Page 58 of Make Her Mine
“So doing this will help me mature?” I asked as the valet opened my door.
“Welcome to…” He stopped talking; his mouth hung open as his eyes nearly popped out of his head. “Hi.”
“Hi.” I held out my hand to get help stepping out of the vehicle with a tight dress on. “Could you lend a hand?”
“Oh, sure.” He took my hand, pulling me up. “And welcome to the Hyatt-Regency. I hope you enjoy your stay with us.” He didn’t let my hand go once I’d gotten out of the car. “How long is that going to be?”
“I’m only here for a party.” I smiled. He was enamored with me without even knowing me!
“I hope to see you when you leave then. You have a nice time.” He finally let my hand go as my cousin came up on the other side of me and gave him the keys. “Bye.” He waved as he gazed at me with adoring eyes.
We got inside and both laughed. “He acted so silly!”
Sherry nodded. “You look fantabulous, Ella.”
Approaching the information desk, all eyes were on us. “We’re here for the Gentry party,” I declared.
One of the men nearly ran from behind the desk. “I’ll show you to that party.” He came up on my side. “Please follow me.”
Our heels clicked over the Italian tiles as we proceeded and Sherry asked, “How many people are attending this party?”
“About fifty,” he said, then stopped in front a set of closed double doors with music coming from behind them. “May I say you two ladies will be the belles of the ball tonight? None who’ve come so far even come close.”
Smiling, I felt my cheeks heating. I’d never imagined anyone being so impressed with my appearance. “Thank you, sir.”
He opened the door. “No, thank you for coming. Both of you will have a wonderful time tonight.”
My tummy was rolling, my head spun, and my mouth had gone dry as a bone... “I need a drink. Nothing with alcohol.” Brandon and I might share our first kiss, and it shouldn’t be spoiled.
“Hello,” some guy said who fell in beside me. “You want a drink?”
“No, thank you,” I let him know. “I’m here to meet someone.”
He winked at me with dark eyes. “Well, blowhimoff and meetmeinstead. Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are?”
“As a matter of fact, yes.” Brandon had told me a number of times. “Thank you for the compliment though.”
Someone grabbed him, and Sherry and I walked toward the bar. The place was dimly lit with a disco ball spinning around; it made it difficult to see anyone, and the music was quite loud as well.
As I waited at the bar while Sherry ordered us something to drink, I saw a tall figure on the dance floor. “Brandon?”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Brandon
Dyllan had invited tons of our old friends to the party. It looked likewewere having a party. He and Bobbi Jo had done a great job of planning the whole thing.
As I stood at the bar, a familiar face walked in. Along with her came a young girl. As soon as she spotted me, she came right to me. “Brandon Gentry. Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?”
“Hi, Beth. It’s been a long time.” I hugged my old high school girlfriend, then looked down at the child. “And this pretty young lady is?”
“This is Samantha.” Beth looked at me with slightly sad eyes. “Me and her daddy are on the outs right now. Your best friend, Marco, isn’t being such a nice guy to me lately. But I didn’t want to miss the party just because he’s being an ass.”
“So, he’s not coming?” I hoped to see him.
“He might.” She leaned in to whisper. “To be honest, he was jealous that I wanted to come when we got the invitation. With all this new wealth for you guys, he might be afraid I’ll ditch him and come back to you.”
That wouldn’t even be an option, but no reason to say something that rude. “I’ve got a girlfriend. Call Marco and tell him to come up here. It’s been forever since we got together.”
