Chloe leaned close to me and whispered. “His boss is also gorgeous. I might forget to invite Ryan that weekend.”
I knew she was teasing. She was head-over-heels for her boyfriend of five years. The only reason they weren’t engaged already was because Ryan had just finished medical school.
From the corner of my eye, I spotted Brendan and Colette. They looked at each other, said something, and started to make their way over, hand in hand. Miles must’venoticed, too, because he snaked his arm around my waist and squeezed my hip. The happy couple had only been together a year and a half, so I’d never actually seen them together—at least not clothed, in the upright position, in public. It felt like someone had punched me in the stomach by the time they got to me.
“Hi, Sutton!” Colette hugged me. “You look beautiful.”
“Thanks.” I forced a smile. “So do you.”
An awkward silence fell, and all eyes shifted to Brendan. He leaned forward like he was considering hugging me, and Miles stepped in and squashed it by extending his hand and offering a curt nod. “Brendan.”
I knew the last thing in the world my best friend wanted to do was make nice with my ex, so his sacrifice made me love him even more. Not wanting Brendan to go for a second attempt at physical contact, I offered an awkward wave when he finished his shake with Miles. Thankfully, he took the hint and stuffed his hands into his pockets, and Edmund jumped in to make small talk.
“Everyone at Apex is looking forward to meeting you on Monday, Sutton.”
I smiled. “I’m a little nervous, but I’m excited to start.”
“Did you see the article that included Apex on the list of most-coveted summer internships in the financial world?” Miles asked. “Nine-thousand MBA graduates applied for the six open spots.”
“And she landed the position without my help, I might add,” Edmund said. “Sutton didn’t even tell me she’d applied until she got the spot.”
All of this was common knowledge in our family. Miles was just trying to make me feel good about myself because he knew seeing Brendan and Colette arm in arm made me feel the exact opposite. He also probably loved shovingmy professional success in Brendan’s face, because he knew my ex had applied for a job at Apex after college and didn’t even get a callback for a second interview.
“Speaking of Apex,” Edmund said. “I see that the boss has arrived.”
I thought it was odd that my stepfather would invite his boss to the rehearsal dinner—the wedding, yes, but tonight was a small gathering of only family. Though from what I’d heard from Mom, they spent a lot of weekends schmoozing with businesspeople. Relationship-building was part of her husband’s role as CFO of one of the biggest new investment firms.
Colette lifted her chin. “Jagger owns this restaurant. It’s one of the most popular in the City right now. He canceled a reservation they already had on the books, just for Dad.”
Jagger?That had to be a coincidence.
But when I glanced up and my eyes met a set of piercing blues, my heart nearly stopped.Holy shit.
The guy from the bar last night was my stepfather’s boss?
CHAPTER 3
Sutton
Miles turned toward me. “That’s not…”
I covered my mouth. “Oh my God.”
He traced Jagger’s line of sight. There was no mistaking it—he was staring right back at me. “Holy shit…”
If it were possible, the man was even more breathtaking than I remembered. Slightly tousled, inky-black hair fell almost to his shoulders. It gave a rugged, effortless vibe that contrasted starkly with the bespoke three-piece suit he had on this evening. He flashed a very slight, cat-that-got-the-canary smile before breaking our gaze to speak to Edmund, who had walked over to greet him.
I hadn’t yet picked my jaw up off the floor when the two of them walked straight toward us.Holy crap. Holy crap. Holy crap!What the hell was I supposed to do? I considered feigning sickness and making a run for it, but unfortunately their strides were too long, and before I could come up with an exit plan, they were upon us.
“Jagger…” Edmund motioned to our group. “You’ve met Chloe and Colette, and Colette’s fiancé, Brendan.”
The adonis nodded. “Good to see you.”
Colette smiled. “Thank you for arranging for our group to use the private room tonight, Mr. Langston.”
“Not a problem at all.”
The men turned their attention to me, and I felt all the color drain from my face. “And this is Sutton,” Edmund said. “The stepdaughter I told you about. She starts the internship program at Apex on Monday.”
