Page 89 of A Class of Her Own

I licked my lips and nodded, already feeling the pull toward him and the desire to have those words come true. “Okay.”

He smiled. “No arguments?”

I shook my head and released his hand to enter Willow’s apartment. “I know when a battle is worth fighting and when to graciously surrender.”

He made an unintelligible noise as we crossed the threshold into Willow’s cozy living space. Brooks and Steve hit it off, talking business and local hiking trails, etc. While they talked, seated casually on Willow’s couch, Willow threw me an endless stream of knowing looks while doing my makeup and putting a few curls in my hair. She managed to keep from saying actual words, but I knew she was thrilled.

When she was finished I stood and hugged her close, thanking her for her help.

“He’s worth opening up for,” she whispered in my ear.

I looked to see that he’d stood also and was watching us. Gone was the way he’d looked at me months ago. Exasperation had been replaced with admiration. Annoyance had turned into interest. Skepticism had faded into an open watchfulness that honestly made me feel as though the conclusion to our story was already written in his mind. I couldn’t understand how he felt that way after such a short time, but knowing he wasn’t worried helped me feel a little more sure.

“You look incredible,” he said, and I believed that he meant it. “Ready to go?”

He held out his hand to me, and there was hardly any hesitation as I wove my fingers through his.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

I’d never been to Ford’s house. Probably because he and Hailey had only been officially dating for a little while, and this was their first couple event. I’d spent some time around him, and he didn’t come off as the guy with all the money and blingy things, but, as I stepped into the foyer of his castle, I had to slightly reorder my opinion of him. I stood in the center of the huge entryway and gazed up, up, up while spinning in a slow circle.

“How disappointing it must be to come home to this every night,” I said to Brooks who was watching me spin. He reached out for my coat, and I stopped spinning as he helped me out of it. “I have no idea what Hailey sees in the guy.”

Brooks chuckled and replied in a teasing tone. “I can think of a few million things.”

I squinted at the chandelier and wondered how many Christmases that would have bought for my sisters. The thought was bringing down my mood, so I turned to look at Brooks instead. It was the right choice. He cleaned up real nice . . . and I’m talkingreally nice. He’d slicked back his hair, but a few curls were starting to spring back up. I wouldn’t mention it to him because I found it ridiculously adorable and hoped the rest of those curls made an appearance as the night went on. The suit was well-fitted, which made sense because of his lawyerly occupation, and pressed perfectly. It highlighted broad shoulders and a lean waist and legs that didn’t look that long in the other clothing I usually saw him in but now seemed to go for miles. I know men talk a lot about legs on women, but I’m a leg girl myself. Give me a glimpse of some healthy male thigh muscle and I’m a goner.

“Hailey’s pretty down to earth, and I wouldn’t have guessed Ford lived like this,” I said, pulling my eyes away from his chest and up to his eyes. “Money isn’t everything.”

“Are you ogling me?” he asked with a grin that made his beard shift and my fingertips go numb.

I raised one eyebrow. “I’m inspecting you to make sure you’ll fit in with this upper-crust crowd.”

“There’s a lot of pressure, for sure. It’s not every day you walk in with a boyfriend.”

The word boyfriend made my chest feel warm, and I nodded.

He wiggled his mustache. “Do you like what you see?” He gestured to me. “Because, I have to tell you, Mer, I like what I’m seeing very much.” Now his eyebrows danced, and he did a slow wink that startled a laugh out of me.

I’ll admit, it was a pleased laugh, but still. I was wearing a short maroon concoction with see-through sleeves and so many sparkles the stars were jealous. It managed to make me look like I had some feminine curves, and the coloring was good against my dark hair and fair skin. Willow had insisted on putting some waves in my hair and really going to town with my makeup, giving me smoky eyes that made the blue of my irises really pop. I didn’t look much like myself tonight.

“Do I need to have a talk with you about party manners?” I asked.

He nodded and moved closer, still holding our coats. “Probably. As long as we seal it with a kiss.”

I laughed again and turned toward all the sound and light coming through an archway. “Come on. Let’s get this over with. Prepare yourself for my friends having a freak-out session over you being here.”

“Why would they freak out?”

“Oh, mostly because at one point they expected to meet you at your funeral after I committed homicide.” I shot him a look over my shoulder and added, “They’re understandably not sure whether to go to war or welcome you to the club.”

His eyes had grown large, but he responded with the same wit I’d come to appreciate. “I’ll be on alert for both flying butter knives and attempts to hug.”

We entered a big room that was filled with people. So many people that I stopped, and Brooks bumped into my back. His free hand landed on my waist, and I lightly leaned back against him while I took stock of my surroundings. His fingers tightened as he leaned down next to my ear.

“These are simply nice people celebrating the end of the year together.”

“Strangers,” I replied stonily. “How lovely.”

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