much as he’d been the guy building spectacular, elaborate floats with all the intricate posterboard flowers the krewe was known for. “I want to talk to you about this year’s floats… after I snag some of those smoked oysters and do the wobble with Margaret Ann.”
Miles’s guffaw filled the foyer. “Ah, damn, chérie. My wife’s been practicin’ that dumb thing all week. You go dance with her. Will tickle her fancy, for sure. Business can wait.” He waved at someone across the room and was gone in a blink just as Nick returned with a vodka tonic with a wedge of lime and offered it to her, clinking it with his own scotch and soda.
“I’m glad to be here with you, babe,” he said, brushing a lock of hair off her shoulder. “It’s been too long since I spent time with my Tess. I can’t even remember what we fought over.”
She lifted her eyebrows. “Really?”
Nick played dumb which unfortunately suited him. “Naw. What was it over? A silly Christmas present? Drinking too much at the Ullo holiday bash?”
“Merrill Wynn?”
“Merri?”
“You took her home and screwed her right after giving me that bracelet and talking about forever. Remember?” Tess said.
“Oh, yeah. I forgot. But you know she didn’t mean anything. I was drunk and she was all over me.”
“You don’t really believe that.”
“So I screwed up. I know that now. I’m ready to be the man you need.” He looked down at her, so earnest, so sincere, so… freaking lying between his teeth.
“We’re here as friends, Nick. That’s it.”
Nick smiled. “Sure. We’re totally friends. And if we hook up, we hook up.”
She pulled his hand from her waist and surveyed the room, wishing now she’d just come solo. Monique had urged her to bring a date, even going so far as to suggest a double date, but for some reason Tess held her off, declaring she had an appointment earlier that day. She hated lying but the thought of sitting at a table with her boss and Nick made her feel itchy.
Monique and Josh should be here by now.
Graham, too.
Her stomach did a loop-the-loop. She’d taken extra care with her appearance that evening, donning a short gold cocktail dress that clung to her hips and showed off her toned legs. The blousey crepe top showed her equally toned arms by gathering at her shoulders and dipping low to show the tops of her breasts. She wore diamond hoop earrings and her hair pulled back soft against the nape of her neck. Killer high-heeled sandals completed her look.
She’d told herself the outfit had nothing to do with Graham and everything to do with feeling confident and together—the same reason she’d brought Nick. But she lied to herself. Rubbing the satiny lotion over her body and sliding into her lacy underwear, her thoughts had been of Graham. Of the way he’d loved her, made her feel like forever was something within her grasp.
Damn it. Why couldn’t she have all she wanted, including Graham? Why was everything so hard now?
“Tess, you look lovely,” Monique said, sweeping alongside her.
“Oh.” Tess jumped at the unexpected greeting, sloshing her drink on her hand. “And you look gorgeous as always, Monique.”
Monique, clad in something short, slithery and magenta, smiled. “I see you’ve brought a date. Your taste is exquisite as always.”
Tess made introductions for her “friend” Nick, who applied his charm with a light hand. Tess’s earlier reminder about his indiscretion must have taken the wind from his sails. Wouldn’t last long. Nick was anything if not impervious to “no.”
Josh bumbled up, carrying two glasses of champagne. He handed one to his wife and turned a goofy smile on Tess. “You clean up good, girl.”
Josh wore a jaunty hat that should have looked ridiculous but somehow went perfectly with his atypically dark, somber suit. Monique rolled her eyes at her husband’s trademark joviality and got down to her trademark sharkiness. “Graham will be here looking to get chummy with Miles. I think I’ve got him in our corner, but I want you to do a little hustling. I sent him our sketches a few days ago.”
Tess smiled. “So you liked the sketches?”
Something in Monique’s eyes glittered. “I sent him the best sketches. You did well, Tess.”
Pleasure bloomed inside Tess at her boss’s vote of confidence. She’d had to work to earn the Oedipus account and obviously it had paid off. “Float sketches are like Christmas morning to Miles. He’ll get back to us soon.”
“But as added insurance, don’t be