by Croix, J. H.
Nathan nodded. “No need to apologize. Do you want to talk about it?”
A rueful smile graced her face. “I said I wanted to talk, didn’t I?” She shrugged, a small laugh escaping. “Maybe we should just take care of finding you a suit for now. I’m not sure I’m up for talking.” She held his gaze for a long moment. “I’m really glad you’re here. I just wasn’t expecting it. And…well, I don’t like this situation with Chad and hate that you’re involved now.”
“Tess, I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t care about you,” Nathan said.
Tess nodded. “That’s not about you. As you saw with Deanna, I kind of hate having anyone involved in this. I’m kind of private.”
“Really?” he asked sardonically. “I’d never have guessed.”
Tess giggled and rolled her eyes. She pushed her hips away from the counter and strode toward the entryway, stepping into a pair of clogs. Glancing back to Nathan, she asked, “Need anything before we go?”
Nathan looked around and spied his tennis shoes by the coffee table. “Just my shoes.”
Chapter 14
Tess paused in front of the mirror. Her honey curls were in their usual disarray, but she’d let go of trying to make them behave. Not to mention that Nathan kept mussing them every time he kissed her. A blush warmed her. While she was bedeviled with doubts about what to do about him and annoyed with the interference of Simon and Deanna, her heart hummed at his presence, and she had to admit she was overjoyed that he’d flown all the way here to see her. Though she hadn’t wanted to think it, tiny doubts kept popping up since she’d flown home—worry that Nathan couldn’t really love her, worry that he’d forget about her when she was gone. Now that he was here, she could maybe believe that someone as amazing as he was really did love her and couldn’t forget about her.
Nathan stuck his head through her bedroom door. After a measured look, he gave a low whistle. “You are beautiful,” he said with a wink as he stepped into the room.
Her blush deepened while her heart pounded at the sight of him. Nathan looked too handsome for his own good in a dark navy suit. As promised, he’d gone along with her suggestions when they shopped for his evening attire. With the help of the friendly salesman, they’d selected the dark navy over black as it brought out the blue of his eyes. Nathan had been a good sport while the salesman had him try on several options.
Nathan paused just in front of her and leaned over, placing a lingering kiss on the side of her neck. Her breath caught and a heated chill raced through her body. Stepping back, he ran his hand across her hip, his caress warm through the silk dress she wore. “Don’t think about colors much, but the way green looks on you has made it my favorite.”
Tess couldn’t hold back a giggle. She wore a deep green silk wrap dress that wound around her curves dipping artfully between her breasts and accenting her hips, draping at an angle across the front of her calves. Knowing that she’d be standing and moving through the crowd throughout the evening, she wore her most comfortable pair of black dress shoes with low kitten heels. A hammered silver bracelet on one arm with a matching choker and earrings accented her outfit. Her eyes were shaded with smoky gray, and she’d added a touch of pink gloss to her lips.
She tried to quell the anxiety she felt. Chad likely assumed she would attend tonight’s function alone. Part of her was relieved Nathan would be with her, while another part of her was fraught with worry for how Chad would react. Much as she’d hoped for Simon and the bank to have started the ball rolling before tonight, that hadn’t happened. Chad had left her a message on her work phone – because she refused to give him her personal cell number – reminding her that he expected to see her tonight.
“Tess?” Nathan asked.
Tess realized she must have spaced out and looked up at Nathan. His blue eyes looked into hers. “You’re worrying,” he said flatly. “Don’t.”
Tess bit her lip. “It’s not that simple.”
He held her gaze for a long moment. “Okay, I get why you’re worried. But you can’t do a damn thing about what Chad might do. You already couldn’t. Try to stop worrying so much. Let’s enjoy tonight. I haven’t gone out like this since I moved away from Seattle. Getting to take you out looking like that…” his eyes traveled up and down her body in a heated gaze “…is way more fun than any date I can remember.”
