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Ella inhales softly.

I keep my face neutral and lift the glass to my mouth.

This is going to be a very long night.

17

ELLA

For a few minutes, I manage to convince myself I can survive the evening.

Not enjoy it.

That was foolish.

One night in the sun, I told myself.

Except the sun, apparently, has been replaced by a chandelier, an expensive salad, and Quenton Stanley’s disgusting mouth ravaging a lettuce leaf.

But survival?

Sure.

That I can do.

Nathaniel sits on my other side, and that changes everything, though I hate that it does. I hate even more how quickly I notice him. The hard line of his shoulder, the woodsy scent of his soap and cologne, the way he cuts into his salad to make sure there’s never a piece of lettuce dangling out of his mouth.

I lift another bite of salad to my mouth, careful not to spear too much at once. I’ll be the one who has lettuce hanging from between her lips if I’m not careful. The vinaigrette is sharper than anything I usually eat, bright and tart enough to wake up my tongue. Candied walnuts add sweetness and crunch.

I’m hungry.

I don’t realize how hungry until the first bite.

Nerves have eaten through most of the day, and champagne hasn’t helped. Now that food is in front of me, my stomach remembers I haven’t eaten since breakfast.

So I eat.

Carefully.

Politely.

With the correct fork, thank God.

Then something jabs my shoulder. Not hard enough to hurt, but it startles me.

I turn.

Mr. Stanley’s thick finger hovers inches from my arm. “Why aren’t you talking to me?” he asks.

I swallow quickly, nearly choking on a piece of lettuce. “I’m sorry,” I say. “I didn’t think it would be polite to talk with my mouth full.”

He drops his gaze to my plate. Then back up to my mouth. To my plate again.

An unpleasant smile spreads across his face. “You don’t need to eat every single thing they put in front of you.”

I tighten my fingers around my fork. “Excuse me?”

“A woman doesn’t need as much food as a man.” He leans slightly closer. “And if you keep shoveling salad into your mouth like that, you’ll start gaining weight.”