Now on a schedule, her little charge yawned at exactly nine o’clock. Skylar found an upholstered chair in the hall and sat down with her. It wasn’t long before Addison passed out in her arms.
Skylar was getting tired as well, so she didn’t mind sitting in the shadows and watching the people go by. It was the first time she truly rested in two weeks. No dinner to make, no lesson to plan, and no books to study. She was officially off the hook and able to relax, which she did, for the next two hours.
As the party cleared out and the DJ played the last song, the hallway clogged with guests waiting at the coat check for their items. Valets fetched cars and vendors packed up.
Erin didn’t see her sitting off to the side, but Skylar definitely saw her as she slipped her number to a man. The man leaned close, whispered something in her ear, and for the first time ever, Skylar saw the woman smile.
She no longer believed the woman had something going on with Rhett. Mainly because Rhett said he was unattached, but also because she didn’t believe he was the sort to kiss other women while in a relationship—casual or otherwise.
But she still believed Erin wished there was something there. Not only was she overly protective and territorial around him, the PA shamelessly flirted with him at every opportunity. She also worked hard to leave the impression that no one knew Rhett as well as she did. But the truth was, everything Erin told her about Rhett didn’t add up to the man Skylar knew.
Either the woman was misinformed or the man was pretending to be someone he wasn’t. Skylar didn’t care about proving Erin wrong, but she did care about revealing the real Rhett Buchanan.
When the crowd thinned and most of the guests were gone, only the staff and those on the mayor’s payroll remained. Erin shifted into her coat, finally noticing Skylar and Addison sitting in the corner.
“You’re still here?”
Where would she have gone? “We’ve been enjoying the music.”
She frowned. “It’s past Addison’s bedtime.”
The woman truly treated her like the worst nanny in the world. “She’s fine. She’s been sleeping for the last hour and a half.”
Erin rolled her eyes. “Here comes Rhett, now.” She crossed the hall—likely to tell on her—and said something to their boss.
His gaze lifted, connected with Skylar’s, and his eyes widened. Then he scowled.
Doubt knifed through Skylar. Maybe Erin did know him better. He looked shocked to see they were still there. With a swish of her hips, the PA pivoted and walked out of the hall, smirking with her nose held high as she passed.
Skylar couldn’t believe it. The woman actually tattled on her. What a little snitch. And now her boss was stalking toward her, face drawn with a frown.
“How long have you been sitting here?”
“A little over an hour. It’s fine. Addison fell asleep and I didn’t want to disturb her.”
His lips pressed into a thin line and he bent down to collect his daughter in his arms.
The absence of Addison’s weight left Skylar feeling a little numb and off balance. She stood and brushed the wrinkles out of her dress.
Rhett watched her and his frown deepened. “I thought you two left a while ago.”
“You were busy.”
He glanced at the empty coat check closet. The attendant had left and only a few garments remained. “Do you mind fetching the coats?”
“Of course.” She lifted the trap door and retrieved their items.
Once she had her coat on, she draped Addison’s over her little, sleeping body and hesitated, unsure what to do with Rhett’s. “Um…” Should she put it over his shoulders?
“Can you carry it for me?”
“Sure.” The material was heavy wool and the lining smelled like his cologne. She might have taken a few extra breaths when he wasn’t looking.
She followed him out of the hall. Her little car and a black limo idled by the curb, all the other vehicles were gone. The limo driver opened the door and he set Addison inside. “You next.”
“Oh, my car’s right—”
“The roads are a sheet of ice. We can get it in the morning. In you go.”
She hesitated a moment, but he pressed a firm hand on her bare shoulder and she immediately obeyed. When he touched her, no matter how casually, her body turned into absolute mush.
The valet returned her car to the lot as soon as Rhett waved him off.
Slipping into the warm limousine, she pulled Addison onto her lap like a shield. Rhett used the other door, and once the chauffeur put the car in gear, they rode in silence.
If he was upset with her, she wished he would just come out and say it. She didn’t come from a family that stewed silently. Both sides of her family liked to air their grievances and move on.