"We used to work together," I tried to explain, but it sounded like such a weak excuse.
My table mate laughed. "Well, then you must know his reputation."
Irritation stiffened my spine on Rainer's behalf. "What reputation is that?" I asked.
"He's easy on the eyes but tough on the heart," the woman informed me. "I've heard him linked with at least five different one-night stands."
I frowned. "Rainer Maxwell is engaged to be married. His fiancée would thank you to leave his past in the past."
"Engaged?" The woman clasped my arm. "You mean that whole thing with Ellison Ramsey? Oh, most people just think that was a publicity stunt. After he turned down the position that was tailor-made for him, I hear she was so mad she left for Europe."
"Wait." I clasped my table mate’s arm on mine. "Are you saying that he and Ellison Ramsey are not engaged to be married?"
The woman must have seen the fevered look in my eyes because she backtracked. "Well, one never knows with these tabloid types."
"Haven't the papers announced their wedding date?"
She pried my hand off hers and edged away from me to the opposite side of her chair. "It's hard to tell what's publicity and what's real. I don't really know Mr. Maxwell. I'm just speculating for fun."
I forced a laugh and spit out some Hollywood tabloid I had seen in the market the other day. The woman smiled and nodded, but did not relax again. I excused myself to get another glass of wine. Two volunteer servers and Topher jumped to help me, but I waved them back.
The next presenters were local law enforcement giving awards to exceptional and caring community members. I forced myself to concentrate on their heartfelt and real message as I stood near the beverage table. Only by concentrating on each and every word could I stop the room from doing wild swoops in my head.
Rainer was not engaged? He was not going to marry Ellison?
Instead of letting the weight of those questions knock me over, I grabbed another glass of wine.
"Can you believe he's actually here? I mean, when I first saw him I thought I was hallucinating." A trio of women approached the beverage table.
They spoke in quiet tones as the awards speeches continued, but I could hear every word. The taller woman glanced at Rainer's table and said, "You think he's really going the charitable route or is this all a way to recover from his failed relationship with Ellison Ramsey?"
I finished my wine and got in line behind the women.
"Who cares," the first woman said. "If he's here alone, then I say he's fair game."
"Janice, he's a playboy!"
"Exactly," said Janice.
I wanted to stop them and speak out on Rainer's behalf. It was clear from their admiring glances that it was my Rainer they were looking at. I stopped myself and took a step back. My Rainer? Why did I feel it was my job to tell them they had the wrong impression of him?
Rainer's reputation, his relationship status, and even his current work situation were none of my business.
"I hear he's not even that good of a businessman. His biggest windfall was all someone else's work," Janice's friend said with a disapproving frown.
"As Rainer's colleague at Hyperion, I can assure you that is not true," I told the trio of women.
They stepped back with googly eyes and the volunteer server took that opportunity to hand me another glass of wine. "Mr. Maxwell seems very nice to me," the server said.
I raised my glass to the young volunteer and then almost spilled the entire contents down my silk sundress. "Berger! What are you doing sneaking up on me?!"
Berger didn't bother to hide his wide grin. "Just chipping away at the ice, you know," he said. He waited until the gossipy women returned to their table. "Though it seems like someone else has beaten me to it. Did I just hear you defending Rainer?"
"Are you crashing this awards dinner?" I asked Berger.
He grinned again. "I heard some of my old Hyperion cronies were in the vicinity, so I just had to stop by."
I narrowed my eyes at him but said, "It's nice to see you stateside. The last I heard you were off to Paris."