Not You It's Me (Boston Love #1) - Julie Johnson Page 0,104
does very little to diminish his attractiveness. “It seems there was a mix up with the tables – Phoebe and I were originally seated in the back, instead of with the rest of the family.”
“How odd,” Chase says flatly.
Brett’s grin never wavers. “As luck would have it, I spoke to the wait-staff and they were able to move around some seats, so we could all sit together on the stage. One big, happy family, right, ‘cuz?”
Chase’s jaw clenches tight. “Perfect.”
Brett’s eyes move to mine and I tense at the look in them.
“Gemma, did I mention? I had the pleasure of meeting a close friend of yours today. Ralph. Great guy — and he told me the most interesting stories about you! I’m sure my date would be fascinated to hear them, don’t you agree?”
“If we’re trading stories, I’m sure there are plenty Chase could tell the table about you.” Fake smile fixed to my lips, I turn to the man by my side, who’s barely keeping his anger in check. “Let’s go find our table, love.”
Chase nods, slips his arm around my waist, and starts to lead me away. I glance back at Phoebe, who’s still smiling happily, having totally missed the strained words I’ve just traded with her date, and wave goodbye. She seems so young, standing there next to Brett, and far too sweet for him. But as much as I’d like to grab her by the arm and scream run for the hills, while you still can! I don’t. I can’t. Not without revealing why.
And, as nice as she is, that is seriously not an option.
I push thoughts of her away and turn my attention to Chase.
“You okay?”
He nods. “You?”
I nod, too.
We’re both lying, but neither of us calls the other out on it.
He glances at me. “She’s nice.”
I nod again, this time in earnest. “Yeah.”
“Seemed like you two hit it off.”
“I wouldn’t go that far.”
“She liked you, Gemma.”
“Yeah, well, it doesn’t matter, does it? I have a distinct feeling, if she ever finds out I’m the glaring product of her father’s infidelity… she won’t like me very much at all. In fact, she’ll probably hate me, for ruining her life.”
“You don’t know that.”
I snort.
“Maybe she’ll never find out.”
“You’re kidding, right?” I roll my eyes. “This is Brett, we’re talking about. Brett. You seriously think, if he has a weapon he knows will hurt me — and you, by proxy — he won’t use it? That he’ll just shrug and say ‘bygones, cuz’ and let it slide? Come on, Chase.”
“I’m sorry, sunshine. I thought I’d be able to protect you from this. I thought I’d stopped the story.”
“You did stop it.” My hand tightens on his. “Neither of us could’ve predicted that Rat-Bastard Ralph would team up with Bat-Shit Brett.”
“I’m just sorry you’re in the middle of it.”
“Don’t be,” I say, my voice soft. “Because if I wasn’t in the middle of this, I wouldn’t be next to you. And right now, that’s the only place I want to be.”
His eyes thaw, going soft as I watch, and he bends to press a kiss against my forehead.
“Sunshine,” he whispers.
And just that one word, in his deep, rumbling voice, warms me straight to my soul.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Always
It doesn’t take long to find our table.
At the far side of the massive ballroom, where several dozen large, round tables have been set up with white linen clothes, towering floral centerpieces, and a full china dinner-service, there’s a long, rectangular table, slightly elevated on a platform, where the Croft family is seated.
Several people are already there — Brett’s mother, a dark-haired woman with ice-blue eyes; a set of cousins nobody talks to except at family shareholder meetings, and several members of the executive board. Chase leads me to the empty seats at the middle of the table, so we’re literally center-stage for all to see, and pulls out my chair.
“Just breathe,” he whispers against my hair as he settles into the seat next to mine. “Three courses. One hour. Then we’re out of here.”
It’ll be fine. I made it through five courses of canapés at Chrissy’s baby shower last month, surrounded by seventeen married women who repeatedly tried to set me up with every eligible bachelor in their phone books.
This is child’s play.
Except, that’s not really true. Because as soon as Brett and Phoebe arrive at the table, taking the two seats directly across from me and Chase… well, I’d take three hours of fending off set-ups any day of the week.