“This is my date, Carli Jameson.” He managed to extricate himself from the woman’s hold and take a step back, a small one. The woman gripped his arm with talons that matched her lips and dress.
“Carli, this is Priscilla Tipton-Bigsby.”
“My friends call me Prissy,” she cooed.
Carli could see why. She would, too. Would she ever let go of Blake’s arm? She was clinging to it so tightly.
“Blake and I are old friends. Very close friends.” Priscilla flipped her dark, lustrous hair over her shoulder, baring the skin there for Blake to see. “I understand from Audrey that you’ve been helping poor little Parker, so he’ll be able to hear again.”
Geesh, there was nothing poor about little Parker. He had a loving family, one with no money issues, and did no one understand that you couldn’t make a deaf person hear again? Her teeth clenched together so hard she might have cracked a tooth. If that wasn’t enough, Priscilla had been talking about her with Blake’s mom. That didn’t sound good. What else had they been saying? That her dress was a disaster?
“Blake, we absolutely have to find time to get together again soon. Now that you aren’t in medical school any longer, you must have nights and weekends free.”
Blake squirmed, and Carli wondered if it was because he didn’t want to see this woman, or because he was here with her, and setting something up with another woman was kind of tacky.
Priscilla leaned in and said something near Blake’s ear, but she missed what it was. Had she done that on purpose? If she’d chatted with Audrey, then most likely she knew of Carli’s hearing loss.
“We’ll talk soon. It was nice seeing you again.” Blake stepped back, and Priscilla finally released him.
“I’ll be here all night, Blake. No need to say goodbye now.” With that, she slinked off and lifted a glass of champagne off a passing tray.
“Old friend?” Had she really just asked that? Nothing like a little jealousy to turn a guy off. “From school or the neighborhood?” Would that lower the patheticness a little?
Blake steered her back to the corner they’d previously occupied. “Her family and mine have known each other forever.”
She touched her finger to the side of her mouth. “You’ve got something here.”
His eyes opened in horror as he wiped the side of his face. When he saw the lipstick on his finger, he frowned. “She’s always liked her makeup. Is it all gone?”
Reaching up, she rubbed her thumb over his jaw. His customary stubble scratched her skin, but her reaction was far from negative.
“All gone.”
Across the room, the territorial look in the other woman’s eyes was relentless.
Priscilla. Of all times to get possessive, it had to be on his first real date with Carli. They’d been having an enjoyable time, chatting and getting to know each other, more so than when they’d had their lessons. Now, her shoulders were tense and her face tight.
“Thank you,” he said after she’d gotten rid of the lipstick on his face. Of course, it was bright red. Priscilla always preferred to be as colorfully decorated as possible. Carli never wore much in the way of makeup. Her colors were softer and blended in with her skin better. Tonight, her lips were an appetizing shade of peach. He sure wouldn’t mind nibbling on them.
The glances Carli kept floating across the room let him know she was still unsure of her place with Priscilla.
“We dated for a while, in case you were wondering. It’s been a few years now.”
“Because you were in med school?”
Yup, she was a sharp one and had picked up on their conversation. “Yeah, Priscilla likes to be the center of everyone’s world. I didn’t have enough time to eat or sleep, never mind give her the attention she needed.”
Still staring at his ex across the room, Carli gave a tiny smile. “Sounds like she thinks you’ll have more to give her now.”
His laugh was hollow as he picked up her hand. “I still work too many hours for her. I’m not sure I’ve quite reached the good part in my career yet. I’m still too new to be confident that things will stay the way they are.”
Finally, she looked at him. “You’re excellent at your job and put in far more hours than most physicians. I’ve worked in the hospital long enough to know that. Most of them wouldn’t make glitter Christmas balls with an eight-year-old.”
She could make him feel ten feet tall with only a few words. “That’s the fun part of the job. I’d do that every day if I could.”
Her laugh was infectious. In a good way. He wouldn’t mind being quarantined with her for a few days. Or weeks. Or months, though he’d better not get ahead of himself. Their first date wasn’t over yet.
“Would you like a tour of the house?”