Tess couldn’t hold back her smile, although the way Nathan looked at her flustered her. On the one hand, she’d never felt so desired. On the other, she half couldn’t believe it. With a quick shake of her head, she stepped right up to Nathan and reached behind his neck to pull him down for a quick kiss before stepping past him to walk toward the door.
“Let’s do this,” she said firmly.
As they stepped through the door, the hand Nathan had placed in her lower back slid down to caress her bottom through the green silk. “We might have a problem,” he said.
“What?” she asked, turning to glance at him.
“Can’t keep my hands off you in that dress. Not sure I can be socially appropriate with the way I feel,” he said with a wink.
Tess thought she might melt on the spot, her heart swelled. She had to force herself to remember they had somewhere to be when what she wanted to do was shove him right back inside and forget everything else.
***
Tess clasped Nathan’s hand in hers as she threaded through the crowd, leading the way toward their table. The ballroom at the convention center was already filled. The annual hospital golf tournament was popular. The awards dinner was simply an excuse for the attendees to see and be seen yet again. Once they’d arrived, any worry that she’d had about Nathan being with her dissolved when she realized how relieved she felt not to be alone this evening. Much as she’d been pushing the thoughts out of her head, she’d dreaded coming here ever since Chad had approached her. With Nathan at her side, it would be impossible for Chad to try to make it appear they were together again. Anxious as she was about what Chad may do or say, she would have worried about that with or without Nathan at her side.
The first hour or so passed uneventfully. Tess enjoyed introducing Nathan and found him surprisingly adept at navigating the social niceties required at such an event. Aside from being handsome as hell and frequently drawing looks of admiration from many of the women they encountered, Nathan was smooth and gracious in his social interactions. At one point, when Tess threw him an inquiring glance as they paused together, Nathan gave her a rueful smile.
“Surprised I can handle myself?” he asked wryly.
Tess thought for a moment before answering. “I guess so. Doesn’t seem quite your personality.”
Nathan shrugged. “Not my first choice, but I know the ropes. We probably didn’t talk about it much, but my dad was pretty well known in Seattle society. He used to run an aerospace engineering business. He made good money and then sold it. I attended plenty of events like this for his business. Might not be my personality, but then I wouldn’t say it was yours either. Just means we can play the game when we need to.”
Tess contemplated his answer. “I guess it isn’t my personality. It’s part of what I do, but it’s not the reason I do it. I like that my work matters. I may just be the one that sets the stage, but the money I help raise goes to things that matter. That means a lot to me. And it also means…this,” she said gesturing toward the crowded room.
Nathan followed her gesture and turned back to her, his eyes steady on hers, a small smile at the corners of his mouth. “I like seeing this side of you. It doesn’t surprise me one bit to hear that you’re amazing at it…” he paused, his gaze shuttering as he stepped closer. Tess felt a hand on her arm. She turned to find Chad stepping to her side from behind. Instantly, nausea welled and anxiety blossomed.
“Tess, you got here early,” Chad said smoothly, not appearing to have noticed Nathan. Chad leaned down and gave her a kiss on her cheek.
Tess felt Nathan slide his arm around her
waist. Chad gave her a questioning glance.
Trying to quell the sick feeling she felt, Tess called upon the manners that had been drilled into her. “Chad, this is Nathan,” she said. “He came with me tonight.”
Chad’s gaze was flat, his eyes calculating. He nodded tightly. “I’m Chad.” Markedly, he didn’t reach to shake Nathan’s hand, but then Nathan didn’t extend his hand either.
Nathan nodded. “As Tess said, I’m Nathan.”
Tess forced a polite smile during a long moment of silence. After looking out across the crowd, Chad turned to look at Tess.
“Didn’t know you were coming with anyone tonight,” he stated, a sharp edge to his tone.
Tess toyed with one of her earrings and tried to keep her breathing slow. Nathan’s voice caused her to jump a little.
“Tess and I met when she was on vacation in Alaska. Decided to surprise her with a visit. Just happened to be this weekend,” Nathan said, his hand squeezing her hip.
