other hand, had gelled his blond-brown hair, which made it look darker than usual. He wore a tuxedo that fit perfectly, and somehow, even the bow tie looked sexy on him.
Hayle was grinning, and Tristin’s expression was almost blank, though I thought I detected a hint of hunger in his gaze as it tracked over me. Or maybe that was just wishful—and totally inappropriate—thinking on my part. The idea that he wanted what he could no longer have made me a little too giddy for my liking.
“Hello, ladies,” Hayle said, offering his arm to Petra. “You both look exceptionally beautiful this evening.”
“Why, thank you.” She slid her arm through his and smiled up at him. And that poke at my rib cage definitely wasn’t jealousy. It had to be because this gown was so damn tight.
Tristin stopped a good two feet away from me and looked as though he didn’t dare touch me for fear of contracting some new, highly contagious virus from proximity to me alone. “That dress suits you.”
That. Dress. Suits. You.
I repeated the words in my head several times, trying to interpret their meaning. It didn’t sound like a dig, so I would take solace in that. But I wasn’t sure it was much of a compliment either.
“Thank you. And that tuxedo suits you.” I turned to smile at Hayle. “And you look great.”
Before he could reply, Petra said, “Well, that wasn’t stilted or awkward at all. Congratulations.”
Hayle snickered behind his hand. When I glared at him, he shrugged. “What? She does have a point.”
Yeah, okay, maybe. But that didn’t mean she had to voice it.
“Maybe we should find our seats,” Tristin suggested without a flicker of emotion.
This was going to be such a fun night.
The guys had already checked our table number, so it took almost no time to hunt it down. We were positioned toward the front but off to one side, giving the impression that we were valued guests without being the most important people in the room.
Petra plucked her name card off the pristine white tablecloth and quickly switched it with Hayle’s, putting her next to me. When Hayle let out a huff, she smiled sweetly at him. “Bestie prerogative.”
As Tristin took the chair on the other side of me, I half-wished she could have moved him as well. Dressing up, pretending to be someone I wasn’t, made this evening difficult enough already. I didn’t particularly want to deal with “the stoic one” as well. Especially while he looked so jaw-droppingly handsome.
From my seat, I searched for Leo once again. It didn’t take long to spot his tall form on the opposite side of the room, pulling a chair out for his pretty, blonde date. I’d assumed that he would be at the same table as us, but maybe this was for the best. I didn’t know if I could handle acting like tonight’s ridiculous façade was normal.
Expecting him to search me out as well, I kept my gaze locked on him, waiting. But he merely sat down next to the blonde and leaned in close to talk to her.
My stomach roiled, and I compelled myself to look away. The Harbor U football team had two more wins under their belt because of whatever deal Vincent had made. I could handle one evening of seeing my boyfriend with another girl.
Except, I didn’t actually want to see it, so I just wouldn’t look.
Simple enough.
If I’d ever doubted that Petra was destined to be my “bestie,” she smashed all of those doubts to smithereens over the next hour. Somehow, she managed to entertain the entire table just by being her interested, effervescent self. Hayle laughed more than I’d ever seen, and I even caught Tristin cracking a smile or two.
By the time some kind of fancy chocolate mousse towers arrived for dessert, I’d almost forgotten about my lingering annoyance with Tristin, my on-again-off-again awkwardness with Hayle, and my boyfriend’s presence across the room.
Almost.
After an inspiring speech by the director of the Moss Harbor Children’s Foundation—minus the part where she waxed poetic about Vincent’s generosity—a live orchestra began playing music, and a few couples made their way onto the dance floor. Hayle led Petra away, leaving me with my least favorite of the Sharpe brothers.
Silence descended, and I couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or not. There were so many things left unsaid between us, but I couldn’t help but wonder if that was for the best.
When the words, “do you want to” fell