Page 113 of Sliding Into Love
“You’re probably right.” She smiled softly, straightening her dress. “I love you.” She stood on her toes to press a softer kiss to his lips.
“I love you, too. You sure you don’t want to stay?”
Grinning, she took his hand and led him downstairs, where they found a note taped to his phone.
Leave it to Laura to write a note and stick it to his phone rather than send a text.
“Well, they left already, but a car should be here…now?” As he held the note out to her, tires crunched outside.
“Nice timing. Let’s get this over with.”
The ride to the gala was uneventful, if a bit handsy, but the moment they left the car, that odd sense of being watched settled over him again. Beside him, Ivy shuddered.
“Do you feel—"
With her brows furrowed, she nodded.
“I feel it too.” Her hazel eyes peered at him, concerned, and Ethan wrapped an arm over her shoulder, pulling her against his side as if he could protect her from whatever was coming.
Booming heartbeats pounded in Ivy’s ears as she and Ethan stepped through the double glass doors into the party. Inside, the amount of noise was constant and almost calming. At least it drowned out the rapidity of her pulse and didn't leave any room for intrusive thoughts.
Isaac and Derek appeared as Ivy and Ethan ventured further inside. Both wore tuxedos, but Isaac flouted convention in bright Hawks red, which perfectly matched Derek’s tie.
“Hey, Ivy,” Derek called, throwing his arms around her. A calm, different from what she felt with Ethan, settled over her as she hugged him back. “You clean up nice!” He held her at arm’s length, eyeing her appreciatively. When she met his eyes, a lot of unspoken words passed between them, and Ivy knew he was remembering their shared past and where they’d found themselves now.
“You don’t look too bad, either,” Ivy said, squeezing his hand and blinking back tears.
“What about me?” Isaac pouted, dramatically snapping his lapels before sticking his hands in his pockets and spinning around.
“You know you look good.” Derek reached out as if to take Isaac's hand but cuffed him on the shoulder instead. “Which I have already told you six, now seven times. You don’t have to fish for compliments, dude.”
Ivy laughed as Isaac stomped a foot in mock indignation, but the slight unease remained in her chest.
“I was aiming for ten,” Isaac groused.
Ethan, who had paid attention to precisely none of the conversation, looked at them, confused.
“Ten what? Drinks?”
“No, but that’s a good idea too!” A waiter passed by with a tray of champagne glasses, and Isaac flagged him down, passing the delicate glassware into Derek, Ivy, and Ethan's hands.
Champagne in hand, Ivy reminded herself to breathe and appreciate the soiree. The massive open space was filled with hundreds of people in formal clothing. Some, like Derek and Isaac, sported fashion in their teams’ colors. Every corner of the room had pockets of the same team colors, but enough were dispersed throughout to make a scattered rainbow, and Ivy enjoyed the intermingling when the teams were usually separate by default. Lines had formed near the various food stations and around the cases with the items up for auction, many of which had been donated by the Lorne-Fisher family.
The decorations were simple and lovely to avoid clashing with the brightly colored fashion, cream-colored floral arrangements with small silver and gold accents. But Ivy’s favorite part lay around the edges of the space. Each Major League team had a station with white-coated chefs serving tasting menus from the teams’ hometowns. Ivy interrupted Isaac to point out the various types of foods of which there were entirely too many for them to try alone.
“Divide and conquer?” she asked, grinning.
Ethan still seemed uneasy, casting his eyes around the room, but he walked away to join a queue.
Ivy continued to wander through the regional offerings, grateful so few people here knew her, allowing her to skip the socializing. Frequently, she cast her eyes over her shoulder, searching for Ethan in a sea of unknown people. With his distinctive height and hair, it was hard to miss him, and each time Ivy found him, her anxiety eased, and she was able to wander again for a few moments until she was nervous again.
Until she looked and couldn’t find him.
Plate in hand, Ivy frantically scanned for Ethan in the crowd. He wouldn’t have left her here alone, so something must have happened.
Laura. Laura probably needed him.
But, no, there was Laura in a white and silver gown, dancing with Jimmy.
