“All thanks to you!” I said, admiring myself in the mirror. I had pinned my hair up and put on light makeup. “Shoot, you’ll have to drive me back to my place. I forgot my jewelry.”
“I planned ahead,” Parker said with a smug smile. He disappeared into the closet then came out with a white box.
“Is that for me?”
Parker opened the box. Inside was an ornate comb to decorate my hair and a large pendant.
“When we bought the Harrogate estate, I did some exploring and found a treasure trove of jewelry hidden away in one of the cottages. These are genuine pieces owned by the Harrogates.” He draped the pendant around my neck. It had a series of diamonds, emeralds, and rubies arrayed into flowers. Then he slid the matching comb into my hair. “Now you look the part.”
57
Sadie
“You look like a billionaire’s girlfriend,” Parker whispered in my ear as the guests streamed in. “You could match any of these women.”
“It’s because I have a great accessory!” I said, running my hand over his ass. I smirked when he jumped a little.
“What a fantastic event,” Evan Harrington said as he shook Parker’s hand. He operated a hedge fund that owned several companies, includingVanity Rag, the magazine Penny, Garrett’s girlfriend, ran.
“Penny’s doing a piece on this event. I can’t wait to see it!” I gushed.
The woman on Evan’s arm looked down her thin nose at me. “I suppose it’s a fine charity ball for a small town—nothing like Manhattan.”
“We’re not trying to be!” I chirped.
After Evan led her away, Parker said in a low voice, “Poor guy. Everyone wonders why he’s marrying that woman.” He kissed my neck. “Not everyone can be as lucky in the girlfriend department as me.”
I felt a rush of happiness. Parker did really like me! He had called me his girlfriend not just after sex when the endorphins were pounding his head but in a perfectly normal setting. I reached up and pressed my mouth to his.
“I want to take you back to my crappy apartment and have my way with you,” I said, “but I think we should probably be good hosts.”
We walked around, greeting people, and I noted if things weren’t running quite smoothly. Billy and Ellis had been tasked with being my gophers, and I gave them a short list of things that I needed fixed then told them to go around to the vendors and see if any of them needed assistance.
“Wonderful event,” Parker said, kissing me softly on the cheek.
Then his brothers waved us over. Mace and his girlfriend Josie were talking to two tall, platinum-haired men. I recognized them as Owen and Jack Frost.
“This is so much fun!”
Owen’s fiancée, Holly, wrapped her arms around me. “Sorry, I’m a hugger. Also I’m drunk. I pregamed on the drive over. Owen is a car freak, and he has a historic car that goes thirty miles an hour. I’m surprised I’m even still standing.”
“Yeah, I’m totally sloshed,” Chloe, Jack’s girlfriend, said, toasting Holly then me. “I love these elderberry cocktails, by the way. It’s cool because they’re the Harrogate town colors.”
“Sadie! Sadie!” Billy and Ellis ran up and tugged at my skirt.
“Did you finish everything she told you to do?” Parker asked, staring down at them.
“No, but it’s an emergency!”
They rushed me over to Ida’s table, where a crowd had gathered.
Oh god. I knew this was going to be a disaster.
An older woman was standing next to the table. She held up a bag of sex toys in one hand and one of the goddess cakes in the other.
“Unconscionable!” she ranted while Ida looked on intently and nodded. They were surrounded by a group of well-dressed older women. They looked angry.
Crap! I shouldn’t have let Ida do this. The gala would be ruined! I recognized several of the seniors as big-time donors in the New York charity scene. They were going to bad-mouth the Rural Trust all over town.
