and hors d’oeuvres balanced on their fingertips. Women wear gowns designed by all the big names in fashion, while the men have donned formal tuxedos. Everything about tonight exudes money and class. It’s certainly not even remotely close to how I typically spend New Year’s Eve, which is usually over at Hazel and Diego’s condo, dressed in yoga pants, watching as many Christmas movies as we can before the holiday season is officially over.
As we make our way through the ballroom, Wes stops to talk to everyone who calls his name or approaches. I can tell this is his Weston Bradford persona, not the Wes I’ve gotten to know. When he introduces me as his girlfriend, he doesn’t hesitate or bat an eye. A few people, especially those he mentions are old friends of his parents, look at me with disapproval. But that only makes Wes hold me tighter, leaving no question in anyone’s mind I’m not going anywhere. At least his parents aren’t here, having spent the holidays in Aspen, probably because his mother wasn’t on the guest list to begin with, according to Wes.
“There you are,” a familiar voice says as Wes accepts congratulations from another acquaintance about his latest contract, something about a deal to design and build twelve new hotels in Hawaii.
I turn just as Julia sidles up to us. Her shimmery green dress sparkles with her every movement. It’s slim throughout her body, only flowing out near the bottom in a traditional mermaid style. To complete the look, her green mask has seashell and pearl detailing.
“Julia…” I wrap my arms around her, as if I haven’t seen her in ages, instead of just a few hours, since we’d been at the spa together. But it’s comforting to see a familiar face. Well, as much of it as I can see anyway.
To my surprise, being surrounded by people wearing masks hasn’t been nearly as anxiety-inducing as I thought it would be. Like I told Wes, it’s time I replace all my negative memories with good ones. That’s why tonight is so important. It may be the last day of the year, but for me, it’s the final page in this chapter. I’m turning the page on my past and never looking back.
“You look beautiful. I like the mermaid vibe.”
“You look gorgeous, too. Good thing Wes got you that Medusa mask.” She scans my frame. “With a dress like that, you’ll need the ability to turn men to stone.”
“Hey, Jules,” Wes greets, kissing his sister’s cheek before wrapping an arm around me, pulling me close. “And don’t you worry. I have absolutely no intention of letting her out of my sight for a second. Why would I want to when I have such a beautiful view?” The intensity in his gaze causes a thrill to trickle through me.
“Think you’ll make it to midnight? Or will you need to retire early?” Julia jests.
“No promises.” He winks, delicately caressing my exposed back, sending another jolt of want through me. Then he scans the ballroom. “Did Nick make it in all right?”
She briefly chews on her lower lip. “Actually, he had a last-minute meeting with some publisher up in New York. An opportunity arose that he couldn’t pass up. At least according to him.”
“Publisher?” I furrow my brows. “I thought you said he’s a PR consultant.”
“He is.” Julia swipes a champagne glass off a tray as a server makes his rounds. “But his degree is in English literature. He used to teach, but since he wasn’t tenured, he had to pretty much start the job hunt over again every year.”
“God, I’d hate that.”
“Yeah. Me, too. Not to mention, it was difficult for me to get my business off the ground because of the uncertainty of his. So about five years ago, he took a job with a PR firm and discovered he was damn good at it. He’s extremely persuasive, and a great writer. He can take a story that paints someone in a bad light and put one hell of a spin on it. But when that firm faced some public relations issues of their own, he decided to branch out and become a freelance consultant since he had such high demand from his former clients to keep them on.”
“Sounds like it’s a good fit,” I comment.
“It is. Plus, it keeps him in one place, apart from having to travel a lot to deal with clients. But I can tell he misses the analytical side of teaching, so for