Chad nodded, his expression remaining flat. “How long will you be here?” he asked.
Nathan smiled widely and leaned over to kiss the side of Tess’s neck—a blatant move to make a point. Tess couldn’t help the heated shiver that raced through her at his kiss. He caught her eyes as he lifted his head and winked. “Depends,” Nathan replied, looking back to Chad.
Chad was silent for a moment, his jaw clenched. He turned to Tess. “I expect your date here won’t interfere with our work.”
Tess choked back a laugh. Her anxiety was turning her giddy. Hearing Chad describe what he was doing as ‘work’ was ridiculous. As she pondered what to say, Chad continued, directing his words to Nathan. “I handle the accounts for the hospital, so we coordinate on projects when she handles fundraising for us. She needs to take some time tonight to work the crowd with me.”
Chad’s arrogance floored Tess. What was funny a moment ago was infuriating. But—she knew damn well she needed to do what she could not to make Chad suspicious. With Simon and the bank close to making a move, it was best if Chad thought she was going along with his plan. She swallowed her anger and forced a smile.
“Nathan knows I’m here on business,” she said.
Tess sensed Nathan’s tension, but yet again, his smooth social skills masked whatever he might be feeling. Nathan looked down at her, his eyes silently conveying his anger along with the understanding that he knew they had to get through this charade for now. Looking back to Chad, Nathan said, “Oh yeah, Tess made sure I knew part of tonight was business for her.” He surreptitiously caressed her bottom through the thin green silk of her dress as his hand slid away from her waist. “How ‘bout you two take care of business for a bit while I get us some drinks?”
Tess immediately missed the warmth and strength of Nathan’s arm around her waist. Much as she wanted to do anything but, she smiled politely towards Chad and stepped to his side. She carefully avoided getting close enough for him to touch her. With Nathan present, Chad seemed inclined to allow her the distance. Glancing back to Nathan, she saw that he’d locked his gaze back on Chad, his eyes dark. When Tess cleared her throat, Nathan’s eyes shifted to her. “See you in say, fifteen minutes?”
Tess nodded. “Sounds good.”
Nathan lifted his chin and nodded. “Meet you at our table. I’ll make sure to find a glass of Pinot Noir, seeing as that’s your favorite.”
Tess knew Nathan said that to make his familiarity of her known to Chad. She bit back a smile. There would have been times when his blatant territorial marking would have irritated her. Now wasn’t one of those times. Nathan’s possessiveness would buoy her through this first round of social charades with Chad.
The next fifteen minutes weren’t quite as hellish as Tess would have expected had she been here alone and absent the knowledge of Simon’s behind the scenes work to pull the cover off of Chad. As well as she knew most of this crowd, all she had to do was keep her manners turned on high and work the Southern charm that had been steeped into her. The painful part was coming face to face with how wrong she’d been about Chad. Watching him work the crowd illuminated how shallow and superficial he was. The excuses she’d made for him in the two years they’d been together seemed flimsy now. She’d told herself over and over that Chad only came across the way he did because of his insecurities, that he was a good guy underneath that. Witnessing him tonight, every lie she’d told herself about him cracked under the brittle façade.
Tess made small talk as she stood with Chad in a group that included some of the biggest donors for the golf tournament. As Chad schmoozed with the owner of a regional car dealership, Tess felt a tap on her shoulder. Glancing over, she saw the wife of the same car dealer tilt her head slightly, gesturing for Tess to step back from the center of the group.
Gauging that Chad was occupied in his current conversation, Tess took a few steps away to stand beside Theresa Stephens. Theresa’s husband, John Stephens, headed up a business that ran car dealerships in most of eastern North Carolina, while Theresa was a respected pediatrician and an excellent contact when Tess needed to get fundraising campaigns started. Theresa had short blonde hair in a sleek cut that hugged her scalp. She was petite with dark brown eyes that held a twinkle and dressed in bright colors. This evening she wore a wine colored sheath paired with dangly gold bracelets and matching earrings. She radiated intelligence and warmth. Theresa was committed to a number of charitable causes, particularly those related to public health. Tess had known Theresa and John for years and considered them personal friends, in addition to their professional relationship.
