by Rachel Lacey
In the meantime, he needed to dedicate himself one hundred percent to his upcoming assignment in Dubai. His parents had taken a chance on him, allowing him to oversee the construction of what would become one of Exeter Hotels’ largest locations, and he couldn’t let them down.
“I think that happens to a lot of us.” Ruby set the last pin on the bench between them and ran her fingers through her hair, smoothing out the bumps and waves. “In fact, Elle, Megan, and I had all been bouncing between jobs until we won that magazine contest last year.”
“You won a magazine contest?”
She nodded. “To manage Rosemont Castle. It’s how we met Theo.” She gestured toward the estate, where Theo was inside, dancing with his new bride.
“Ah.”
“Does it look okay?” she asked, tugging at a strand of her hair.
“You look beautiful.” He studied her with a smile. “I didn’t get a good look at you before your run-in with the rosebush, but I think I might prefer it down.”
“Really? I never wear it down.”
“No? That’s a shame. You have lovely hair.”
“I can’t stand when it gets in my face.”
“May I?” He picked up a pin and gestured to her hair.
“You want to do my hair for me?” she asked, amusement and surprise mixing in her tone.
“I have three sisters.” He lifted the hair away from the left side of her face and secured it with several pins, then did the same on the other side.
“Three sisters?”
“I told you I’m the youngest of five. There.” He sat back and surveyed his work. “Not bad, if I do say so myself.”
Ruby reached up to touch her new hairdo. “I think I like it. I might change my mind when I see myself in a mirror, though.”
He lifted his hands in front of him. “I’ll take no offense if you hate it. Shall we go find a mirror, then?”
“I suppose I’ve hidden out here in the gardens long enough.” She stood, smoothing her hands over the front of her dress. “It’s been nice chatting with you, though.”
“Do you really not want to dance, or did you just not want to dance with Ellis?” he asked, holding out his elbow.
She slipped her hand through it with a small smile. “So polite. I’m not much of a dancer, I’m afraid, but my objection was mainly to dancing with Ellis.”
“In that case, after you freshen up, would you care to dance?” He gave her his most charming smile.
“I’d love to.” Her eyes twinkled in the moonlight.
“Excellent.” They walked into the ballroom, arm-in-arm. The band was playing an upbeat tune at one end of the room, and the dance floor was packed. At the center, he could see the bride and groom. He nodded toward them. “They look like they’re having a good time.”
“They sure do.” Ruby’s face lit with a smile, and Flynn’s breath caught in his throat. “What?” she asked.
“I just got my first look at you in actual light, and I had no idea I’d been sitting outside with the prettiest woman at the party.” He nudged her shoulder playfully. Ruby scoffed at his compliment, but he wasn’t joking, not this time. She was lovely, with her dark hair cascading over her shoulders, pinned back to accent her heart-shaped face and those rich chocolate eyes shining behind her glasses. Ruby wore a floor-length pink dress—a bridesmaid’s dress—and it hugged her petite frame just right.
“I’m going to the ladies’ room. I’ll be right back.”
“I’ll be waiting.” He turned toward the bar, only to see his mother waving him over.
“Flynn,” she called. “There you are.”
And he felt a bit like Ruby had in the garden when Ellis Mayberry caught up with them, because there was a woman standing beside his mother, a blonde in a knee-length black dress smiling shyly in his direction.
“Darling, this is Rebecca Creekmore,” his mother said. “Rebecca, this is my son, Flynn.”
He glanced over his shoulder in the direction Ruby had gone. This time, it would be her turn to save him.
2
Ruby stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom, one hand in her hair as she turned to the side, surveying her reflection. She hardly recognized the woman staring back at her. Somehow, Flynn had managed to salvage her ruined hairdo and turn it into something kind of beautiful. She didn’t usually like how her hair looked when it was down, but the way he’d tucked the sides back really worked, at least with this dress. It was a different look for her, but then again, this week was all about trying new things.
Lots of new things.
