Chapter 31 – pippa #2
“She ended things with him then,” Jack says finally. “It would be years before we met and got married, but she still carried a torch even then.”
“I see.” The coffee in my mug looks like a cold, dark pond. I twist the mug in my hand. “Thank you, Jack.”
“I—of course.”
There are no more questions for me to ask him. What I’ve learned is already more than I ever wanted to know. I hang up before he can say anything more.
Jacob pushes through a dense throng of beautiful women in sparkling dresses, their smooth hair blown out to glassy perfection. Impressively, he manages to keep from spilling both my glass of red wine and holding up his own glass of champagne.
“I made it!” he says when he finally makes it to the tall, round table I commandeered near the windows.
“Thanks for braving the line at the bar,” I say as he hands me the glass.
“Happy to do it.” Jacob wraps an arm around me, his hand resting in the hollow of my waist. I instinctively stiffen away from him, then chastise myself. He isn’t doing anything inappropriate. It’s just new, accepting this level of public affection from a date. I’ll get used to it.
If I’m honest, I didn’t even want to come tonight. The whole scene with Dad this morning left me reeling. I always thought that Mom fell out of love with the person she promised to stay with forever. Now, I know he made it impossible for her to keep that promise.
I don’t have the bandwidth to process what that means, and it’s not like I could ditch poor Jacob on New Year’s Eve. All I can do is paste on a smile and clink my glass against his. “To an amazing New Year’s.”
“It’s already amazing. I mean, look at this.”
Jacob gestures generally to the crowd. The Sequel New Year’s Eve party is everything Cat said it would be and more.
You’d have no idea the space is usually an office, with the dance floor, the DJ, the disco balls and the sparkling lights.
In the corners, there are eggplant-purple velvet couches.
Some have groups of friends laughing and drinking, but there are a few couples already starting to cozy up, hours before the ball drops.
I smile at him. “You started the night off right, renting that limo.”
Jacob’s face reddens. “I was a little worried you’d think it was silly, since the drive was so short.”
Honestly, I did think it was a little silly when the limo pulled up. Even in my sky-high heels, we could have just walked to the party. Still, Jacob’s clearly putting in an effort to charm me. When I put it in the next article, I know the readers will flip for it, anyway.
“I thought it was sweet. You’re kind of a romantic, I’m finding out.”
His lips curve up. “Tell me if it feels like too much.”
“Don’t worry. I can handle a little ‘much.’”
Something flashes across his face, and his head dips slightly. I think he might be about to kiss me, now, way before midnight. It’s not like this would be the first time we’ve kissed, but something about this feels too soon. I swallow, looking up at his eyes that are already closed.
“Pippa, hey! Happy New Year!”
I’m relieved when Brinley emerges from the crowd, her usual glasses gone for the evening. She gives me a big hug, then pulls back to look down at my—black, of course—dress. “You look fantastic, Pippa.”
“So do you! It’s so weird seeing you with contacts, though.” I know her glasses just aren’t for show—I tried them on once, and the whole world went blurry and wavy.
She groans. “I know. They’re such a pain in the ass, I almost never wear them.”
Jacob shifts his weight, and I realize I should be introducing him. “Right. Brinley, this is Jacob, my date.”
“I’ve read about you,” she says. “You’re not the country music guy, right?”
I laugh. “No, thankfully, this one has much better taste.”
Brinley and Jacob start exchanging polite questions about their taste in music, and I’m grateful to have a date with basic socialization skills—never a guarantee.
I glance out at the crowd, wondering if I’ll be able to spot Cat’s curly blonde hair.
Now that she travels with her gigantic-shouldered husband, she’s much easier to find in a crowd.
My eyes snag on a head of messy dark hair, and my breath catches in my chest.
Ryan’s standing by the bar, a glass of whiskey and ice in his hand. The light plays off his silver rings, and for some reason that makes my heart thud a little faster. His usual smile is gone, replaced by a scowl that makes him look a little dangerous. It’s inexplicably sexy.
Apparently, I’m not the only one who thinks so.
Three women with model-esque features surround him, trying to make conversation with him.
They seem oblivious to his mood, as well as to the fact that each of them is trying to flirt with him.
I watch as the one in the silver dress plays with his jacket lapel, seconds after the one with waist-length blonde hair not-so-subtly grazes the front of his black jeans with her hand.
My chest feels tight, and drawing a full breath feels impossible.
Jacob’s hand brushes my bare shoulder, thumb tracing an absent circle over my skin, and guilt punches straight through the jealousy.
He’s right here. Warm. Sweet. Trying.
