When I came back to the ballroom, Wick was still talking to Indy, and they were laughing and having a good time. It hurt to see them getting along so well, but I couldn’t bring myself to be mad about it. Wick was standing close to Indy, but he was just being himself. Mostly I couldn’t shake the sensation that I was losing him, even though he was only across the room. Had we ever looked like that when we were having a conversation? And if we didn’t, was it his fault or mine?
“Who are we spying on?”
Lacey shocked six years off my life as she rested her chin on my shoulder and grinned at me. Edgar gave me a wide smile from her side. I almost swallowed my tongue because she’d gone all out tonight. Her short hair was up in a sweeping style that made her look like a princess with tiny gems securing it in place, and she wore a red sleeveless evening gown that matched her shiny new ring.
Edgar almost looked frumpy in a suit at her side. “Hey, Maurice.”
I nodded at him.
Lacey stepped closer to me and scowled when she noticed Wick gesturing and leaning toward Indy while he spoke. I thought he was probably retelling the story of the day we’d sandbagged outside the school, by the way he was mimicking hefting bags, and I felt a little better and couldn’t fight off a smile.
“You should go over there and give Wick an earful,” Lacey muttered. She used her glass to gesture his way, and Edgar reached for it as if he thought she might toss it, then smiled while she glared at him.
“He’s not doing anything wrong. He’s at a party,his party, and he needs to talk to everyone.” I bit the inside of my cheek.
Indy rested his hand on Wick’s arm, grinning up at him, and the flirty smile was a knife in my heart. Wick laughed and shook his head.
“Go over there, or if you lose your man, it’s your own fault,” Lacey said, and she wasn’t trying to be quiet. Several people nearby turned to glance at us, including Xadrian and his clique from work. I wanted to throw myself into the nearest convenient ditch and lie there until everyone left.
I shushed her.
She stomped her foot.
“Be quiet.”
She kicked my shin. “Scoot.”
The pain wasn’t much, but I didn’t want to wait around for her to land her hot little hoof on me again, so I started toward Wick and Indy, with Lacey giving me a tiny thumbs-up as if she hadn’t just assaulted me into action.What am I doing?I nearly changed course but made myself keep walking.
I was almost to Wick’s side when I caught him saying, “I would love to go to your house after the party, but my boyfriend would likely have a thing or two to say about that. Ah, here he is now.” He glanced in my direction and smiled.
Flustered, I only waved when Indy whipped around to stare at me with a pout, but then he grinned.
“Maurice!” Indy slapped a hand to his forehead and came forward to sling his arms around me in a hefty hug I wouldn’t have thought a man his size could deliver. He stood back and scowled. “Why didn’t you tell me you were dating Wick? You would not believe how much time I wasted flirting with a taken man. You’re so terrible.” He grabbed my arm and gave it a friendly shake. “I’m sorry. I wouldn’t have tried to step in where I’m not wanted.” He seemed to be including both of us in that last comment.
“It’s new,” I said, feeling awkward.
“Well, he’s cute.” Indy rested his head against mine and looked at Wick with me.
“Maurice is cute,” Wick said with a wink, then not-so-subtly reached out to snag my hand and reel me in to his side. I felt dumb for what I’d been thinking earlier.
Indy snickered and nodded, and my entire body burned at the compliment. This wasn’t how I’d expected things to work out, but they rarely went the way I thought they would with Wick. I was kind of glad to be proven wrong because I usually expected the worst.
My phone buzzed in my pocket and I groaned and checked the screen. “Okay, we’re getting someone else to cater next year. They’re out of charcoal and asking people to go pick some up.” I held my breath and stared at the ceiling.
Wick cradled my left hand between both of his. “Let someone else go. They have their own people.”
“But—”
“No buts.” He raised my hand and kissed the back of it.
But, it turned out they sent five more messages because all the catering people were dealing with other disasters and I needed to go anyway. Wick relented when I glared at him. “I’m not ruining this party with all these clients.”
“Okay, then let me come with you.” He started toward the doorway, but I dragged him to a stop.
“No, you need to talk to people.”
He sighed and irritation passed across his face. “Okay.”
