“I’m Rick Cruzman,” he says, proffering his hand, I take it. On closer inspection, I see that he is a boy, really, just a little older than I am.
“Me neither.” I respond with a smile.
He grins, revealing a crooked front tooth. For some reason, it makes me warm to him. There is something endearing and boyish about it.
“I keep imagining that someone will come along and ask me what I’m doing on this table.” He laughs nervously.
I keep silent, I don’t want to tell him that I almost feel the same way. I look over at David. Done with his conversation, he is staring straight ahead, towards the podium. He belongs here, I can see that, with these glamorous people and their sparkling jewelry.
“What do you do?” I ask my new friend.
“Well,” His eyes light up, “your husband just acquired a new software I developed. My company is now part of Preston Corp.” he grins, “I swear he’s totally changed my life in a matter of days.”
The expression of gratitude in his eyes as they move to David and back to me fills me with pride. I remember David telling me that he was in Ashford to buy a software. I realize I have this man to thank for the fact that I met David at all. The thought makes me smile at him. “Good for you.” I say.
The speech ends, and we all applaud, stopping when someone else takes the podium. I’m trying to pay attention when I notice Rick’s eyes skip to something beyond the table and widen discernibly. I turn in the direction he’s looking to see a woman approaching our table.
The only way to describe her is extraordinarily beautiful. Her hair is a deep copper, and piled on top of her head in a mass of burnished curls. Her shoulders are slim and pale, and exposed in the scarlet dress that clings to her curves as if she was poured into it. Her only jewelry is a green stone that sits between her breasts, matching the flashing green of her eyes.
She comes straight for our table, a gloved hand lightly resting on the arm of the youngish, handsome man who is escorting her. I stiffen, watching as they take the empty seats. I recognize her from the pictures I’ve seen. Carole Banks, David’s old girlfriend. As she settles into her seat, she looks towards me, and the venom I see in her beautiful eyes almost knocks me off my seat.
I look towards David, he doesn’t seem surprised, he was expecting this, I realize, he was expecting her to be here.
“Carole!” The exclamation comes from Leon Boise. “How nice to see you again.”
She acknowledges him with a small smile. I notice that she doesn’t look at David at all. There’s more going on here than I know.
“I had forgotten to congratulate you David,” Leon continues, “I read about the attempted takeover,” he turns to Carole again. “I hear David has you to thank for retaining his control on the board.”
For the first time, Carole looks at David, her eyes absolutely poisonous, but there is something else in them, hurt, desire, I can’t say.
“Yes,” She says softly. Her voice is as beautiful as the rest of her, “I sold him the shares of his company I got when my father died.” She laughs a little, without any merriment. “Which means David Preston will always control Preston Corp.”
David’s response is a smile. “As he should, Carole,” his hand comes to rest on mine on the table, a little gesture of intimacy that’s not lost on her. “Have you met my wife?” He asks.
I actually flinch at the look she gives me. Her face tightens, but only for a second, and then her perfect mask is back in place. “No,” she says, “I don’t believe I have had the pleasure.”
The tone of her voice says it will be anything but a pleasure.
“Carole this is Sophie, my wife.” He turns to me, “this is Carole Banks.” He doesn’t offer anything more than that.
I have no idea what’s going on between her and David, but I give her a hesitant smile. I can feel her animosity towards me coming in waves, but I decide to be polite even in the face of that. “Nice to meet you.” I say.
She chuckles, and it has a mocking ring to it. “The pleasure is mine.” She replies, and takes a long sip from her glass of wine.
The second speech ends, and we applaud again. People start to get up from their tables to socialize some more, and to dance to the soft music from the orchestra. Carole is the first to leave our table, taking her companion with her.
I turn as David put a hand on my arm. “Would you like to dance?” he asks.
No, I would like to know what that was all about. But I don’t say the words, instead, I allow him to lead me out to the ballroom, where couples of different ages are moving to the live music.
“What was that?” I ask as we start to move. I learned how to dance at school, thankfully, so I don’t trip over his feet.
“What was what?” He asks, nuzzling my hair.
He is deliberately avoiding my question. “What just happened at our table, with that woman?” I insist.
He shrugs. “Carole isn’t too happy with the price she got for her shares, that’s all.”