I frowned. Jonah was always interested in spending time with his dad.
I turned and caught a look of disappointment on Jonah’s face before he covered it up.
Before I could say anything, I saw someone who made my heart skip a beat.
Cora stood near the bar in a deep blue silk dress, holding a champagne flute elegantly in her manicured fingers, while she spoke to another older man. Her eyes strayed to us and they froze on Jonah.
I felt him go rigid beside me.
“Jonah.” Cora’s smile was brief as she and the other gentleman walked up to us, her gaze sliding from him to me and back again. “What a lovely surprise. And you brought a guest from the office, how... thoughtful.”
She emphasized those last words just enough. Ed was deep in conversation with the other gentleman and didn’t hear. I had no doubt Cora would let him know later tonight.
“Cora.” Jonah’s voice was barely controlled. “I was told you wouldn’t be attending.”
From the way his voice changed, I knew he was thinking through the ramifications of what would happen after tonight. God. I didn’t want him to regret anything about this evening.
“Plans change, darling.” She took a sip of champagne, her eyes glittering. “Ed asked me to come at the last minute. You know how he hates disappointing people.” Her gaze landed on me, assessing.
“Lexi, you’ve met Cora before,” Jonah said curtly.
“Nice to see you again,” I said, extending my hand, but Cora ignored my outstretched hand completely. Next to me, I felt Jonah stiffen.
“Shake her hand, Cora,” he muttered, moving closer to me. His voice had an icy edge to it.
Cora kept her gaze on him, evaluating his mood, and perhaps her own appetite for confrontation, before she finally took my hand in hers. The handshake was brief, with her fingers barely grazing mine. She showed no sign of remorse.
She let go just as Ed turned back to Jonah, who still hadn’t taken his furious eyes off Cora.
Ed clapped Jonah on the back and turned him around to look at the view. The lights of New York City twinkled in the background, as the yacht glided over the Hudson River, cutting through the water effortlessly.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” Ed asked. “Makes me wish I were younger and could go back to the good old days of scuba diving again. Remember how you used to love it?”
I watched Jonah for a second while he answered.
“Carrying all that gear?” Jonah responded. “I hated it. I preferred free diving, remember?”
But his dad had already moved on. “Come, son. There are some people I want you to meet. One of them is very curious about that VC firm you used to run with your friend, Alfred; Lead Capital Group, wasn’t it?”
I hadn’t missed the quick conversation change to work.
“Yes, with Alex,” Jonah corrected, tension creeping into his voice despite his hand remaining steady in mine. “Alex, Desmond, and Sean. And yes, going back there is definitely still on my radar.”
We followed his dad as he led the way.
“I hope none of these people are board members,” Jonah said quietly, a wry edge to his tone as we approached the group. “The last thing I need is to look like I’m campaigning for CEO votes.”
“Thankfully, none of the people here are from the board,” Ed said, stopping in front of a group of people.
After the introductions were made and the men began discussing business, Cora gave me an interested look.
“I met you just outside the company bathroom, didn’t I?” Cora asked in a low voice, recalling that incident perfectly.
I gave a small laugh, hoping I didn’t look too nervous. “Yes.”
Her brow arched, and her eyes drifted toward Jonah, who was shaking hands and making polite conversation with the surfer gentleman and two other party guests.
Cora turned slightly toward me, her voice so low that it was almost lost beneath the music and conversation around us. “You should know, Jonah doesn’t bring women to events like this. If you’re here, it’s deliberate.”
