Slow Burn (Dynasties Seven Sins #7) - Janice Maynard Page 0,53
his hand immediately. But it was too late. She had inadvertently let him know how much she cared about him. Her face heated with humiliation.
The bride and groom exited. Everyone stood up and moved toward the reception area, talking and laughing.
Nikki spoke in Jake’s direction without actually looking him in the eye. “Excuse me,” she said stiffly. “I’d like to speak to Haley Shaw.” She fled, managing not to run.
Fortunately, Haley was nearby. She had been sitting with Chase Hargrove. But Chase had moved away to chat with someone else.
“Hi, Haley,” Nikki said. “You look beautiful.”
Haley beamed. “Thanks. So do you.”
“I didn’t get a chance to say everything I wanted to the day I showed up at Black Crescent to talk to your boss.”
Haley seemed surprised. “Oh?”
“I never thanked you for all those years you’ve stood by Black Crescent. Your loyalty to Vernon and my dad. And the way you stayed to help Joshua after everything fell apart.”
Haley grimaced. “Well, I felt guilty, to be honest.”
Nikki gaped at her. “Why?”
“Because I saw both of them that morning—Vernon and your dad. And I knew something was going down. But I never said anything to anybody. And then it was too late.”
“Oh, gosh no, Haley. What could you have done? None of us had a clue what they were planning.”
“Maybe. But you should know—I stayed with Black Crescent because I loved working there, and Joshua is a great boss.”
Nikki shook her head slowly. “Life is strange. I’ve felt guilty all these years, too. I was still living at home back then. I overheard pieces of several odd phone calls. Conversations that made me uncomfortable. But I never said anything, either. I blamed myself afterward. Jake blamed me, too.”
“Well, he must have gotten over it. The way he looks at you gives me the shivers. The man is in love with you in a bad way.”
“Oh, no,” Nikki said quickly. “You’re mistaken. We’re old friends, that’s all. He asked me to be his plus-one because he’s been gone forever and doesn’t really know any women in Falling Brook.”
Haley wrinkled her nose, unconvinced. “I think you’re kidding yourself. Chase and I had our ups and downs and misunderstandings before we got engaged. Relationships are difficult. We had to learn to trust each other.”
“I didn’t know you were engaged.”
Haley held out her hand, showing off her ring. “Yep. No wedding date yet. I’m waiting to see if Josh is going to be able to find a new CEO before making plans.”
“I thought he had been interviewing candidates.”
“He has. For months. But it has to be the right fit. Look at the Lowell men over there. It’s probably what they’re talking about right now.”
The groom had separated from his bride for the moment. Sophie was surrounded by a crowd of family and friends. Joshua stood in a tight circle with Oliver and Jake. The three men were gorgeous. With both twins in dress clothes, Jake looked far more like his identical brother than usual.
“You’re probably right,” Nikki said. “I think I’ll go get some food. I skimped on lunch. And I see that your handsome fiancé is headed this way.”
Joshua, Jake and Oliver were deep in conversation when Nikki slipped past them. She picked up enough words here and there to know Haley was right. They were talking about the CEO search. Maybe the Lowells should sell Black Crescent. She wondered if any of the three had floated that idea.
Feeling somewhat out of place, Nikki picked up a plate and began filling it with appetizers. The cake would be cut later. She found a corner and sipped her champagne. The day, unlike the expensive alcohol, had gone flat. She shouldn’t have come. Things with Jake were rocky at best.
She was looking down at her glass when a deep voice startled her. “There you are.”
“Jake,” she said.
“So you do remember my name. That’s a start.”
His attempt at humor failed.
“Don’t feel like you have to entertain me,” she said. “I know you have lots of catching up to do with old friends.” Even after fifteen years, she and Jake knew many of the guests personally.
“How about a dance?” he said, taking her empty plate and glass and setting them on a nearby tray.
“I don’t think so.”
“We agreed to a truce, remember?”
His gentle smile and half-hearted grin made her stomach curl with anxiety and heartbreak. “Sure.”
He tucked her tiny beaded clutch in his jacket pocket, then took her by the hand and led her out onto the dance floor.