As Tess stepped to Theresa’s side, she saw Theresa carefully look around before turning to Tess.
“Tess, hon, since we’re in a crowd here, I’m going to get right to it. For one, what are you doing here with Chad?” Theresa asked, her voice low and her tone matter-of-fact.
The wheels in Tess’s mind spun. Tess contemplated how to answer what she was doing with Chad, and while she couldn’t tell the whole story, she didn’t want anyone to think she was back together with Chad. “I’m not here with him. We’re not back together or anything. I guess…” Tess’s voice trailed off as she tried to figure out how to explain.
Theresa gave her a pointed look and leaned closer, keeping her voice low. “If you’re not back together - and let me just say I’m more than a little relieved to hear you’re not - then why are you traipsing around with him?”
Tess knew it would be obvious to Theresa if Tess tried to make it seem like she was friendly with Chad, so she abandoned that and gave her the partial truth. “It’s complicated, Theresa. I can’t really explain it here. I’m trying not to make waves and Chad wanted me to work the crowd with him, so…”
Theresa nodded firmly. “Right. He’s trying to use you to grease the social wheels for him. Figures,” she said pointedly.
Tess looked toward Chad, he was still deep in conversation with John who was nodding politely but looked distant. Chad, of course, didn’t seem to notice that John wasn’t too interested in their conversation. She looked back into Theresa’s warm brown eyes. With a twist of her lips, she replied, “Yeah, that’s one way to put it. What do you know, Theresa? Maybe you could fill in a few blanks for me.”
Theresa leaned in again, her voice dropping further. “I don’t have all the details. John’s heard rumors that some irregularities came up in the accounts that Chad manages. It started with the hospital, but now the accounting firm is auditing all of Chad’s accounts. Sounds like Chad may have caught wind of the concerns at the hospital, but he has no idea the firm is auditing everything. I was worried you were back together with him when I saw you two a few minutes ago. Thank god you’re not.”
Tess took a slow breath. Knowing that it looked like Chad was illegally funneling money from hospital accounts had been bad enough, but to hear that it was possible he’d done this with other accounts made her feel even sicker. Another breath and she turned back to Theresa. “Simon loo
ked into the hospital thing, but I had no idea there were others. That’s the only reason I’m playing nice with Chad right now. Simon and the bank are working on a plan to freeze the account that Chad has been using to funnel money from the hospital and notify the DA’s office at the same time. But dear god, if Chad is pulling this with multiple accounts, I need to talk to Simon. Maybe he can get in touch with the firm where Chad works.”
Theresa’s eyes took on a determined glint. She took a sip of the wine she held and glanced toward Chad and John. “I feel better. You’re not clueless and Simon’s on it. I agree, call Simon ASAP. They need to coordinate anything with the firm. As for you, this must be hell,” she said, gesturing toward Chad and around the crowd.
“That’s one way to put it. I’m just trying to play nice. I should let you know though…” she paused and couldn’t hold back her smile “…I actually came with someone else tonight. He knows what’s up with Chad.”
Theresa’s eyebrows arched. “Really? Do tell.”
Tess blushed. “It’s a guy I met in Alaska, Nathan Winters. The whole thing took me off guard. Things were pretty intense, but I chalked it up to a vacation fling. Then he surprised me with a visit. Simon called him.” Tess paused and shook her head. “I won’t pretend it doesn’t annoy me to have Simon interfere, but I’m glad Nathan’s here. Chad isn’t too pleased about it because he can’t pretend we’re together, but whatever.”
Theresa smiled broadly and slipped her hand through in the crook of Tess’s elbow, giving Tess’s arm a squeeze. “Oh hon, you deserve someone good. And if he flew all the way from Alaska to visit you, then I want to meet him. Where is he?”