“That would be amazing, sweetheart. It’s mainly just an appearance so that I end up in the photos with the other guys from this new show. Sharolyn, I’ll be beside you practically the whole time. We will find a way to have fun.”
“Okay,” she said. She didn’t sound sure. But she said yes, and that was all that mattered.
***
Holding her hand in the back of the cab, I gave it a squeeze. She looked absolutely perfect, her blonde hair falling across her shoulder in waves, and a little black dress that showed just enough skin to be sexy, but not overly slutty like some of the women I’d seen at these things. It was disgusting how they were shamelessly cruising for a rich husband.
The second we arrived, we split a glass of wine. She told me her trick of using just a tiny bit to relax, and I wanted her to enjoy herself.
Sharolyn seemed tense as I introduced her to my brother, a few friends and their wives. It was sweet that she instantly began making small talk with the women by complementing their shoes. Then she made them laugh by complaining about how terrible winter was for women’s feet, and that it just wasn’t fair. She was obviously trying very hard, and I was the only one who could see that she was nervous.
“She’s cute,” my brother Richard said to me.
“She’s breathtaking,” I said quietly. “This is the one.”
He turned to me in shock. “Are you serious?”
“When you know you know,” I shrugged.
After a few minutes of chatting, Sharolyn took my hand, giving me a squeeze that seemed like a signal.
“Hey, sweetheart,” I said, “There are more people I need to introduce you to.”
I walked her through the main part of the ballroom, so that everyone would see us together, but then led her to the side of the bar where it was quiet. We sat down, and I held her hands in mine. “So far so good?” I asked.
She cocked her head. “I don’t belong here,” she whispered.
“Do you want to leave? If you could hang on just twenty more minutes…”
“Okay,” she said softly.
Reaching up to run my thumb along her cheekbone, I kissed her gently. She seemed to relax a bit under my touch, finally smiling up at me.
“Excuse me.” I turned to see the event photographer. “Can I get a shot of the two of you together?
”
I slipped an arm around Sharolyn, turning us both to the camera. He took a few shots, then made a quick note in a little book. “Nolan Briggs, obviously. And you are?”
“Sharolyn Cooper,” she said quietly. Her voice sounded thin, as if she were forcing herself to speak. As soon as he disappeared, she turned to me. “Why does he need my name?”
“They always do a web page to show who attended the event, which is supposed to entice people to show up for the next one,” I chuckled. “It’s just a formality.”
She nodded, and I took her hand as we did another lap of the hall. I left her with the ladies she’d been chatting with at the beginning of the night when it was time for Richard to make his announcement.
“This will be quick,” I said, giving Sharolyn a kiss on the cheek. She nodded, but I could see that her eyes were tight. “I really appreciate this, sweetheart,” I said. I didn’t like that she looked so uncomfortable. But there was nothing I could do for the moment.
CHAPTER SEVEN
* Sharolyn *
Standing against the wall, I couldn’t fall into the conversation with the other women, so I just shuffled away. But I could hear them clearly. Their comments on every finicky detail of everyone’s outfit was more mean-spirited than an amusing commentary.
Then I saw the strangely thin orange-haired woman from the photo with Nolan last year. She was wearing a bright white dress that caught every eye in the room, with so much cleavage I don’t know how she took a single step without fear that her boobs would fall out.
A woman that just had joined the group made a strange clicking noise. “Did you see what Sarah is wearing?” There was a round of nodding and murmuring. “She’s trying to get Nolan back, I’ll bet. Now that he’s going to be on TV, she’ll sink her claws in tight. You just watch.”
I’d already been forgotten, standing beside and behind them in the shadows.