You’re here with a date, I remind myself. It doesn’t matter what Ryan’s doing.
If anything, I should be taking mental notes. “How to Pretend You Don’t Care That Your Emotionally Unavailable Crush Has a Fan Club” would probably do numbers on Belladonna’s site.
I’ve given him every chance to tell me how he feels about me, and he’s made it very clear that I’m a good fuck—nothing more. I need to keep my focus on the man beside me.
Brinley squeals, and I see that Cat has finally made it to our table, with Nate, Beau, and Luke on her heels like a set of very large bodyguards.
“There you are!” Cat says with relief. “I’ve been looking for you two all night.”
Brinley frowns. “Don’t you live in the same building? Why didn’t you come together?”
Cat smiles. “Because my date didn’t think ahead and rent a limo like Pippa’s did.”
“You rented a limo?” Nate arches a brow. “It was a five-block trip.”
“You mean, ‘nice one, Jacob, it was a really sweet idea,’” I say, and smack him on the elbow.
Jacob and the other guys all gape at me with wide eyes, like they can’t believe what I just did. I guess in their eyes, it’s crazy to smack Nate Walsh, the world’s grumpiest CEO, even in jest.
But Nate just chuckles. “Sorry, you’re right.”
“You should be taking notes from Jacob, if you want to keep this one happy,” I say, gesturing at Cat.
“She’s easy to keep happy,” Nate says. “A croissant a day, and she’s completely satisfied.”
“Should I be providing you with daily pastries?” Jacob asks, running his thumb up and down my side. It gives me chills—but not the good kind. Him touching me still feels so weird.
I can’t help glancing over to Ryan at the bar.
One of the models is bending over, presumably to fix a strap on her shoe.
Obviously, she’s only doing it to show off her unbelievable ass, the kind you can only get from genetics.
I could spend two hours in the gym every day and never look like her.
When she stands back up, she swings her hair back in a golden halo.
She’s putting on a show for Ryan, who isn’t even looking at her. Instead, his eyes scan the crowd. For a brief second, we make eye contact. Then he slowly, deliberately puts his arm around the model, his hand grazing her lower back before it settles on her waist.
Asshole.
I know he’s messing with me, mirroring Jacob’s exact position. It makes me want to storm over there and throw my wine in his face. But that would just be giving him what he wanted—sabotaging a possible relationship with Jacob to keep wasting time on Ryan.
I clear my throat and change the subject to the other friend not joining the group. “Where’s James?”
“Schmoozing,” the guys answer in unison.
“We never get to see him at New Year’s,” Luke explains. “He has to go around shaking hands and having big boy business talks.”
“To be fair, James only shows up to any parties if he’s got a business reason,” Nate points out. “He’s not exactly the party animal of the group.”
“He’s also the only one we’ve never seen puke,” Beau sighs. “Holds his liquor scary well for a guy who barely drinks.”
“So, Pippa, are you coming to poker night on Wednesday?” Luke asks.
“I didn’t know I was invited.”
“You are now,” Beau says. “After what you pulled in the last game, you’ve got an open invite to all poker activities. It’s worth it, to see Ryan’s face when you beat him again.”
“I don’t know.” I glance back up at Ryan, who’s back to ignoring the model. “I see enough of Ryan as it is. I don’t need an extra dose.”
“What about the rest of us?” Luke smiles broadly. “We’re good company.”
Beau elbows him. “Give it up, dude. She’s here with a date.”
Jacob chuckles, removing his hand from my waist only to take my hand in his. It feels warm and dry and wrong.
As the others chat, Jacob lowers his voice, giving my hand a squeeze. “You okay?”
“Hmm?”
“You’ve gone kind of…somewhere else.”
I paste on a smile that feels tight around the edges. “Sorry. Just taking it all in. This is…a lot.”
The line of his mouth softens. “If it’s too much, we can always bail. A bottle of wine and a cheesy movie at my place sounds just as good.”
God. Of course he’d offer an exit instead of getting offended.
I shake my head. “I’ll let you know.”
“So, this is Jacob.”
Oh fuck.
Ryan strolls over with a leggy blonde in tow, eyeing my date like he just tasted something particularly bland even as he holds out his hand to shake Jacobs.
“You must be the stepbrother I’ve heard so much about.”
Jacob’s face pinches when Ryan squeezed his hand too hard and I want to die on the spot.
“Saw that limo you pulled up in,” Ryan comments. “Overcompensating for something, or…”
“Don’t,” I warn in a hiss, nails biting into my clutch. “You don’t get to vet my dates.” Then to Jacob. “Don’t mind him, he’s drunk.”