library. And she owns half the rental properties in town.” Ella clicked her tongue. “C’mon, Dash. You’ve heard of the Pontices of Silver Valley.”
“Oh. Sure.” The old-money family had settled half of Silver Valley, the next town over. He’d never met any of them, though. Wouldn’t know what to say if he did.
“She was in the salon this afternoon. She’s single. And very interested in getting to know you better. She’s the biggest donor of the event.” There was no mistaking the syrupy suggestion in Ella’s voice. Take a millionaire to the dance and you might get something out of it.
“Thanks, but I already have someone in mind,” he said without thinking.
“Oh. Really? Well, your loss, then,” Ella said brightly, and hung up before he could say goodbye.
“Dare I ask what that was all about?” Sienna said as she finished her beer.
Dash grunted and ran one hand over his hair. “I made a donation to a fundraiser over in Silver Valley next weekend. There’s a dinner and a dance. And donors are kind of expected to show up.”
“I’m guessing that’s not really your thing?”
“Not in the least.” He paused for a second and hoped she wouldn’t laugh at him for asking. “You want to go and keep me company?”
She didn’t answer at first, and he wondered if he’d crossed a line. She fussed with a loose thread in her jeans and tucked her hair behind one ear. Finally she looked at him and smiled, and everything else in his world went away. “I’d love to.”
Chapter Nineteen
Though she thought about it all weekend, Sienna tried not to read too much into Dash’s invitation. Obviously he didn’t want to go to the fundraiser. They’d probably stay a couple hours at most, clutching watered-down drinks and making small talk with people neither of them knew well. Still, the last time she’d dressed up was for her senior formal in college. She couldn’t wait to put up her hair and do something more with her makeup than mascara and lip gloss on her way out the door.
Maybe she could also make a little progress in crossing off one particular item on her to-do list. Going to a dinner and a dance together might turn into something more, right? Something in the bedroom. The thought sent her nerves into overdrive.
“New technique today,” he told her Tuesday afternoon. They hadn’t trained in over a week, and she felt rusty and slow on her feet. They practiced the moves she already knew, but she kept stumbling and making careless mistakes, until finally he stopped her.
“Hey, what’s wrong?”
“I’m sorry. I don’t know.” She looked at her hands. “I think I’m a little preoccupied. It’s been a while since anyone’s asked me on a date.”
“A date?” His brows lifted. “Oh. Is this about the fundraiser?” His voice went gruff. “Didn’t mean to put you on the spot. We can cancel if you want.”
That’s the last thing I want. She wiped her hands on her shorts and took a long drink of water. “No, I want to go.”
“Ella dropped off the tickets this morning,” he said. “Do you want yours?”
“Does that mean I’m meeting you there?” Her hopes dropped. Maybe he really did see her as a friend and nothing more. Usually people drove to these things together, didn’t they?
“No, I didn’t mean...that would be...I’ll drive you.” He turned red. “Take you there. Pick you up. Whatever.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I sound like an idiot, don’t I?”
You sound like I feel, she thought. Like we’re negotiating this just-be-friends thing without a clue of what we’re doing. “What time does it start?”
“It’s Saturday at...eight? I think?”
“Then you can pick me up at seven-thirty.”
“You’re going to a fundraiser with him?” Max asked later that evening. This time she wasn’t in her favorite British pub, Sienna noted, but her apartment. Sienna could see Nate and Autumn in the background, putting together a puzzle at the kitchen table. At the question, Nate looked over and gave a thumbs-up.
“Just as friends. He needed a date and I was sitting there, so he asked me.”
“You were sitting where? At the gym?”
Sienna flushed and realized her mistake. “Ah, no. I took some food over to his place last Friday.”
“Seriously? Like a date?”
Autumn looked over. “What’s a date?” she asked in her cute little-girl voice.
“Could we possibly have this conversation somewhere else?” Sienna asked.
Max chuckled but carried the iPad outside and sat on the front steps. Behind her, Sienna could see a street filled