The flush she saw in her cheeks wasn’t due to the makeup the artist had carefully applied earlier that day. It wasn’t even embarrassment over all the various ways her evening had gone wrong so far. It was excitement, a kind of excitement she hadn’t felt in too long to remember. The rest of the reception should be a lot more fun now that she had Flynn to hang out with. And tomorrow, she would begin her uncharted adventure in London.
“Whoa,” Megan said, appearing in the mirror behind Ruby. “You took your hair down!”
“I had a run-in with a rosebush. I had no choice.”
“Well, I love it.” Megan walked up to stand beside her, wearing a floor-length rose satin dress identical to Ruby’s, as Elle had made them both her maids of honor. “I think I might like it better than your up-do.”
“Really?”
“Really.” Megan grinned at her in the mirror. The scar that ran down the left side of her face was barely visible tonight beneath her makeup, but it wrinkled slightly when she smiled, a permanent reminder of the car accident they’d been in together a year ago.
“Don’t laugh, but I met this guy in the garden, and we really hit it off. He even offered to show me around London tomorrow.”
Megan’s eyebrows crawled up her forehead. “What? Who? Do we know him? I told you that you could tag along with me and Jake.”
“No way. I’m not playing third wheel to you two lovebirds, and besides, I want to do this on my own anyway. I really like Flynn, but I think I’m going to turn him down.”
“Well, let’s not be hasty,” Megan said, shifting gears. “Tell me more about him. What’s he like? What do we know about him?”
“He’s a friend of Theo’s,” Ruby told her. “Apparently, their families go way back. He’s very nice, funny too.”
“You know what? I think it sounds exciting. You should go.” Megan pulled out a lipstick from her bag, pursing her lips as she reapplied it. “You did say this week was about having a grand adventure, right?”
Ruby rolled her eyes, then pulled out her own lipstick. She never fussed with her appearance in front of the mirror. But she didn’t attend an earl’s wedding every day either. Surely that was the reason she was unnaturally obsessed with her appearance tonight. “This adventure is about me, not a man.”
“And sometimes,” Megan said as she led the way out of the bathroom, “a man can be part of your adventure. It doesn’t make it any less yours.”
Ruby was still stewing on that bit of advice as she made her way toward the bar where Flynn stood chatting…with another woman. She was about Ruby’s age, a pretty blonde who was currently leaned against the bar in a way that accentuated her cleavage, staring at Flynn like he’d just told her she was the most beautiful woman in the world.
Ruby faltered, heat rising in her cheeks as her stomach dropped. While she’d been in the bathroom, gushing about Flynn to Megan and letting her halfway convince Ruby to accept his offer, he’d been out here finding a new woman to flirt with in her absence.
Maybe Ruby ought to turn the tables on him and find a woman to flirt with too—hey, there were certain advantages to being bisexual—but that wasn’t really her style. And honestly, tonight she only had eyes for Flynn. He glanced over, and their eyes locked. Before she could decide what to do, he was waving her over.
But Ruby stayed right where she was, because…nope. She had no desire to hang around while Flynn flirted with
someone else. She’d spent enough of the last year as a third wheel to Elle and Theo, and then Megan and Jake. No, thank you. At least she’d realized Flynn was a player before she spent any more time with him.
Then she noticed another woman talking to the blonde, an older woman with dark hair pulled back into a sleek twist and wearing an impeccably styled floor-length black dress. She had to be Flynn’s mother. There was no denying the resemblance between them. Which meant the blonde was probably someone his mom had brought over for him to meet. And, now that she was really paying attention, the look Flynn was giving her was more of a plea.
Hoping like hell she had an accurate read on the situation and wasn’t about to make a fool of herself, she sucked in a deep breath and walked over to them, stopping beside him. “Hi.”
He gave her a grateful smile. “Ruby, this is my mother, Nancy, and that’s Rebecca Creekmore, who’s an old classmate of Theo’s.” He gestured to the blonde before turning toward his mom. “And this is Ruby Keller. She’s a friend of the bride. We met in the gardens a little while ago.”
