Around them, Winter noticed the other spectators as they each gave Penelope smiles and well wishes.
Connor now said mildly to Penelope. Then he glanced over for the first time, caught sight of Winter, and looked back to the table again with disinterest. His eyes were a pale, watery blue. “You’ve brought a friend.”
So he wasn’t much of a fan. Maybe he wasn’t a fan of meeting people in general.
Penelope slipped into the spot beside him and shot him a look, something that Winter read as a silent plea to be nice. “This is Winter Young,” she said.
“Yes, theentertainment,” he answered. One of the players threw the dice, and a cheer went up.
“Mr. Young wanted to pay you a compliment,” Penelope said.
Winter gave the man a respectful nod. “Sir,” he said over the noise.
“Connor Doherty,” the man replied, although he didn’t extend a hand.
Good,Winter thought. An underestimation. He’d gotten this sort of look before, from people who didn’t think there could be much in the brain of a pop star.
“I noticed your worthy collection,” Winter said, unfazed, nodding at Connor’s jewelry.
Now the man’s eyes rose to Winter’s own. Sure enough, he looked immediately to the snake ring on Winter’s left hand.
For the first time, his eyes widened slightly in interest, then narrowed before he peered closer at it.
“Is that a meteorite?” he said.
So Sauda and Niall had been right to give them this ring. Winter smiled back at Connor and nodded. “This? A genuine stone from the Hierapolis meteorite,” he replied. “It made its debut at a Christie’s auction recently.”
“Yes, I know. I lost the bid on it.” Connor made a sound of mock dislike, then looked at Winter with new interest. “Apparently, I lost it to you,” he said with a laugh.
Winter acted amused by his words, then said, “Do you want it?”
Connor blinked at him through his glasses. It must have been rare for him to be taken by surprise, because even Penelope seemed to note his expression. “What do you mean?” he said.
“Was custom-made for me from the full meteorite,” he said with a wink. “I ordered a bunch of pieces set from it.”
Now the man looked genuinely stunned. Then he clapped his hands together and laughed. “Here,” he said to the person beside him, handing him his dice. “Finish the game for me. I’m going to have a word.”
Winter slid the ring off his finger and handed it to him. Connor took the jewelry in his hand, then held it up to the light to admire the flecks of olivine shining in the rock.
“It takes a man of good taste to set a meteorite as beautiful as this one,” he said.
Winter shrugged. “The stone gave me no choice,” he said.
Connor smiled at him, then looked at Penelope. “I like this one,” he answered.
“He means that,” Penelope told Winter, giving Connor a teasing nudge. “I’ve never seen him this pleased about anything all year.”
Winter put his hands into his pockets to hide them, just in case they started trembling. After-party habit. Maybe they didn’t suspect him, but it didn’t help calm his nerves any. He wondered what Sydney might be thinking out there on the main floor as she watched and waited for him to show up again. Maybe she was silently counting how many minutes he’d been gone and gauging when she might have to come hunt him down. Maybe she approved of how he’d been swept away. Maybe she was eyeing the entrances and exits to the place, working out their best plan should things go wrong.
Maybe she was still chatting with that guy in the damn top hat. Not that he cared, one way or another.
Penelope’s hand on his arm shook him out of his thoughts again. Connor had pulled them aside to one of the tables lining the edge of this smaller room, then poured them both a drink. Winter purposely waited a second, looking with admiration around the room until Penelope had taken a sip. It must be safe. He did the same.
Whiskey, a good one.
“You’re a fashion connoisseur,” Connor said to Winter, pointing his drink at him. He nodded at Winter’s outfit. “Are you a connoisseur of astronomy, too, then?”
Winter shook his head. “I just know to appreciate a rare thing,” he replied. “And I know that this pallasite meteorite is one of the most precious objects ever to grace our earth.”
