“I told you this party was going to be amazing,” the woman said. She was wearing a silver outfit that was far too small for her body.
“It’s not at all what I expected,” the man said back. “It’s so extravagant. I feel like a celebrity.”
“You see. I told you that if you stuck with me, I’d take you to nice places.”
“You weren’t lying. Here comes the champagne. Quick, grab one before someone else takes them.”
I looked at Eliza and grinned. “You see? People love it. I heard someone earlier saying that it was the best party that she’d ever been to.”
“Really?” she said. Her face was flushed with delight.
“Really. So you don’t need to worry. There’s nothing else to do now except have a good time. You’ve done your part.”
“Thank you. Are you having a good time?” she asked.
“Of course I am,” I lied. “I’m with you.”
“I’m sorry it’s a bit boring,” she said.
“No, it’s not,” I lied. “And we’ve still got our big costume change to look forward to later,” I said and pointed to her handbag.
She giggled. “Oh yeah, that’s true. These shoes are already driving me mad. Okay, so I think it’s time for some champagne. What do you think?”
What I thought was that alcohol was the only thing that would make this party okay. Thankfully, Eliza seemed too nervous and too distracted by the fact that she was there to make sure that everything was okay to truly notice how much I hated the party. I nodded. “I’d love some.”
Eliza grabbed two glasses when one of the waiters walked by and handed one to me. I’d never been much of a champagne drinker, but the cool, bubbly liquid felt good down my throat. I immediately felt better.
“Oh, there’s John. Listen, I need to go talk to him about something work-related real quick. Mind being alone for a while? I won’t be long.”
“Of course. It’s your work thing; you must do whatever you need to do. Seriously, I’m fine by myself.”
She smiled, leaned in to kiss me on the lips, and then walked away. I immediately grabbed another glass of champagne. The problem with champagne was that the glasses were always so small.
So far, Eliza had stayed with me. This was nice of her because it was obvious that I had no business being in a party like this. It was too glitz and glamor for me. I was used to hanging out with guys and bikes, where if the conversation got stilted, we could just turn it to our motorcycles. Here it felt as if there were nowhere to hide. And everyone seemed too fake and too smiley for my liking. But I hadn’t minded so much with Eliza next to me. She made every situation better.
Suddenly I spotted someone from my club. It was Rusty, an older man I had known for years. He caught my eye at the same time, and we both looked at each other in horror. He clearly didn’t want anyone knowing that he was the party, and neither did I. He glanced at his wife next to him, and shrugged at me as if to say that he had no say in the matter. And I smiled back. It was clear that after this we were both going to pretend as if it didn’t happen. But seeing him there had made me feel slightly better.
I drank my champagne and looked around the room, trying not to feel too self-conscious in the sea of strangers. I had to keep reminding myself that they didn’t care who I was and that Eliza would be back soon. Having something to hold in my hand helped, but I still felt the eyes on me. Even though I was wearing a suit and tie. Even though I knew that all my tattoos were completely covered up. I still felt as if they knew. That they could tell that underneath it all, I didn’t belong.
I shook my head to clear the thoughts and wondered where Eliza had gone to. And then I saw her. She was standing with John and Mae, talking animatedly. I assumed she was talking about the party because she was beaming from ear to ear. I watched her for a while. For the first time, I could look at her without her knowing, and I didn’t dare look away. Who was this girl? Two months ago, she hadn’t even been in my life. Now, I’d spent almost every day with her for the past week. I knew so much about her, and she knew so much about me. But it felt as if it had happened in just a blink of an eye. She was the most beautiful and realest girl I had ever met. I loved the fact that I was the only one that knew that she had sneakers in her handbag. Nobody would ever guess that this gorgeous, elegant girl in blue was carrying sneakers around. The thought made me laugh. I took another sip of my champagne. And when I turned back to look at her, she was looking right at me. She grinned, and I smiled back.
And in that instant, I knew I was falling in love with her.
Chapter Thirty
Eliza
The party was a hit. I’d been worried that it was going to be stiff. But we’d provided enough entertainment, enough food, and certainly enough alcohol to make sure that it didn’t happen. I’d left Ian with some friend of his from the club to visit the bathroom, and on the way back I’d bumped into Mae and John. The two of them looked great together, just like a couple. I couldn’t wait to pull Mae aside and ask if anything had happened between the two of them. So far, it didn’t look like they had said anything to each other. But there was clear flirtation going on, and they were both verging on just tipsy enough to tell each other the truth.
“Eliza, this party is great!” John said as I walked up to them.
“Isn’t it?” I said looking around. “I’m so pleased. Even though I knew that everything was going to be fine, I still couldn’t help but worry.”
“You girls did a wonderful job. But I knew that you would. You’re meant for this. And, I spoke to the client, and she is overjoyed at it all. She said that she’s going to be coming to us for all her parties. And let me tell you, she’s the sort of woman that throws a lot of them. She does this big one once a year, and a few smaller ones throughout the year. She likes to be the center of attention.”
Mae grinned. “And we love her being the center of attention. It’s good for our business, at least.”
“Oh yeah. I’m more than happy to cater to her needs if it means throwing more parties for her.”