“How lovely,” Flynn’s mother said, extending a hand in Ruby’s direction, her accent crisp and refined. “A pleasure to meet you, Ruby.”
“Likewise,” Ruby told her with a polite smile. Her hair tickled her shoulders, as unfamiliar as the rest of her evening, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about any of it. Her arrival seemed to have interrupted whatever conversation had been flowing between Flynn, his mom, and Rebecca, who quickly excused herself to rejoin her friends. Flynn’s mother followed soon after, having spotted a business associate she wanted to greet.
“Sorry about that,” Flynn said, eyes twinkling as they locked on hers. “But thanks for saving me from my mother’s latest attempt at matchmaking.”
Ruby’s stomach got tingly and warm, like it had received an electrical surge. “Happy to help.”
“So, would you like to dance?”
“I’d love to.”
He took her hand and led her onto the dance floor. The ballroom in the Langdon estate was ornately decorated with a glittering chandelier suspended above the dance floor, casting everyone in warm, muted light, almost as if they were glowing. Flynn led her to a quiet corner, his hands in hers as they began moving to the beat. The band was playing an up-tempo tune that Ruby wasn’t familiar with.
She wasn’t much of a dancer and was glad Flynn had chosen an out-of-the-way part of the dance floor for them. He moved with the ease of someone who was one-hundred-percent comfortable with himself and his surroundings. He’d probably attended countless events like this one, maybe even other events here at the Langdon estate. Considering that his family were old friends of the Langdons, Flynn probably came from money and social standing.
Occasionally, he took her hand to give her a twirl or guide her in a certain direction as they danced. He’d taken off his tuxedo jacket, and she caught glimpses of his trim, muscular frame beneath his white dress shirt. She couldn’t take her eyes off him, and she wasn’t the only one. She caught other women watching him too, although his attention never strayed from her.
They danced together through several upbeat songs before the music slowed. Flynn took her hand, gently drawing her closer. “This okay?” he asked as his hands drifted to her hips, barely touching her as he waited for her response.
“Mm hmm,” she said, as turned on by the feather-light graze of his fingertips as she was by his manners. At her affirmation, his grip on her waist became more firm. His fingers warmed her skin through the satin of her dress. She rested her hands on his shoulders, settling against him. This close, she could smell his aftershave, something fresh and minty, faint enough not to be annoying, but present enough to make him smell nice. “So, you live in London?” she asked as they swayed to the music.
“I do,” he confirmed.
“And do you have your own place in the city?” She couldn’t quite picture him living in some mansion with his parents, but maybe he did. Rich people did that sometimes, didn’t they?
“Yes.” Humor laced his tone. “My sister Genevieve still lives with our parents, but not for long. She’s getting married in the spring. Hence the reason my mother is so keen to set me up with every available woman who crosses her path.”
She and Flynn spent the next hour or so dancing, and Ruby couldn’t remember the last time she’d had so much fun. Maybe it was the atmosphere in the ballroom, where everything seemed to sparkle with money and importance. Maybe it was the way her hair swung loosely over her shoulders, or the promise of the week ahead and her make-it-up-as-she-went adventure. Maybe it was the man in front of her, who made her laugh as much as he filled her with a sizzling kind of attraction she hadn’t felt in years.
All of those things usually made her anxious. The need for carefully planned structure usually got the better of her. She couldn’t even blame tonight’s carefree attitude on too much alcohol. She’d only had a few sips of wine here and there. Tonight, she was drunk on life and the promise of adventure.
Eventually, they made their way toward the bar for a drink. Ruby’s toes and the arches of her feet ached from the heels she was unaccustomed to wearing, a discomfort she would happily endure tonight for the chance to dress up and celebrate her friend’s wedding.
“Ruby!”
She turned to see Elle hurrying toward her, her princess-style wedding dress swirling around her ankles. The tiara on her head was a Langdon family heirloom that Elle herself had helped locate after Theo’s grandfather hid it for “safekeeping” before his death.
