“I don’t…” I narrow my eyes at Victoria. “Let’s find Hannah,” she suggests.
Whose side is she on?
“I’ll be back.” I eye the silver fox and then Dean.
“I make friends easily.” He slips his hands into his pockets and shrugs.
“I’ll show you to the bar.” Reed nods in the direction of the other room.
Dean’s smile dims slightly for the first time tonight and my stomach flips. His smile returns after a moment and he leans forward so his lips are at my ear. “Relax. As I think you remember, I’m a big boy.”
I suck in a breath and he winks, nodding his head in the direction I need to head in.
Go Chels. Move your feet. Up and down. You’ve been doing it since you were eleven months old.
His hand lands on my back and he nudges me forward.
“Come on.” Victoria’s already ten steps ahead of me, her expression telling me we don’t have time to waste. There’s a bomb we have to diffuse, and it’s set to go off soon.
Victoria and I meet Hannah as she’s coming out of the kitchen. She’s elegant in a conservative yet sexy champagne colored dress. Her long chestnut hair flowing down over her exposed shoulders, her smile bright and welcoming.
“Chelsea, hi. Is Dean here?” She pulls me into a light embrace and we half attempt to kiss each other’s cheek without messing up our makeup. “I bet he lost his voice when he saw how gorgeous you look.”
“Dean never loses his voice.”
“Where is he?” She looks at Victoria. “Are him and Reed doing shots at the bar?” She laughs softly.
“Um, Hannah?” Victoria places her hand on Hannah’s forearm.
“Is there a problem with food or drinks? This is why I hire party planners. I don’t want to be in charge. Let me go find her.” She steps forward to slide between Victoria and me.
“Don’t go in there.” My hand lands on Hannah’s forearm, but a lot firmer than Victoria’s touch.
Hannah stops, stares at me in bewilderment. “What am I missing?”
“Raegan’s here,” Victoria says and cringes at me from behind Hannah’s back.
“Oh, great.”
“She brought a date,” Victoria continues.
Hannah smiles and looks from me to Victoria.
“She brought the guy from Torrio’s.”
Hannah says nothing, her smile still in place on her face. Maybe she doesn’t understand.
“The silver fox,” I say.
“I understand. Okay, thanks for telling me.” Her smile widens and glows if that’s even possible.
“I don’t think you did,” I said, glancing at Victoria for a quick second.
“No, I did. Roarke Baldwin is here. I heard you.” Turning to both of us, she seems too calm and put together. Like the eye of a hurricane or the calm before the storm. “Let’s go greet them, shall we?”
She steps forward first, Victoria and I following like the two other Charlie Angels in our clique, exchanging a ‘what-the-fuck’ look. I can’t help the feeling that this is either going to go very, very well or very, very bad.
Chapter Twelve
Reed and Dean step away from the bar when they see us approach. My head might be somewhere else, but my eyes focus in on Dean’s left hand. To say the glass with ice and dark liquid with a lime doesn’t scare me would be a grave understatement. Tonight is the real test to see if he really has changed.
Victoria shakes her head to Reed who halts in his footsteps, watching from afar. Dean follows suit, bringing the drink to his lips, eyes intent on the scene that’s about to unfold.
“Raegan,” Hannah coos with a fakeness I’ve never heard from her mouth.
“Hannah.”
The two lightly hug, kissing cheeks like I did with Hannah moments ago.
Victoria and I stand in the wings like the pink ladies.
“I love the dress,” Hannah compliments her. “The color brings out your sparkling green eyes.”
I glance to my side at Victoria. Never in the time I’ve known Hannah have I seen her have such a Valley of the Dolls/Stepford Wife vibe.
“Thank you. You look stunning as always.”
Hannah waves off the compliment. “I’ve owned this forever. Glad it’s still in style. After my divorce and his lawyer taking me to the cleaners, I rarely shop anymore. I’ve had to get inventive, you know?”
Raegan’s timid smile suggests she’s uncomfortable with Hannah’s forthcoming. “Well, it’s a great dress.”
Roarke is talking to someone just a few feet away and as I wait for him to notice Hannah, my heart starts racing.
“Thanks. I thought you were bringing a date?”
“Yes.” Raegan glances back behind her. “He’s right there.”
Hannah pretends she didn’t know, exaggerating her movements as she leans to the side to spot the silver fox. “Oh, you brought Roarke Baldwin?”
It’s like watching a master, ladies and gentlemen. I want to be Hannah Crowley someday.
“You know him?” Raegan asks.
“Not personally. Not in a friendly way. Just from the courtroom.”
Raegan being the smart girl she is, puts all the pieces together now.
“No way,” she says, her eyes wide.
Roarke Baldwin’s reputation is well known. He’s the man you hire to stick it to your ex.
“Yes, he was my ex’s lawyer, but hey, no hard feelings.”
If we were anywhere else, I’d cough out bullshit, but this is Hannah’s fight.
“I’m so sorry, I wouldn’t have brought him,” Raegan says in a hushed voice.
Hannah smiles. “Of course. How would you know?”
Roarke breaks apart from his conversation and all four of us women stare at him as his attention flickers our way.
He’s a man who seems to have it all together, but for the briefest moment, I see fear flash in his eyes. But instead of running, he proves his reputation of a damn pit bull, approaching with a swagger that would suggest he expected this all along. Like he knew this was Hannah’s condo.
“Ms. Crowley,” he extends his hand, a large, expensive watch peeking out from under his suit sleeve.
“Why Mr. Baldwin, I have to say, I never thought I would host you in my home.”
Raegan’s eyes are volleying between the two and I think we all probably look like a pack of kids watching their parents argue.
“It’s a great place. Family owned?” he asks with a smirk.
“Is that your assumption because you weren’t able to take it from me?”
“It was just a question,” he says in a lazy way.
“Questions, questions.” Hannah’s smile hasn’t faltered and I’m wondering how long until she loses that high society etiquette and punches the guy square in the nose.
Dean and Reed approach and at this point I’m grateful.
“Hi,” I say, and Dean hands me a glass of wine while he watches on, his eyes on the couple.
“We were thinking we’d go out on the terrace,” Reed suggests.
Victoria nuzzles up to him and accepts the glass of wine he has for her. “Perfect.”