lingering around. But then again, he was the type who believed all press was good press, so there was a chance he sought her out to specifically start something that would make the tabloids explode.
I chugged the rest of my water, found a recycle bin to toss it in, and argued silently with myself for a few minutes before heading in Maren’s direction. I knew Jeno was going to be pissed when he came back and couldn’t find me. And Maren didn’t need anyone to ride to her rescue. She was perfectly capable of saving herself. She’d proven it more than once over the years. But my curiosity still got the best of me, even though I knew it was more than likely to get my ass in trouble if I didn’t keep it in check.
The long hallway led to the bathroom and the coat check. At first, I didn’t see anything unusual, until I noticed there was a small alcove at the end of the area that was filled with cocktail tables and fancy artwork. It was likely a gathering place for people to wait for their limos and Town Cars to pull around when the event was over, but right now, it was empty except for the dark-haired woman and the older man who was squared off with her.
Maren had her arms crossed over her chest, and I could tell, even from a distance, she was angry. Her sparkly dress was low cut and tight. I could see a bright red flush crawling over her exposed skin. The toe of one of her deadly looking shoes was tapping on the floor as they had a conversation in low tones. I couldn’t hear what they were saying as I got closer, but when the man leaned toward her in a threatening manner, Maren very loudly told him to back off. It was indeed a scene that would sell thousands of magazines if someone snapped a picture, and I was sure the situation was one Maren wanted absolutely nothing to do with.
So, I slapped a smile on my face and sauntered into the private alcove.
“Hey.” My voice immediately brought the man to his full height, and he took a step away from the pretty brunette. “Why did you disappear?”
Maren’s gaze locked on mine, and I could see relief and panic filtering through all the different colors that created her special shade of hazel.
“Uh, no reason. I was looking for a quiet place to return a call and bumped into Erik unexpectedly. I was on my way back.” She stepped around her ex, and it was obvious she was unsettled by the encounter because she wobbled on those tall-ass heels. She was always so composed; it was weird to see her rattled and nervous. I didn’t like it at all. When she lurched slightly, the other guy and I both reached for her automatically. I was closer, and Maren purposely shifted out of her ex’s grasp. I put a hand on her arm and another on her waist, waiting until she was steady on her feet before letting her go. Much to my surprise, her hands latched onto my arm and squeezed so tight it was close to being painful.
“Let’s go back. I’m sure people are wondering where we got off to.” She forced a smile, but it was all teeth, and I could clearly see that she was pleading with her eyes for me to get her out of there.
“Sure, no problem.” I dipped my chin at her ex, noticing he had a brightly colored shirt on under his velvet suit jacket, and the buttons were undone almost to his waist. The guy was in good shape for being older, but he looked like he was trying too hard. Or like he was playing the role of a rockstar rather than just existing as one. It was glaringly obvious he was an obnoxious attention seeker. “Later, dude.”
I hated people like him. Mostly because I’d been similar not too long ago and knew how awful I was and how easily I’d used others for my own gain.
I felt Maren lean into my side and could tell she was shaking just slightly. I didn’t know the ins and outs of what went on between these two, but I was on her side by default.
“Think about the offer, Maren. It’s a good deal and will give us both a lot of exposure. Everyone wants to put our messy history behind them. This would