Impulsively, Bianca grabbed his hand. “No. Not at all. Henry and I talked about it, and it was the right thing to do. André’s the only one in a relationship for the near future, and he’s the first to get engaged. Plus, he’s the oldest. It all makes sense.”
He looked to Henry for his response since Bianca seemed to be doing most of the talking. “How do you feel about it? I want your honest answer.”
“Bianca told the truth. André’s never been happier. We might not be involved in the business, but we love our brother, and if we thought he was making a mistake, believe me, we’d let him know.” The hard set of his jaw was uncannily reminiscent of André’s. Hearing how much he loved André, a warm feeling settled in Chess’s heart. Family meant everything to André.
“Thank you. I only ask because it seemed like maybe your mother wasn’t so keen on it…” He shrugged, and Spencer squeezed his arm.
“She obviously doesn’t know you,” Spencer said. “We’ve been friends for over fifteen years. As close as brothers. Whatever hurts Chess, hurts me.”
“She was probably surprised by the proposal. We all were—you two have been together for so long without mentioning anything. But I’m sure she’s happy. We all are.”
They sat for a few minutes until a new song came on and Bianca grabbed him. “Come dance with me.”
He blinked. “Me? Don’t you want to meet someone and have some fun tonight?”
“No, silly. I want to be with you.” She laughed at him. “Just kidding. I want to dance with my new brother-to-be.” She tugged his hand.
“Go ahead.” Spencer waved at him. “I have my eye on someone I might as well say hello to. I spotted him at the party earlier.” With a familiar gleam in his eye, Spencer left the table and struck up a conversation with a man in a black T-shirt, with colorful ink covering his arms, who towered over most of the other people around him. Within moments they were out on the dance floor.
“I’m going to finish my champagne and catch up to you all later.” Henry raised his glass. “Watch out for her, Chess. She’s a maniac on the dance floor.”
“Rude.” She stuck her tongue out at her brother, and hand in hand, he walked with her to the dance floor, where he lost himself in the pounding club music. Bianca danced close, then far away, her blonde hair coming loose from its braided upsweep. A tall, dark-haired man, wearing a sleek gray suit with a plain white T-shirt, approached her. As the man adjusted his dark-framed glasses, Chess caught the glint of a gold watch under his cuff.
“Bianca? It’s Quentin. From Saint Moritz?”
She stopped dancing and gazed up at him, eyes sparkling, her face flushed from the heat. “I remember. How are you? I didn’t know you were in the Hamptons.”
“I had some business to take care of.” He glanced at Chess, who could feel the sweat gliding down his face. “Would you mind if I cut in?”
“This is Chess, my brother André’s fiancé. Chess Braxton, Quentin Diamond.”
“Nice to meet you, Quentin.” They shook hands. “And if it’s okay with Bianca, be my guest.”
“Are you sure?” Bianca asked him. He could see she wanted to do the right thing by spending time with him, yet obviously was attracted to Quentin.
“Have a good time. I need a rest anyway.”
She pecked his cheek. “I’ll see you later.”
He watched them get swallowed up in the crowd, and after glancing at their table to see it still empty, figured he’d pay a visit to the bathroom before returning and getting another drink.
He entered the restroom, ignoring the couples kissing and more that he passed on the way. Once inside he used the stall, then stood in front of the mirror and splashed his face with cool water.
“Towel?”
In the reflection he saw a man holding a paper towel in his hand, a wry smile on his face.
“Thanks.” He wiped his face. “Gets very hot on the dance floor.”
“I noticed you dancing with a young woman.”
Chess ran his fingers through his hair. “Oh, that’s my future sister-in-law. I’m engaged.” As if he had to prove the point, he held out his hand with the thick gold band.
“Congratulations.”
He tossed the paper towel into the trash. “Well, thanks again.” With a tip of his head, he pushed against the door to leave.
“You don’t remember me, do you, Chess?”