“So, here’s the deal,” John said. “You girls work on all the big projects together. And you do the smaller ones by yourself. Deal?”
“DEAL!” both Mae and I said at the same time, and John laughed.
“Also, if we manage to secure more business from her, then we’re going to need more staff. Paul is great with the computer stuff, but he’s not a party planner.”
“Ah, but it’s so nice just being Eliza and me,” Mae said.
“Well, I was thinking more along the lines of both of you getting assistants. Maybe they can come in half days, or a few times a week or something. They can do the admin work while the two of you concentrate on the parties.”
“I’m going to get an assistant?” I said in shock. I’d only just started working for them.
John smiled. “Yeah, I’m going to think about it. I think it’s a good idea, though. I want us to be the number one party-planning company in Arizona.”
Mae looked around. “I think we might already be that.”
“I think you might be right. Anyway, I’m going to get a drink. I’ll be right back,” John said and walked off.
I raised my eyebrows at Mae as he walked off. “So? What’s happening with the two of you? You both seem very close tonight.”
She giggled. “Nothing is happening, but we’ve definitely gotten closer. I think he likes me.”
“Finally! All this time you’ve told me that you like him. This is the first time that you’re admitting that he likes you, too. And I agree. The man adores you.”
“Adores. That’s a nice word. Well, for the first time I really believe he might like me. We’ve been flirting all night. I just hope he makes his move.”
“You’re not going to?” I asked.
“I might have to. But I’d prefer not to. He’s my boss. I want him to make the first move.”
“Tell me that by the end of the night, if he doesn’t make a move, that
you will. Promise me that.”
“Fine, I promise. One more glass of champagne and I’ll probably just tell him, anyway. So, how are things going with Ian? I see he’s met someone he knows.”
“From the club; can you believe? They’re probably both mortified to be here.”
“That’s hilarious. Well, he sure cleans up well. He looks good like that.”
I looked over at Ian in his dark suit and blue tie and smiled. “Yeah. He looks amazing. I prefer him in his usual clothes, but he definitely pulls this one off.”
“And he’s wearing a blue tie to match your dress. That’s so sweet.”
I smiled. I didn’t want to tell her that he’d chosen a tie to match my eyes. I wanted to keep that bit of information to myself. It felt too precious to just hand out to other people.
“He’s a sweet man.”
“Eliza!”
I turned to look at Mae. “What?”
“You’re falling for him,” she said.
“What? No, I’m not. I’m . . . .”
“You’re falling for him,” she said again. “Do you know that I was speaking to you then?”
“What do you mean?”
She laughed. “You told me that he was sweet. After that, I started asking you more about what he did, and how you were feeling about everything now. And you completely ignored me. I looked at you, and you were just staring at him. Did you honestly not hear me?”
“Really? You said all that?”
She chuckled. “Now will you admit that you’re falling for him?”
I looked at Ian again and sighed. Was I? He looked so handsome standing there talking to his friend. And I knew that he didn’t want to be there. He hated parties like this. But he had done it for me. He’d worn a blue tie for me. For me.
“Hello! Earth to Eliza! You’re doing it again!”
I snapped out of it and looked at her. “Oops. Oh man, I think you might be right, Mae. Do you think he feels the same? Do you think that I’m moving too fast? I really didn’t want to get into a relationship.”
“Sometimes you just can’t stop fate from stepping in. I wouldn’t worry. Just keep doing what you’re doing. And yeah, I think he most definitely feels the same. The guy put a suit on for you.”
I grinned at her. “Yeah. He did. Okay, I better go save him. Here comes John too.”
I walked over to Ian and pretended like I had something to show him.
“Sorry to pull you away, I just need you down there.”
“Oh, no problem. Well, I’ll see you later,” Ian said to his friend and followed me. “What do you need to show me?” he asked.
“Oh, nothing. I just thought that you might need saving.”
Ian grinned. “Thank you. I did. I can’t believe I bumped into someone from the club here. He said he’s here for his wife.”
I chuckled. “Don’t worry. I have a feeling he won’t tell any of the other guys that he saw you. That would only be admitting that he was here too.”
“Yeah, that’s true. Although, I don’t really care, to be honest.”
I smiled. He did care. Sometimes I thought he cared too much. “I owe you, Ian,” I said. “Next time I’ll do something that you want to do.”
“Oh, what I want to do involves no clothes,” he said and bit his lip.
“I swear, if we weren’t at a public event now, I’d totally let that happen. By the way, you’re a big hit tonight.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve had a lot of people come up to me and tell me how handsome and nice you are.”
He laughed. “You have?”
“Oh yeah. You see, you’re not as bad at this whole being in a crowd of people thing as you think you are.”
“I don’t know. I mean, these stupid pants don’t even have real pockets. At least with my jeans, I knew what to do with my hands.”
I smiled at him. “Well, did you see me hobbling along in my heels? I almost fell at one point. Then I grabbed onto the man next to me, and it happened to be a waiter carrying a tray of champagne. Thankfully, he happened to be very good at finding his balance. But that could’ve turned out very badly.”
