Michael released Vanessa’s hand to shake the stranger’s. “I hope your stake was high. Knowing he has to forfeit cash because he bet against me makes dressing in this damn tuxedo worth it.”
Michael turned back to Vanessa briefly before talking to the man again. “Vee, this is my good friend Derrick Lattimore. Derrick, this is Vee.”
She saw the strange look pass between Cree and Janae sitting at the table and gave her head a brief shake to keep them from voicing their confusion.
“Derrick, it’s lovely to meet you.”
“Same to you. I wasn’t expecting Michael to bring a date to this thing. He always goes stag.”
“Well, I’m only in town for a few days, so we figured what’s the harm.”
His lips curved into a broad grin, showing a mouthful of white teeth. “In that case, let’s hope you have a good time, then.” He turned to the table and back to them. “I’m headed to the bar for a drink run. Anyone want anything?”
Janae and Cree asked for wine, and Vanessa and Michael declined. When Derrick left, Michael walked over to Cree and Janae, kissing them each on the cheek and waiting for her to do the same before he pulled out a chair next to Janae. Once Vanessa was seated, he took the one directly next to her.
“Who is Vee, and why is she here and not Vanessa?” There Janae went, speaking her mind before anyone served her a line of bullshit.
“Michael mentioned Vanessa to his friends, only when Cindy’s travel plans changed and I was marooned here, we thought it might be best if as few people as possible knew who I actually am.”
“Yeah.” Michael leaned in. “We don’t want anyone to spill the beans, even accidentally, about why she’s here.”
Cree giggled. “And you know your man Derrick can’t hold water. Is that it?”
Michael chuckled, and a youthfulness fell over his face. “You’ve known him just as long as I have. You know the answer to that question.”
They all shared a group laugh as Derrick returned to the table.
“What’s so funny?” he asked as he placed the ladies’ drink orders in front of them. They all shared a knowing look and tried to keep their faces straight.
“Nothing much,” Vanessa answered. “Just talking about how useless Michael is at tying a bow tie.”
Michael leaned in closer at the sound of his name, rubbing his shoulder against hers. “Thank goodness Vee rescued me from my torture.”
“That’s noble of you, Vee.” He lifted the tumbler he was holding to his mouth and took a sip of the amber liquid. “I guess it’s lucky he found you. Speaking of,” he said as he put his drink down and leaned his elbows on the table. “Where did he find you?”
Michael put his arm around her and pulled her closer, his nearness throwing her off her game slightly. The way that man smelled made her want to plant her damn nose in his neck. Regrettably, that wasn’t appropriate at an event like this.
“Do I cross-examine your dates, D?”
Derrick didn’t take his eyes off her, despite Michael’s effort to deflect. Most people would feel nervous under this kind of pressure. Not her, though. He assumed it was because she’d spent a lifetime navigating fancy parties such as these, so hiding within plain sight was second nature. She put on a friendly smile, straightened her shoulders and looked directly at Derrick.
“At my favorite coffee shop.” She felt Michael’s body tense next to hers. She put a firm hand on his thigh and squeezed lightly, hopefully giving him something else to focus on than his friend’s interrogation. “It was packed, and he had an unoccupied seat in his booth. I asked if I could share his table and he said yes. That conversation led to me coming out here to visit.”
Derrick looked between them with a look she instantly recognized. It was the “This sounds plausible, but I’m still looking for any trace of bullshit in your statement” look. Too bad he wouldn’t find anything there. The best lies were peppered with truth. He’d never catch her unless she wanted to be caught.
When you’d survived the hell she’d gone through at the hands of Karl, you learned to cover your tracks pretty well to fool the outside world.
“Amazing how your coffee addiction ended up paying off.”
Michael didn’t respond. He simply leaned in and kissed her temple gently, making her wish this event were over and they were already back at Michael’s house. There they would get to the entertainment portion of the evening.
Derrick took a breath, poised to say something else, when the music quieted and the DJ’s voice came over the speakers instead. “Good evening everyone, please take your seats as our host, Mayor Healy, comes to the stage.”
A tall, South Asian man with broad shoulders and dark hair stood at the podium just to the side of the runway at the front of the room. A large round of applause greeted him, and Vanessa figured this town either really loved their mayor or they were good at pretending to be enthusiastic about their elected officials.
“Good evening, Monroe Hills. I’m thrilled to be your host once again for our annual singles auction. There are two ways to place your bids. The first is through your bidding paddles at the center of your tables. The second is by going to the business office across the hall and placing your bid in advance. Once bidding begins on the single of your choice, advance bidding is closed. The highest bidder wins a friendly date with one of our eligible singles. Please make certain you stop in the business office across the hall to complete all promissory notes before the end of the gala. The action starts in fifteen minutes. I’m asking all participating singles to take your place backstage at this time.”
Vanessa looked around the room. Although there was quiet as Mayor Healy spoke, there was an anticipatory hum of excitement that seemed to generate an almost audible buzz.