Ruby excused herself as Flynn walked ahead to the bar to get their drinks, meeting Elle halfway across the room. “How does it feel wearing that tonight?”
Elle reached up to touch the diamond and pearl crusted piece. “Like I’m living someone else’s life.”
“Well, Mrs. Langdon, you’d better get used to it, because this is your life now.” Ruby gave her friend an impromptu hug. “I’m so happy for you, I could cry.”
“Don’t you dare,” Elle warned. “We spent way too much time on our hair and makeup today to ruin them. Speaking of which, what happened to your hair?”
“It got caught in a rosebush.”
“Ouch,” Elle said. “But I actually really like this. You should wear it down more often. Anyway, the reason I came looking for you is…who’s the guy?”
Ruby glanced over her shoulder at Flynn, who was talking with a couple at the bar. “Flynn Bowen. He’s a friend of Theo’s.”
Elle pursed her lips. “The name is vaguely familiar. You guys looked like you were having so much fun on the dance floor. Do you like him?”
“I do. He’s really fun to be around. In fact, he offered to show me around London tomorrow, and I’m considering taking him up on it.”
Elle’s eyes went comically round. “Whoa, Ruby, that is so unlike you. And also really awesome. Want me to ask Theo about him for you? Make sure he’s not a creep?”
Ruby laughed. “Sure, but I don’t think he would be here if he was a creep.”
“You might be surprised. Money and class dominated a lot of the guest list, and those aren’t always good indicators of decency.”
Ruby thought of Ellis. “That’s true. Okay, ask Theo.”
“Will do.” Elle gave her another hug before heading across the ballroom in search of her new husband.
Ruby looked around for Flynn and spotted him walking toward her with a glass of wine in each hand. She’d spent hours now debating whether to take him up on his offer. The reception was almost over. It was time to make up her mind, so…if Theo vouched for him, she’d say yes. No more second-guessing herself. She’d come to London to have an unscripted adventure, and hopefully Flynn would be an exciting new part of it. He stopped beside her, handing her a glass of wine.
“Thanks,” she told him, bringing it to her lips for a sip.
“My pleasure.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention, please,” the bandleader called over hi
s microphone. “At this time, we ask you all to please join us for the bride and groom’s final dance of the evening.”
She and Flynn followed the rest of the guests as they formed a circle around the dance floor to watch the last dance. Elle and Theo walked out, looking radiantly in love as they began to dance. Ruby pressed a hand against her chest, blinking back happy tears. Megan squeezed in beside her, and they wrapped their arms around each other.
When the song ended, Elle headed straight for them, joining Ruby and Megan in a group hug. They clung to each other for a long moment, all of them teary-eyed by the time they pulled away. Before Elle left to rejoin her husband, she whispered in Ruby’s ear, “Theo says Flynn is a great guy. Go for it.”
So, Ruby sucked in a decisive breath as she turned toward Flynn. “I’d love for you to show me around London tomorrow.”
Flynn and Ruby strolled through the garden as they finished their wine. The wedding reception had just ended, and soon they’d be heading up to their respective rooms.
“So, what would you like to do tomorrow?” he asked, thrilled that she’d agreed to spend the day with him. Now, he wanted to make sure she had an amazing experience that set the tone for the rest of her vacation. This trip was a big deal for her, and he was honored to be a part of her adventure, however small.
Ruby pressed a finger against her lips, drawing his eyes to the sheen of her lipstick in the lamplight, the way her teeth pressed against her fingertip, sending a burst of heat through his system. “I should probably start with something touristy and then I have to admit, I’m pretty smitten with your idea of going to the theater to see a show. I really want to do that. Except—” She paused, sucking her bottom lip between her teeth and further muddling his brain. “—I don’t have anything to wear.”
“I’m sure you’ve got something that would work. The theater’s not as formal as you might think, but if you’re looking for an excuse to go shopping, you’ve come to the right place. London has some of the best shopping in the world, you know.”