Ian laughed. “Okay, that does actually make me feel better. So, when are you ditching your shoes?”
“How about right now?” I said.
I sat down on a nearby chair and took them off. I put on my sneakers, stood up, and sighed with relief. “Ah, that is so much better.”
Ian did the same with his jacket and tie. Only he didn’t put the biker jacket back on. He said it was too hot, and he’d rather just walk around with only his shirt on. I noticed a few of the other men doing the same when they caught him doing it. Ian had a presence about him that was larger than life, and he was more influential than he realized.
“So, do you want to dance?” I said and saw him groan.
“Oh, now you’re asking for too much,” he said.
“How about we make out in the coat room instead?”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah, come on.” I took his hand and took him to the coat room. It was the size of my bedroom at home, and it was filled with jackets and coats from the guests. I figured we still had at least forty minutes before any of the guests decided to leave. I pushed him into the corner, against a soft fur coat, and kissed him.
We stayed there for about twenty minutes and only left because we were getting a bit too carried away. As much as I didn’t want to stop, I couldn’t exactly let someone catch the party planner making out in the cloak room. John was a lovely man, but I didn’t think he would forgive something like that. We chuckled like teenagers as we hurried out.
“Right, I think we should leave. I have a sudden urgency to get home,” I said.
His eyes brightened. “Really?”
“Oh yeah. Your duty here is done! And I have a lot to thank you for.”
He took my arm and the two of us walked outside. I thought about saying goodbye to Mae but when I had gone to look for her, she was talking to John, and the two of them looked as if they wouldn’t want to be interrupted.
“Ah, I left my bag inside,” I said suddenly. “Let me go and get it.”
“No, I’ll get it for you. Do you know where it is?”
“Yeah, I must’ve left it in that seat when I was changing my shoes. Are you sure?”
“Of course. I’ll be right back.”
I smiled as I watched him run back into the hall for me. He’d been so nice to me all night, even though the party was not his style. I appreciated that more than he would ever know. I turned back around, looking around to see if anyone else was leaving the party, when I suddenly saw a familiar figure coming toward me.
“Raymond,” I whispered.
Chapter Thirty-One
Ian
I walked inside to look for Eliza’s bag but couldn’t find it anywhere. I started to panic as I looked around. Had someone stolen it? I started looking around frantically and then breathed a huge sigh of relief when I saw Mae at the other side of the room with it. She saw me, grinned, and held it up.
“Eliza’s bag,” she said. “I saw it sitting there and thought you guys had gone home.”
“We were about to leave. She . . . uh . . . didn’t want to interrupt you,” I said. I didn’t want Mae to think that Eliza had told me all about John. But Mae didn’t seem to mind. She just grinned.
“Good thinking,” she said. “Listen, thanks for coming tonight. It meant a lot to Eliza.”
“Really? Well, it was great. And you guys did an amazing job. I can’t believe you pulled this entire thing off so well. I think you know what your true calling in life is.”
“No wonder Eliza is always telling me how nice you are. Thank you.”
“She is?”
Mae laughed. “Oh yeah. She thinks the world of you. And I really appreciate you being there for her. Especially during this tough time.”
“Well, I can say the same about you. She loves you. Anyway, I better go. She’s
waiting outside. It was nice seeing you again, Mae.”
“You too. And hey, before you go, do you have any idea why Eliza’s heels are in this bag? I opened it to make sure it was hers. Is she walking around barefoot?”
I laughed. “Nah, she’s wearing sneakers. She brought them to change into.”
Mae burst out laughing. “That sounds like something she’d do. Okay, well, enjoy the rest of your evening,” she said and winked at me.
I could see why Eliza was such good friends with her. The two of them were very similar. I was grateful to have found the bag and quickly made my way outside. I was itching to get home and be with Eliza. The twenty minutes in the coat room had been almost too much for me to handle.
The last thing I expected to see when I walked out was a man grabbing Eliza by the arm. She jerked back, and he reached out for her again. I ran up to her.
“What’s going on?” I asked Eliza.
She looked terrified. “It’s Raymond.”
“Raymond? What the hell are you doing here?” I asked. So this was Raymond. He looked like a clean-cut California guy with teeth that were far too white and perfect. The only thing that was running through my head was smashing them to pieces.
“Excuse me? Who are you?” Raymond asked. He took a step closer to me, and I could smell the alcohol on his breath.
I stepped back and regarded him. “I’m her boyfriend. And you are not welcome here.”
Raymond looked at Eliza. “Boyfriend? Since when do you have a boyfriend? I thought I was your boyfriend? Is this why you moved to Arizona? So you can be with this guy?”
It was the first time I’d used the term boyfriend, and I wasn’t sure if it was the best time. But there was no way I was going to let this idiot think he could get away with what he was doing. And anyway, we were practically going out. We just hadn’t labeled it yet.
“No. I left California to get away from you. But I met Ian while I was here. And he’s everything that you’re not. But that doesn’t matter right now. What matters is that you came all the way here to harass me. We’re not even going out anymore. I told you that. I left you.”
Dirty Roomie_A Maxwell Family Romance Page 39