“Go dazzle Mrs. Sabbatini over there. She loves you.” I waved at her, and she smiled and waved back. Her long black dress fluttered with the movement, and for once her hair was down rather than in a bun.
Wick groaned. “She always tries to tell me about her niece Rosana.” But he headed in her direction anyway.
When I got back from my chore, I was exhausted and starving, so I got a plate of food and wandered around, hoping to find Wick again. Instead, I ended up with Lacey and Edgar outside under the stars while I practically inhaled barbecued pork.
“Who’s a good girl?” Lacey asked, and I laughed as the dog with her panted. I didn’t know who’d been watching her when they were inside earlier, but it didn’t surprise me that she’d decided to bring one of her pets. I wasn’t sure of the pooch’s breed, but it was a fuzzy white puffball and danced around on its tiny feet. Despite the crowd, it simply watched people talking nearby without a hint of fear.
“You have to show Wick this dog,” I said, and Lacey nodded, handing the leash to me. I began to sputter, but she stole my plate and started eating my food.
“She’s a pure angel. She’ll go anywhere you want, and she listens to basic commands. I thought for sure someone must’ve been missing her, but I haven’t seen any signs around the dog park, and no one has called the vet I took her to.” Lacey stuffed my food into her face like a gremlin.
“No microchip?”
She shook her head sadly, then perked up and covered her mouth with her hand and said, “But I’ll love her to bits. Her name is Snowbell.”
“Come on, girl.”
Snowbell followed me as I walked around looking for my lost boyfriend and avoided the gazes of the catering staff. I found Wick standing along the edge of the outdoor dance floor, which was crowded with people fueled by good wine. A tall man with red hair I didn’t know was facing Wick, and I didn’t like the expression on his face. He had a strong chin with a dimple in it and he could’ve fallen off a magazine cover. If I wasn’t mistaken, I thought Indy must’ve made his tan suit. He seemed to be taking a lot of joy in whatever he was saying, and Wick looked three seconds from decking him.
“Wick!”
He glanced up and smiled, the tension lines smoothing off his face. I went over to him and leaned in, forgetting we were in a crowded place, but he bent down and kissed me before I could consider maybe we shouldn’t.
“Oh, does this give you nostalgia or something?” the man asked with a chuckle.
“Thisdelightfulfellow is Walter Joyce. We went to high school together.” Wick said that about the same way another man might talk about a stint in prison.
Walter smiled and radiated confidence. “Wick used to have a little weight problem. Well, I wouldn’t call it little. You’re probably bigger,” the guy said to me, nodding. He returned his attention to Wick. “Is that why you keep someone like this around? I saw you talking to Indy Yves earlier and thought for sure you were the lucky bastard who’d finally snagged him.”
“Maurice is my boyfriend,” Wick said, tone ice cold.
My heart dropped because that’s exactly what I’d been thinking earlier: Wick and Indy were pretty together.
“But why are you with someone like this?” Walter laughed, then wobbled as if he was in a strong wind and brought up a nearly empty glass to his mouth. Maybe he’d been drinking more than eating tonight. “I saw Indy trying to crawl into your pants. Where did he go? I might talk to him.” He glanced around hopefully as if maybe Wick had Indy stashed in his back pocket.
“Maurice is my boyfriend and I care about him,” Wick said. “I would appreciate it if you would apologize.” He flashed a toothy smile at Walter.
“It’s okay,” I said, bending down to pick up Snowbell. “I wanted you to meet someone.” Wick barely glanced at the dog, though when he did his eyebrows ticked up for a second before he went back to scowling at the man who maybe, under different circumstances involving less alcohol, was his friend.
“Okay.” Walter laughed and rested a hand on Wick’s shoulder. “I’m not about to yuck your yum, but you have better guys to pick from.” He shook his head. “That’s all I’m saying. And I wondered if, since you used to look a little like that, you were doing some sort of charity work here.”
“That would be the definition of yucking,” Wick said, and his face turned a dangerous red.
This was exactly the kind of shit I’d tried to tell him would happen, and anger bubbled in my belly. “You know, if you want to be rude to the host, you can leave.”
“Who is being rude?” Walter asked. “Oh, that’s a cute dog.” He reached toward Snowbell, and I must’ve tensed because she began to growl.
“Good girl,” I murmured to her, then snapped at Walter, “You are being rude. And you’re too drunk. This isn’t the place to act this way.”
Walter chuckled and slammed the rest of his drink down his already soused gullet. I wasn’t ready when he dropped his glass and shoved me. “That’srude. What I said before was nothing.”
Snowbell started yapping, and Lacey raced over, glaring at us as she took her baby from me.
“Touch him again and you will be removed from the premises,” Wick said, narrowing his eyes.
“By who?” Walter snorted.
Wick grabbed Walter’s arm and started marching toward the front of the house. They scuffled, and the guy shoved Wick off, moving on his own out toward the sea of vehicles. We’d attracted attention and quite a few people had turned in our direction.
