Page 18 of I Summoned A Demon For A Date?!
He chuckled. "I was going to say impressive, but pretentious works too."
As we rounded the corner to the main sitting room, I heard familiar voices and tensed. Aldaine squeezed my hand reassuringly as we walked in to find several of Stephany's friends from high school lounging on the expensive furniture.
"Oh my God, Rosie?" Madison Wheeler's voice was syrupy sweet as she stood up. "Is that really you?"
I forced a smile. "Hi Madison. Brittany, Jessica." I nodded to the other women who were eyeing Aldaine like he was a piece of meat.
"We heard you were coming but," Madison's eyes traveled over my body in that calculating way I remembered from high school. "You look different."
"She looks beautiful," Aldaine's voice was smooth but had an edge to it that made Madison take a small step back. "I'm Aldaine, Rosie's partner."
The women practically tripped over themselves introducing themselves to him, their voices taking on that flirtatious tone that made me want to roll my eyes. But Aldaine's hand never left mine, and he kept me pulled close to his side.
"Rosie?" A quieter voice caught my attention, and I turned to see Rita Collins standing slightly apart from the group. Unlike the others, her smile seemed genuine. "It's really good to see you."
"Rita!" My smile was real this time. Rita had always been kind to me, even when Stephany had turned everyone else against me. "I didn't know you'd be here."
She came over and gave me a quick hug. "I just got in. I'm staying at a hotel in town. This place is a bit too.." she glanced around.
"Pretentious?" Aldaine offered, making Rita laugh.
"Exactly!" She grinned at him. "You must be the guy making Stephany foam at the mouth with jealousy. I've only been here an hour and I've already heard about the 'gorgeous man' Rosie brought."
I felt my cheeks heat up, but Aldaine just smirked. "I do my best," he pressed a kiss to my temple.
Rita's eyes softened as she watched us. "Well, I'm glad you're here, Rosie. Maybe we could catch up properly tomorrow? Away from all this?" She gestured vaguely at the other women who were still hovering nearby.
"I'd like that.”
Aldaine pulled me out of the room to continue the tour before dinner.
Chapter Nine
CHAPTER 9: ROSIE
Ifollowed Rita and Aldaine into the formal dining room, relieved to see Dad had arranged the seating. He'd placed me between himself and Aldaine, with Rita across from me. Stephany and her friends were at the other end of the long table with Jan, which was perfect.
The first course was served, some fancy soup that I couldn't pronounce, and Dad turned to me with a warm smile. "So, sweetheart, how's the job hunt going?"
I felt Aldaine's hand squeeze my thigh under the table. "I just started a new position," I remembered our cover story. "That's how Aldaine and I met."
"At the coffee shop," Aldaine added smoothly, his thumb making small circles on my leg that were very distracting. "Best coffee I ever spilled."
Dad laughed, and I felt some of the tension leave my shoulders. I'd forgotten how much I missed his laugh. He traveled so much for work that I rarely got to hear it anymore.
"Rita," I turned to my friend who was watching us with anamused expression. "Tell me what you've been up to. Last I heard, you were taking over your dad's business?"
Rita's face lit up. "Yeah! The Silver Spur and Horse is doing great. Dad officially retired last year, but he still comes in to critique my bourbon selection." She rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "You two should come by while you're in town. We've got live music most nights, and the dance floor is always packed."
"That sounds fun," I glanced at Aldaine. "What do you think?"
He smiled and my heart did a little flip. "I'm free any night except Saturday. Have to take a business call that evening."
"Perfect!" Rita beamed. "How about Tuesday? It's usually our best night for dancing."
"You dance?" Dad asked Aldaine, looking impressed.
"When properly motivated," Aldaine replied, his hand sliding a bit higher on my thigh. I nearly choked on my wine.
