palms touched, I didn’t want to let go. “And you are?”
“Vera,” I said, looking away so as not to be hypnotized by his gaze. “Vera Ray.”
He gestured to a pair of wingback chairs near a crackling fireplace to our right. “Care to sit down?”
I looked at Caroline for approval, but she was too consumed in conversation with Charles’s friend to notice. “Of course,” I said nervously. The only men I’d associated with were of the working-class variety. This man’s suit and unmarred hands told me he was of an entirely different breed. I worried that upon close inspection he’d find me unsuitable. I appreciated the dimly lit room, where the shabbiness of my dress and the scuffs on my shoes weren’t as obvious.
“Some party,” he said, looking around the room.
“Yes, indeed,” I replied, clutching my purse tightly.
He peered at me for an uncomfortably long moment. “You know,” he said, “I don’t think I’ve seen you around before. You weren’t at the art museum event last month, were you?”
“No,” I said nervously.
Charles looked satisfied. “Well, you didn’t miss much. It was quite dull.” He leaned in closer to me. “Can you keep a secret?”
I nodded hesitantly.
“I hate these functions. My father insisted that I attend.”
“My friend insisted that I attend,” I said with a smile.
Charles sank his chin in his hand and grinned. “Well, aren’t we a pair?”
My cheeks warmed.
He pushed a lock of hair from his forehead. “Truth is, I’d rather be anywhere but here.” He pointed to a man about his age wiping a table in the distance. “I envy him.”
I gave him a disbelieving look. “Why?”
“Because he’s free,” he said simply.
“And you’re not?”
Charles tugged on the collar of his crisply pressed shirt as if it were a manacle. “Not really. I’m expected to play a role.”
“Well,” I said, “with all due respect, a lot of people would kill to be in your position.”
“And they’d soon realize it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.” He sighed. “I’d rather be a farmer.”
“You? A farmer?”
His eyes brightened. “I’d grow corn, so I could get lost in it. Did you know that in California they grow corn mazes—big stalks as tall as me spread out as far as the eye can see?”
I shook my head.
“Well, that’s what I’d do, anyway,” he said, “if I could choose another life. And you?” His eyes sparkled with sincerity. “Are you happy?”
I smoothed my dress self-consciously. Can he see through me? Does he know I don’t belong here? “Why wouldn’t I be?” I said a little more defensively that I’d intended.
A band began playing soft music, and a few couples rose from their chairs and began walking to the dance floor. He looked at me shyly. “Let’s dance.”
My heart raced. Dance? Me? I shook my head. “I’m sorry, I’m afraid not.”
“Oh,” Charles replied, injured. “I promise, I won’t bite.”
I looked away, trying to think of an excuse. “No, no, it’s just that, well…”
“Tell me,” he said tenderly. “What are you afraid of? No, let me guess. You’re engaged to be married?” He placed his hand on his heart dramatically, as if Cupid had just shot an arrow right through the lapel of his suit jacket.
“No,” I said, smiling despite myself. “It’s just that I…can’t.”
“You can’t what?”
“I can’t dance,” I whispered.
Charles looked amused. “Oh, is that all?” He reached for my hand. “Come on. I’ll teach you.”
My heart raced as he led me to the freshly waxed parquet floor. I looked around at the couples moving graciously, elegantly around us. I could jitterbug, but this? I was out of my element.
Charles placed my left hand on his shoulder and took my right hand in his, positioning my body so close to his that I felt the warmth radiating from his suit jacket. “This is a waltz,” he said. “It’s easy. Just follow me.”
In minutes, I caught on, and I followed Charles’s lead around the dance floor. He guided me with such precision, he made up for my lack of dancing prowess.
“You’re a natural,” he said, smiling at me with his warm green eyes.
I grinned, looking away. “Well, I have you to thank for that.”
He eyed me curiously, determined to continue the conversation. “Tell me, Miss Ray, who are your family? I don’t recognize the Ray name. Is your father in real estate?”
I freed my hand from his and suddenly stopped dancing. “I really must go.”
“I’m sorry,” he said. “Did I say something wrong?”
I glanced over to where I thought Caroline was, but couldn’t see her in