His gaze flicks briefly to Ruiz. Acknowledgment. Acceptance. Then back to me.
I exhale. Our group text message last night was terse over my not having called them when I found my car.
I stare into his impossibly blue eyes as he watches me. His head tilts slightly as he opens his arms.
My shoulders sag as relief washes through me and I walk into his embrace.
His head bends towards me. “You played beautifully as always.” As he straightens, with one arm around my shoulders, the other hand taking my violin, his gaze finding Ruiz.
“You are the bodyguard?”
“Yes Mr. Leroux.” Ruiz nods but his eyes are scanning the crowd. “If we are staying, it’s better to stand against the wall,” his headtilts to a back wall with good room visibility and no direct line of sight of any window.
Erik pulls me in tighter to his side as he moves us that way.
“Who is Remy speaking with?”
“Our patrons, the Calhoun family. This is their charity.”
Chapter one hundred two
Remy
My eyes drift to where Erik and Christianna are talking in the corner.
“Thank you again for coming to perform today,” the woman says. “The children really loved it. The video we got of Timmy conducting was priceless.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I reply. “It was good to see the kids enjoying it.”
“Reagan, please.” She smiles, then winces, a hand going to her lower back. “I’d love to talk about a few potential collaborations. Let me know what works best for you.”
“I can be flexible,” I tell her. “Just say when.”
Her husband Brooks steps in seamlessly, taking over the task of rubbing her back, while Grayson asks for a chair to be brought over. It’s all practiced, easy.
The Earls drift over and I make introductions, the conversation shifting naturally as people do at events like this.
Grayson gives me a slight tilt of his head, and I follow him a few steps away. He outlines what they’re interested in. It’s feasible. Worth revisiting.
When I turn back, Erik is still with Christianna.
Perfect. I make my excuses and head over.
Ruiz sees me first. Good.
As I approach, Erik’s arm is still around her, but she reaches her other hand out to me.
“I’m starving,” she says, her grin sheepish. “This is lovely,” she adds with a shrug, “but I’ve been looking forward to dinner since last night.”
I give her hand a small tug, pulling them both along behind me. Ruiz falls in ahead of us, already guiding the way to the car.
We have a town car now. A driver.
That’s fine. It gives us more time with Tianna.
The drive over is relaxed, despite the irritation from last night. I’m still not sure how we get her to contact us when something goes sideways. I want to protect her, to be there when she needs it.
Erik and I talked it through. He was right. Her independence is growth, and it needs to be encouraged, not treated as a slight or a failure to lean on us.
