“Thank you, by the way,” Sydney said, her green eyes intent and searching, “for going along with this.”
“Are you finding what you’re looking for?” Reese held her breath.
She watched Sydney bite at the bottom of her lip, gently tugging it between her teeth. “I thought I wanted answers, but now I think I’m just trying to find my way back.”
Reese reached up and placed her hand over Sydney’s, allowing herself to indulge in how good the weight felt on her shoulder. “You will. I promise.”
And then Sydney decided to throw a piece of kindling on Reese’s fire by licking her lips, their faces now inches apart.
Reese took a deep breath, trying to steel her fluttering stomach, wondering if this was how wildfires burned down entire forests—a single ember with no real intention of causing mayhem engulfing everything in its path.
“Reese! There you are.”
Her mother came into sight just as Sydney’s free hand reached around to rest on Reese’s hip, further igniting the heat in Reese’s veins.
They both jumped at the intrusion, like they’d been caught doing something wrong.
What they had been caught doing, Reese didn’t want to think about.
“Just taking a minute, Mom,” Reese answered quickly, shaking the hazy, foggy feeling that had settled through her limbs.
“Your father wants to introduce you to the Fitzpatrick family.”
And he needed you to come fetch us like his assistant? Reese resisted saying the words out loud, though her father was quickly dropping in her favor for a number of reasons.
But the interruption was good.
Necessary.
Attraction was one thing, but she and Sydney didn’t need the added complication of acting on anything.
Sydney shrugged, dropping her hands down to her sides.
Reese could feel the last wisps of whatever had been happening floating away on the gentle breeze.
As she moved to follow her mom, she almost tripped when Sydney’s fingers interlaced with her own.
“You’ve got this,” Sydney said quietly, placing the hand holding her champagne glass against Reese’s back to steady her. They made their way over to where two people, presumably Mr. and Mrs. Fitzpatrick, stood, along with Brynn, Grant, and Reese’s father.
“Ah, yes,” her dad said loudly, ushering them into the circle. “This is my daughter, Reese, and her girlfriend, Sydney.”
“Wonderful to meet you both. I’m Margie,” Brynn’s mom said as she moved in decisively for a hug.
Margie Fitzpatrick immediately felt more motherly to Reese than most of the women she’d grown up with. Her shorter stature and fuller figure gave her a soft look, her eyes and smile battling for brightness against her vibrantly orange-and-blue dress.
Reese stiffened at the unexpected affection, but she quickly accepted what was actually a really good hug. Margie even went for a quick rub on her back before releasing her.
Sydney was given the same treatment, though she smiled and hammed it up, giving back the affection just as good as she got.
“You look beautiful, Margie. And you must be Stan.” Sydney extended her hand, shaking it more confidently than a woman who hadn’t been staring at Reese all wide eyes and parted lips only moments ago.
Reese needed to take a page out of Sydney’s book.
She shifted her focus to the present, offering her own hand to Stan Fitzpatrick. “Great to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Fitzpatrick. I’ve heard so much about you,” she lied, pasting on her most affablesmile.
“Reese’s been out in San Francisco, making her mark on the startup world,” her father said. “Her hotel management app was just acquired.”
Mixed emotions swirled through Reese, her chest involuntarily filling with pride even as a scowl worked its way across her features.
