2. Connect #3
Patricia sipped again as she looked over the happy crowd.
Pub-height tables hosted clusters of with guests standing around, potted trees stood halfway to the ceiling and were lit up like a fairytale to provide warmth in an oversized room that could easily feel stark.
Not waiting for dinner, Haley and Finn had already started dancing in the middle of the room, and were now joined by dozens of others enjoying the playful and romantic atmosphere.
Outside, the sun was starting to dip low, propane heaters were going, little gas fireplaces and tons of benches and cushy seats, blankets in baskets, and guests flowed in and out as they settled in for the evening.
“I cannot take credit for tonight. Much of this was Haley’s vision, and I’ve convinced her to let me hire her for future galas. She plans to add to her blog and vlog with it. Back in San Francisco, she was essentially a party planner, so I love how she is using her talents together.”
Thank fucking goodness Haley was down to earth.
Zoe sometimes forgot she grew up stinking rich, then married and divorced a wealthy man who enjoyed flaunting it.
Of course, Zoe still had trouble picturing how much dough Finn must have swelling in the bank after his years as a pro football player and Super Bowl champ.
“You know…” Patricia said, her gaze landing across the dance floor at a group standing near the exterior door, where both of her sons stood visiting with a few of Finn and Haley’s friends.
…And…
Zoe waited for the rest.
…And?
Head tilting curiously, Patricia cast a meaningful side eye at Zoe, and that polite smile she’d been sporting turned a little witchy, quite frankly. “You went to school with Ryder, didn’t you?”
Well, it was Foothills. Technically everyone sort of went to school with everyone.
“He was a few years ahead of me.” And Zoe absolutely did not mention that she had been dreamy eyed for the gorgeous blue-eyed, bright and handsome and inaccessibly charming teenager.
Despite the delicious flirtation during the ceremony, and, okay, the zinging bubbles that erupted every time he looked at her, she was a realist. A realist who enjoyed playtime.
“Such a hard worker. He never takes time for himself, you know. Sometimes I fear he is too much like me,” Patricia said.
Not that Zoe had seen him much since he’d graduated and flipped off this town via rearview window of his car, but the few times she had, he’d been slick, perfect, and as much as she wouldn’t mind a little fun, the crush had otherwise fallen flat. “Yep,” Zoe said with a smack of her lips.
Today, however, his hair was a little wild, more like Grady’s untamable surfer hair, although dark instead of Grady’s blond. After a long flight and a long drive, he probably hadn’t stopped long enough to look in a mirror and discover that he looked human.
But damn, that man had good taste. The suit was perfect, not too starchy and a neutral deep blue, a simple white button up with the top button undone, and instead of annoyingly shiny shoes, he exuded a hint of classy practicality with Washington-appropriate suede brown chelseas.
“Would you do me a favor?” Patricia said, her hawklike gaze screaming with a scheme.
Zoe lifted her eyebrows instead of agreeing before she knew what she was getting into.
“Would you drag him out to the dancefloor and see if we can’t work together to get him to relax, at least for tonight? I’m working on convincing him to use some of that vacation time he’s been banking and come stay here for a month and get spoiled.”
Spoiling probably wasn’t going to help Ryder much.
However, a dance, and a flirty evening? Not a problem. “I would be happy to,” Zoe answered.
Patricia lifted her drink and eyed Zoe, as if silently commanding her to do the same. Magically, Zoe lifted her glass and drained the rest of it. Patricia took the empty glass as soon as Zoe lowered it, then set her ice-cold hand on Zoe’s mid-back and practically shoved her across the room.
Wow. Shit. Bossy woman.
Zoe wove around the dancers and merged into the group Ryder was chatting it up with.
The second warmest of the trio of scary-Patricia’s offspring, Grady nudged her shoulder with his and said, “Good timing. Evan got distracted and asked me to drag you out of the kitchen if you didn’t come out soon.”
“Distracted?” she asked, lifting an eyebrow and scanning the patio, where she suspected he would have retreated to. Crowds weren’t really Zoe’s thing, and they were definitely not her little brother’s.
Grady tipped a nod back toward the dancefloor.
And the world had officially flipped its poles. Evan was a good dancer, for sure, but holy shit. “Um. I thought he wasn’t interested in…”
“Jagger Prince, quarterback for the San Francisco Fire,” Trace said with authority as she watched over the rim of her glass of white wine.
