Page 55 of Summer Ever After
Trey had said the same thing. I’d never felt more beautiful, and more like myself.
Laird Starling had sat at the other end of the VIP table, and after dinner came up to me and kissed my hand. “Jessica told me that the canoe girl needed a dress. My wife would be so happy to see that dress at her son’s event.” Tears shimmered in his eyes, and any doubt I had about wearing the dress evaporated.
“Thank you for letting me wear it. This has been a beautiful evening; your son did a great job.”
“He did.” Mr. Starling nodded and sipped his scotch, the ice cubes tinkling in the crystal glass. “He’s been working his ass off all night; I should find him and give him a drink.
Ramona and Amanda were on the dance floor, making eyes at the members of the band. Jessica introduced me to her cousin and her beautiful family. Bronwyn was apparently a big deal in the fashion industry, but I didn’t recognize her.
“Where is that brother of yours?” Bronwyn’s eyes searched the party. I turned instinctively to look in the same direction. “He was supposed to eat dinner with us.”
“Max?” Jessica shrugged. “He’s probably chasing around the peacocks again.”
The room seemed to tilt, and I had to grab onto Jessica’s arm. “Did the floor just move?” I fanned myself.
Jessica looked at me like I was crazy. “That’s just too much champagne.” She winked. “Or just the right amount.”
I gulped. “Jessica, what’s your brother’s name?” I realized that I’d never heard anyone refer to Starling Junior by his first name.
“Are you okay, Rosie? You look a little pale.” Her eyes searched mine.
“Your brother, did you say his name is Max?”
She nodded. “It is, have you not met him yet?”
I shook my head, unable to form words.
“Really? I guess you missed him at the Stone Oven that night, and he skipped out on the regatta.” She stood on her toes and then waved. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to him.” She tugged on my arm, but my feet seemed glued to the hardwood dance floor. “Never mind, he’s coming over here.”
I touched my mask to ensure it was in place. It couldn’t be the same guy. There had to be two Max’s that had cottages on Windswan Lake. My stomach clenched into a tiny ball and my heartbeat whooshed in my ears.
I took a breath and turned. His eyes seemed magnetized to mine. Did he know it was me? It was impossible. I hadn’t seen him for a year, and I looked like a different person.
Jessica draped her arm over my shoulders, resting it on my cape. “Max, this is Rosie. The woman who helped us win the regatta. Rosie. This is my big brother, Max. The second-best paddler on the lake.”
Max was holding his hand out, but my arm didn’t seem to be working. “This is where you shake his hand,” Jessica whispered in my ear.
“H-h-h-i,” I stammered. Fuck. Luckily my arm started working and when he took my hand in his, it felt like a hand I’d held a thousand times. Could he feel me trembling?
Was he the one shaking?
“Thank you for helping Jessica at the regatta.”
Laird Starling returned with the same drink in his hand. “Max! I’ve been looking for you.” Max released my hand and accepted the glass from his father. “I see you’ve met Rosie, the ringer.” The older Starling winked at me.
The band was playing a ballad and couples started to sway on the dance floor. The lights above us twinkled in the reflection of the candles. I briefly wondered if anyone had put fire extinguishers on the floating venue. “Doesn’t your mom’s dress look great on her?” Laird smiled. He took my hand and kissed it and then placed it in Max’s hand. “This band cost us a fortune; it would be a shame not to be dancing.” He grabbed his daughter’s hand and dragged her onto the dance floor.
“Would you like to dance…Rosie?” He said my name like a question.
“Well, your father did say that it would be a shame to waste this song.”
Max led me to the floor and slipped his hand around my back, resting it on the silk fabric. We started to sway to the music but avoided making eye contact. I was stiff as a board and at one point, realized that I wasn’t breathing. I tried to take in a big sip of air without being obvious.
The floor seemed to give out on me, but it was my heels, slipping on the cape. I teetered backward and squeezed my eyes tightly, waiting for the ground to meet my ass with a thud. Max tightened his grip and pulled me toward him, stopping me from hitting the ground. I gasped as I slammed against his chest. “I think I stepped on my cape.”
“That’s a safety hazard,” he whispered in my ear. “If I recall there are a couple of buttons…” he spoke as he undid the loops that held the cape onto the dress and slung it over his shoulder. Goosebumps sprang up on my neck as his fingertips brushed my skin while they worked to free me from the tripping hazard. His hands resumed their dancing position and we swayed to the music – but we still didn’t speak.
He felt so good. He smelled even better. How had I been so close to Max all summer, and not even known it? When I was sleeping in the staff house, he was one island over. That night at the Stone Oven, I had just missed him when Chloe dragged me out early.
