She put Stevie in her kennel before she even started to get ready—Stacia had agreed to come by later and take her out—and stashed a mini lint roller in her evening bag. (Beaded. Black. With a wine-red-rose pattern.)
Cherry met Russ out on her porch, so that he wouldn’t get dog hair on his suit. He ran up the steps to get to her, then held out his arms. “You... look...marvelous.”
He took her hand and spun her slowly around. Cherry laughed breathily.
“Look at this dress...” Russ kissed her cheek. “I was a little worried you were going to wear something goofy.”
“When do I look goofy?”
He grinned. “You, darling? Never.”
“I don’t like your tone.”
“Youdidtell me that you loved Bjork’s swan dress...”
“If I had that dress, I’d wear it every day.”
“Guess I have to spend the rest of my life seeking to destroy it.” He kissed her again. “Where’s your coat?”
“I don’t have the right coat for this. I’ll be okay.”
Cherry didn’t get to see Russ’s outfit until they got to the party and he took off his own coat. She wasn’t really surprised that he owned a black velvet dinner jacket. If they stayed together, Russ was never going to relinquish his side of the closet.
“You look very distinguished,” Cherry said, petting his collar.
Russ straightened his jacket. “Why would you bring up my hairline at a time like this?”
She laughed and brushed his hair off his forehead. “You’re not losing your hair. And even if you were, you’d still be the best-looking guy here.”
“You haven’t even met anyone here.”
Cherry shook her head. She was wearing rhinestone chandelier earrings, and they danced against her neck. “I don’t have to.”
Russ slid his arm around her waist and leaned in close. “Let’s skip to the part of the night where we go back to my house.”
“Don’t you want people to see you in your fancy suit?”
“Right now I just want to see you take off your fancy dress.”
“I can’t believe you say things like that with a straight face.”
He kissed the skin behind her ear. “I work in politics, Cherry.”
The party was in a big house in an expensive neighborhood. Typical C-suite party. The mayor was the heir to a mail-order-steak fortune. Russ kept his arm around Cherry as they walked into the living room. “You haven’t briefed me,” Cherry whispered. “How should I be with your boss?”
“Be yourself,” he said. “You’ll like Mark. His wife, Molly, pours it on a little thick. Just smile and be noncommittal.” He glanced over at her. “You’ll be fine. You’re great at this.”
Cherry caught his glance and held it. Russ’s color was high. Pink from the cold. It made his eyes look so blue. Cherry loved his sharp,smooth cheeks and the hint of a cleft in his chin. She could get used to this face...
Maybe.
Maybe she’d never get used to how good Russ Sutton looked.
“You were right,” she said, feeling warm, feeling stirred down the center. “Let’s skip to the good part.”
“Too late now, sweetheart—they’ve already seen us.”
A handsome older couple was heading toward them.