Eyebrow lifting high, Zoe tore her attention away from her brother dancing with a celebrity quarterback. “Trace? Did you just identify a football player, by name, team, and even position? Are you feeling alright?”
Asher snorted and lowered his beer, his other arm wrapped around his wife, Sophie.
“Trace and Ryder have zero interest in football, but present company has changed that for the evening, so Grady and I have been educating them on who’s who.
Trace is taking notes so she can sound cool in front of her students when she namedrops on Monday. ”
Seriously? Zoe glanced over at Ryder and quirked an eyebrow up. “You didn’t even know Jagger Prince?”
His lips said it all. Not the words, but the movement.
With a quirk in his smile—a little devilish and a lot curious, and maybe a little sheepish—he shrugged.
“I’m actually trying to nail a contract with Bellamy Athletics, that new fitness gear company out of Seattle.
If I could talk even one of these guys into a campaign, or maybe even a brand ambassador?
I’d blow away the competition, and bring Bellamy to Adidas and Nike levels. ”
Zoe forced her eyes to not roll. So much for that fun dance she’d hoped for. One last test to see if he was worth acting on the flirt. “Jagger only recently came out. Would you lead your proposal with a gay quarterback as their new frontman?”
His winning smile faltered, and his eyes squinted darkly at her. He reached his hand out and nodded ahead. “Will you… dance with me?”
Doubt swirled in her belly as she tried to read him. Bright crystal blue eyes and his shiny white smile had fallen heavy with hurt feelings. Huh. She took his hand and led the way to the dance floor.
Ryder proved his slick style as he swung her close, gently but smoothly so she landed gracefully in his arms, and they immediately started moving with the music.
She steadied her hands on his shoulders, keeping enough distance, and he played cool and didn’t get touchy like she’d expected a confident marketing consultant to do.
“You really don’t think very well of me, do you?” he asked as they moved with the smooth rhythm.
Steady and calm, the music was more than danceable, but right now, she could go for something fast so they could get their flirt on again—without talking. “I don’t know you very well,” she said curtly.
He huffed a breath, that confidence waning fast. “Fair point. Until Haley moved back to Foothills, and Grady and I hashed it out, I had zero interest in coming home. As much as I’m working on being a better brother, I know I don’t make it up as often as I should.
Now that I have a nephew on the way, I need to make it happen. ”
Well, a few points in his favor, anyway. Zoe tested the water a little more. “You know, I had such a crush on you when we were kids.”
“Seriously?” he asked, his nose scrunching as his grin widened with curiosity.
Oo, shit, and there was that dimple she’d always found adorable, one more way of making the man nearly perfect.
On the outside, anyway. He cleared his throat and looked down, uncertainty setting in.
“I… I have to say, I wondered why you were, um, flirting across the wedding with me. It’s been a while since I’ve gotten butterflies like that. ”
The rhythm picked up a little, her hips moving faster with the beat, and his hands settled at her sides, her arms relaxing on his shoulders.
“It’s my brother’s wedding,” she answered easily.
“Everyone is happy and in love and it’s spring.
I broke up with someone a few weeks ago, and I can’t tell you how hard it was not to call him to see if he’d be my plus-one for tonight.
Ugh. It sucks being single when the single pool is rapidly shrinking. ”
He tilted a curious look at her.
“And then you swept in at the last minute and with one look, you made me feel like the most desirable person in the room. I can’t remember the last time I’ve gotten butterflies like that.
In my classic bad luck, I’m drawn like a moth to a flame to the guy who doesn’t even live in the state, and even if he did…
” She grimaced and shrugged, not needing to describe everything that was wrong with him.
He laughed softly and they eased closer together with the beat. “I haven’t been out much since Claire. But clearly, I have a pretty shitty reputation around here.”
“No offense, but… you do. Terrible, actually. Too entitled for those of us who call Foothills home. Flashy cars, a big-time job, and you’re even attractive and charismatic. You don’t fit in. No offense.”
He snorted a laugh, very humanly, and shook his head. “I actually have an SUV… although, perhaps a bit flashy of one. Someday, I might get to ski again and actually need the extra traction. What kind of car do you drive?”