she wasn’t about to be bombarded with belated condolences, Eva walked beneath the enormous canopy sheltering the entrance of the Crown Jewel from the steady drizzle and passed through a set of self-propelled revolving doors. The lobby she entered displayed the kind of luxury that for some reason always made her think of her father. Forty-foot ceilings, crystal chandeliers, exotic plants three times her size, Zen music piped in to encourage peaceful feelings.
Was this the type of place he frequented? Was he into real estate? Financing? Hedge funds? It was pretty pathetic that she didn’t even know how he’d made his wealth. Even worse, he could walk by her right now and she wouldn’t have a clue he was the man who’d broken her mother’s heart by leaving her on her own to raise a baby at nineteen.
Maybe she was lucky she didn’t have someone like that in her life, she thought, not for the first time. Could be he’d done them a favor by leaving.
Lifting her chin, she moved across the beautifully patterned marble floor, bypassing posh, cozy groupings of chairs and love seats and sparkling glass-topped tables graced with heavy crystal vases overflowing with an exotic array of flowers.
The soft gurgle of a massive aquarium beckoned her to the far side of the lobby. She paused there a moment to watch the graceful movements of two bright-blue fish playing tag through the seaweed.
It’s Caleb, honey. Read up.
Frowning at the faint sound of Caleb’s voice, Eva chuckled as she brought her clutch purse up and opened it to take out her phone. Okay. Apparently, the last time they’d been together, the dork had recorded a personalized ringtone.
Still nothing on SM. Gotta tread carefully on this one
Like she wasn’t aware of that. K. Just arrived at the gala. Funny tone btw
Thought you’d like it. Nik with you?
No
That fucker
Because she knew he was referring to Kevin, she agreed. I know :(
Later
She put her phone away, glad she’d at least been able to spend the better part of the day with Nika, dusting and airing out the house. With Eva having shared an apartment with three other girls in New York, there hadn’t been much to unpack, so once they were through, they’d sat on the back deck, an open jar of olives between them, catching up.
That was when Eva had noticed the sparkle that used to light her friend’s eyes was now only a dim ember. Between the two of them, Nika had always been the instigator, the daring, playful one, the let’s-just-try-it one who’d dragged the more conservative Eva along for the ride. Not in an irresponsible way, but just…fun.
Now her friend was different. Checked. Guarded, even with Eva, who planned on getting to the bottom of it because the transformation had come about only after Kevin had entered the picture.
Leaving the aquarium behind, Eva made her way to the rear of the hotel. When she spied a restroom, she quickly ducked in to check that the humidity and drizzle hadn’t done any lasting damage. Her reflection in the too-bright fluorescents showed the navy silk she’d chosen to wear was still wrinkle-free even after the car-ride. Floor-length, the elegant creation hung straight down from crystal-crusted straps and had a midthigh split up the left side that showed off her silver heels. Those beauties boosted her height to just above six feet, and tonight, already knowing she’d be a head above many of the guests, she didn’t mind that at all. It made her feel good for a change. Less like the weaker sex.
“Are you here for the benefit?” the waiting attendant asked as Eva turned to leave.
“Yes, I am.”
She pointed to a secondary exit being used by two ladies who were dressed as formally as Eva. “That door’s closer to the ballroom.”
“Thank you.”
Seconds later, Eva was staring out over a room filled with scores of beautifully decorated tables, the chairs so closely packed together they nearly touched. Thank God it was just cocktails and hors d’oeuvres and not one of those long, drawn-out, sit-down dinners. Small talk was stressful enough under the best of circumstances, much less at her first social outing since her mother’s death, with people who’d known them both for years.
“Champagne?”
A cute, ginger-haired waiter stood next to her, smiling as he held out the full tray he carried.
“Thank you.” She accepted one and sipped from the crystal flute, instantly wrinkling her nose at the bubbles that popped into her eyes.
As a string quartet played on a raised