“It’s just for a couple hours?”
“Black tie, a couple hours, and it will be fabulous. Bring Graham; everyone else will have a date. Trust me, you’ll have an amazing time.”
The only thing Zoey trusted was how much Graham was going to hate this idea.
“He’ll say no.”
Finally, the stress in Lana’s eyes shifted to mirth. “Zoey, a boy like him risk messing things up with a woman like you? He wouldn’t dare. Now come on. We need to pick out a dress. I brought three for you, but if you don’t like them, we’ll take a quick jaunt to Anchorage.”
“You have all the answers, don’t you?” Zoey slid off the counter and followed Lana into the bedroom.
“Mm-hmm.”
Zoey flopped dramatically down on the bed, defeated. “And you’re sure I can’t prove my friendship to you in any other way? Maybe by donating a kidney to you?”
Lana just disappeared into her closet, humming cheerfully to herself. She came out holding three hangers, face triumphant. The dresses were floor length, haute couture, and probably cost more than Zoey’s car back home. “Rose, wine, or mint?”
Zoey cringed, knowing she wouldn’t feel safe taking a drink of water in any of them. “Whatever I’m least likely to ruin.”
“Mint it is. Oh, dearest. Graham’s going to just adore you in green.”
Chapter 13
“I can’t believe we agreed to this.”
Graham adjusted his tie in the hotel’s oversized hallway mirror. “I didn’t agree to anything. You were the one who wanted to recreate Titanic, darlin’. Nice dress, by the way.”
Grinning up at him, Zoey exhaled a laugh. “You know they all drown in the end, right?”
“Not me. I’m with you on the door.” He leaned in, whispering in her ear. “Never let go, Zo.”
“I wouldn’t dare,” she promised.
Determined to use her car as much as humanly possible, Zoey had offered to pick him up after work when Graham shoved his dinner guests out at a paltry 8:00 p.m. He’d been tempted, but knowing he was about to spend an evening with the resort’s finest left Graham twitchy and in need of an escape route. After closing, he drove to the resort in his truck instead.
The Tourist Trap’s dinner crowd was more passive than usual, and whatever event Lana had planned up at the resort had thinned their ranks. Even though consistency was the key to any business’s success, Graham knew he could get away with it. For every tourist he ticked off today, a fresh one would take their place next week. Frankly, it didn’t matter.
Being Zoey’s date to some gala did matter, so Graham pulled his best—and only—suit out of the closet, dusted it off, and had it hanging in the back ready for after his shift. Reassured by Zoey’s promise to help him clean up tomorrow morning before opening, a quick change of his clothes in the bathroom was all Graham needed before zipping up to Moose Springs Resort.
The dress she’d slipped into was more than enough to have him willing to follow her into any crowd, including this one. As they stood down the hall from the resort’s banquet room, Zoey hesitated, fiddling with her hair and checking her makeup in the reflection of the mirror next to them.
“You look great,” he promised. “Come on. This is going to be fun.”
“You think so?”
“No, but we’re supporting L. And she’s fun. It’s close enough.”
“What time do you need to get back home for Jake?”
“He’s staying with Aunt Ash and Uncle Easton tonight. He likes them better, and I couldn’t get the adjustments made to his tux in time. Who knew dog tailoring would be such a nightmare?”
She was so nervous, her voice shook. “Are you sure you don’t want to go spend the night with him instead? We could have a gala for three.”
Graham didn’t want to be there, not for a single second, but one look at Zoey in her soft green dress, pale and trembly from nerves, and he knew he was right where he belonged. Resting a hand at the small of her back, Graham shifted closer to her side, letting her feel his presence beside her. Reminding her she wasn’t alone.
“This is important to L,” he reminded her gently.
Inhaling a deep, steadying breath, Zoey nodded. “You’re right. Lana needs us here. We’re being good friends. And there’s probably food.”
“Theoretically.”
The ballroom had been decorated with a similar kind of understated opulence as everything else in the hotel. Round tables glittered with polished silverware and crystal wineglasses. A massive hearth dominating the far wall burned with an attended fire, where a disgruntled Diego stood, balancing a silver platter of miniature s’mores in his hands, complete with tiny, perfectly charred marshmallows. A private balcony stretched the length of the ballroom, with two-story sheets of glass separating those guests still inside and those mingling around stone fire rings outside. Everywhere he could see, glasses of champagne were held carelessly in hands glittering with diamond tennis bracelets or expensive-looking watches.
Graham was a confident person, and validated or not, very little intimidated him. But even he took pause for a moment as they stepped deeper into the ballroom, overwhelmed by the elegance surrounding them. Somewhere in all this mess of music, hors d’oeuvres, and candlelight was Jax, and out of sheer self-preservation, Graham scanned the crowd looking for him. He finally found his friend next to Lana, both of them looking far too comfortable in their formal wear. Fingers moving to his tie unbidden, Graham hated his knee-jerk reaction to make sure he looked okay.
At least no one would be paying any attention to him. Not with Zoey stunning everyone’s socks off.
“We should probably go say hi.” Clearly steeling her nerves, Zoey pushed the glasses higher up on her nose and headed for the woman holding court in the center of the room. Graham stayed at her side, catching her nervous, clammy fingers in his warmer ones and squeezing in reassurance.
“Maybe I’ll carve you into my log when this is over,” he murmured to her, lips brushing her ear.
Good. That brought some color to her cheeks.
“Don’t threaten me with a good time,” she whispered back.
“So do we get to know what all the excitement is about yet?” Jax was asking Lana as they approached, draining his champagne. “You throw a good party, Ms. Montgomery, but my curiosity is getting the best of me.”
Utterly unfazed by his charm, Lana delicately sipped from her own glass. “After dinner, we’re announcing the surprise. Until then, enjoy yourselves.”