet line and waited their turn to pile their plates high with a variety of protein and high carb food. The run this morning had been a good idea.

Back at their table, they dug into their plates and made small talk with the others. There were a lot of questions for Garrett about how he met Isabelle, but he deflected them. By the time they finished dinner, the DJ was playing dance tunes, and they enjoyed watching elderly couples get out on the dancefloor together. He was a skilled ballroom dancer and intended to pull Isabelle onto the dancefloor later.

“Want to dance?” she asked when a song she liked came on. He grinned.

---