“Oh, this?” Hale’s modest laugh was pure performance. “This is just the prologue. When she takes that stage, you’ll feel the shift in the room. People are...ready for her.” He angled his head, studying Marshall. “And you? Are you here as her admirer or as Norah’s plus-one?”
“Both,” Marshall said smoothly. “A man can multitask.”
Norah shot him a tiny look—caught between exasperated and something softer. It hit him harder than it should.
Hale glanced between them, filing that away. “Well, I’m glad you’re here.” His hand patted Marshall’s arm once, almost friendly. “It’s good for Norah to have someone...steady, while she navigates these currents. Politics can be.. .unforgiving.”
“So I’ve heard,” Marshall said.
For half a second, their gazes locked.
There it was—the flicker past the charm. A flash of calculation. Hale knew exactly how dangerous this room was. The question was which side of that danger he stood on.
Stephen again, softer now. “Marshall, you’re not picking that pocket in the middle of a meet-and-greet.”
“Speaking of currents,” Hale went on, shifting back to genial, “I should say hello to Senator Collins before he pretends he hasn’t seen me. Norah, I’ll need you at my side when Morris goes up. Meet me up front to the left of the stage.”
“Of course,” Norah said.
Hale’s attention returned to Marshall one last time. “Enjoy the evening, Mr. Kincaid. Try the bourbon. It’s older than half the room.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Marshall said.
Hale smiled, all teeth and polish, then moved away, already turning his charm on the next cluster of donors.
Marshall watched him go, every instinct humming.
Stephen exhaled in his ear. “Okay, so your girl’s boss gives me the creeps.”
Yeah, Marshall thought, eyes tracking the outline of Hale’s phone as the man blended back into the crowd. Get in line.
As he left, Norah exhaled deeply. “Excuse me. I’m going to go check my lipstick.”
Her lips looked more than okay to him on the multiple occasions he’d stared at them in the first fifteen minutes they’d been here. But Norah was already walking away from him.
CHAPTER 19
NORAH
Norah had never liked mirrors,but the one in the ladies’ lounge was particularly cruel.
The black silk hugged every line it touched, the one-shoulder neckline leaving her collarbone bare, her necklace a thin line of light at her throat. The skirt flared just enough at her knees to move when she walked, a whisper of fabric around her ankles. Elegant. Exactly what this room expected.
Her pulse didn’t get the memo.
She smoothed her hand over the curve of her hip, more to steady herself than anything else. The updo had seemed like a good idea hours ago. It had seemed sleek and polished, and it left the nape of her neck exposed in a way that had made her feel regal before.
Now she was hyper-aware of that bare skin. Hyper-aware of the fact that when Marshall had seen her in the lobby, his gaze had caught there and stayed half a second too long.
She’d pretended not to notice. She’d be pretending all night.
A burst of laughter floated in from the ballroom, followed by the low swell of strings. Norah drew a slow breath, checked that her lipstick hadn’t migrated, and forced her shoulders back.
She could do this. Smile. Breathe. Don’t think about the man waiting for you. All she had to do was make it through Morris’s announcement and shake a few hands. Then she could go home. Of course, the man making her. . .unsettled would be coming with her. He’d take up his post on her couch once more, denying her any semblance of restful sleep. Like it had all week, her body would refuse to rest, acutely aware of him just yards away.
She stepped out of the lounge and into the soft chaos of the gala. Lush carpet in gray and blue muted the sound. Waiters moved like chess pieces with trays of champagne while screens cycled through patriotic imagery and carefully curated sound bites from Senator Morris’s latest interviews. Glassware clinked, gowns rustled, and high-dollar small talk filled any gaps left by the multimedia features.
And in the middle of it all—anchoring her gaze like he always did—stood Marshall.
