“They’re quite good at cleaning car interiors,” Henry said. “But I don’t like bracelets that rub, so I put them on a keychain. I have sensitive skin. I don’t even wear a watch these days.”
Blaire looked at us both like she wished Dean had more interesting people in his life. Which was fair. Henry seemed very uninterested in charming people tonight. Which probably meant I was rubbing off on him.
“Oh, good. Dean’s making his way back here.” Blaire pressed her hands together. “I’m looking forward to dinner. I’ll see you both later. It was such a pleasure to meet you.” She turned and rerouted Dean before he could reach us. Apparently, her pleasure in meeting us only went so far.
Henry and I watched as she steered him towards a couple who had just come in.
“I’m not rooting for that one,” Henry said. “Though she’s pretty enough and resourceful enough to make a mess of his life for a while. Ah, being in your twenties is fun. Glad I never have to do that again.”
“Me neither.”
Henry turned and looked at me. “How old are you now?”
“Thirty.”
“Good for you. Thirty’s a good age.” He took out his phone from his jacket pocket and checked the time. “Grace, would you like to look at the silent auction with me? We have about fifteen more minutes until they’ll send us into the ballroom for dinner.”
“Of course.”
I followed him to the adjacent foyer where the silent auction tables were set in a half circle against the wall.
“Will there be dancing after dinner?” I asked. That hadn’t occurred to me until now.
“Pretty sure there will be.”
Oh, good, I’d get to see Dean holding someone else expertly in his arms. I quickly squelched that thought. It felt like jealousy, and I couldn’t allow that. No more comparing either. Blaire’s beauty didn’t detract from mine. This wasn’t a competition, and Dean wasn’t a prize to be won, even if she thought of him that way.
Henry and I waited our turn to get close enough to see what was being put up for charity. I took a sparkling water with raspberries from a waiter and watched while two men went back and forth, bidding up golf lessons from a Top 25 Master Coach. The auction also included a designer golf bag and a set of TaylorMade golf clubs.
“You’re not interested in getting in on this?” I asked Henry.
“No. In fact I’m writing their names down. If I’m ever invited to play golf with either of them, I’m taking them out to lunch instead. The only thing we’ll be comparing is who got the better steak.”
I thought he was joking, but he casually leaned in and checked the names and phone numbers on the auction sheet before adding them to his phone contacts. “Hmm. Actually, this guy’s already in here.” He dropped his voice and leaned towards me. “I have Raymond Fife down asRaymond Fife: Sore Loser in Racquetball but an Ace Lawyer. Also, he’s a vegan. I’ll just add a note about the golf thing.”
“Is this why you know everybody?” I asked in wonder.
“It is. My contact list is like a journal of sorts. I keep testing the character limit, but it doesn’t seem to have one. I have it backed up and Dean has the password, so when I die, go through it with him. It will be fun.”
“What do you have about me in there?”
He scrolled back up to my name. “Your birthday. Piper’s birthday. The phone and address of your shop. A note about you reverting back to your maiden name four years ago. You’re allergic to pistachios. You love pasta carbonara. And I added your dress size just this week.”
“Henry!”
“These kinds of things come in handy. For example, I made sure nothing in tonight’s dinner had pistachios in it.” He shrugged. “But I’ll delete all of that with no hesitation if you’d prefer it.”
“You’re not going to send me clothing gifts out of the blue?”
“No.”
“Then I’m fine with it.”
“It’s not creepy?”
“It’s a little bit creepy.”
He laughed. “I thought so. Which is why I don’t usually tell people about it. You’ll keep my secret?”
