Every now and then, she glanced our way. When our eyes met, she didn’t look away fast. My phone buzzed at one point:
Faye: Stop staring
You knew what that dress would do to us
Faye: Behave
I am but the cake needs to hurry up
Jase slid his phone out of his jacket pocket, checked the thread, then replied:
Can’t wait to see you out of it
I watched from across the tent as she pressed her lips together like she was trying not to smile, then slid her phone back into a hidden pocket and turned to the person talking to her father.
“Your face is really obvious right now,” Hayden commented under his breath.
“Finish your whiskey,” I told him.
“Already did,” he answered. “But I had no idea you two would go after the same girl.”
“Jealous?” I asked, grinning.
My brother-in-law snorted. “Not even close, but remember who her father is.”
“She wants it as much as we do,” Jase stated.
“Just be careful.”
“We will,” I said.
Once dinner was over, toasts were made, and then,finally,it was time for cake. Fallon and Rhett stepped behind it, both still glowing.
They cut it together, fed each other a bite, got frosting on their noses, and kissed it away as the guests cheered. Someoneyelled for them to do it again. Fallon flipped the guy off and laughed.
Slices were passed out. A server dropped a slice of chocolate in front of me and another in front of Jase. We ate ours, and then I looked up to where Faye was.
She took a few bites of her cake, then sat back and let her gaze sweep the tent. When it fell on our table, my pulse kicked up. “Five minutes,” she mouthed.
Music shifted to something more upbeat as staff cleared plates, and the DJ invited everyone to the dance floor. Fallon and Rhett went out first, followed by what felt like half the tent.
I stayed put for a minute, watching the crowd. Tyler grabbed Hayden and pulled him to the dance floor, and then Jase and I made our way to the main house.
We slipped out along the edge of the tent, staying in the shadows where the light faded. Music and laughter rolled across the lawn, but all I really felt was excitement running through me as I thought about Faye upstairs.
“Walk normal,” Jase murmured. “You look guilty.”
“I’m walking toward the president’s house to meet his daughter in her room,” I answered. “I’m pretty sure I’m allowed to look a little tense.”
A path of low lights led to a smaller side entrance. An agent stood at the bottom of the steps, watching the flow of guests. His gaze fell on us, dropped to his phone, then returned.
“Statler. Matthewson,” he commented.
I swallowed. “Yeah.”
He gave a brief nod. “You’re clear to enter.” The agent pulled the door open, and we stepped inside. The kitchen was a blur of white jackets as staff moved about, too busy to notice two guys in suits cutting through their space. We found the hallway leading to the back stairs and headed up.
At the top, another agent stood at the corner, watching the far end of the hall. His gaze skimmed over us, then slid back to his sweep, with no questions.
