CHAPTER TWENTY #2
When her gaze landed back on Annie, Kiara wasn’t surprised to see how at ease she appeared to be. She might have been raised away from the limelight, but she’d clearly been taught how to exist within it.
Julian’s mother had been right. She did need lessons to know how to fit in. If Kiara had realized just how far out of her comfort zone she’d have to go that night, she might have stayed at the estate.
At the time, she’d been swayed by the fact that Julian had asked her to accompany him. She’d thought he'd wanted her there with him. Now she wasn’t so sure. He was distracted and clearly on edge, and it seemed like maybe it hadn’t been his idea for her to be there.
Her goal had been to make it through the evening without embarrassing the Burkes.
And now she needed to make it through the evening without embarrassing herself, since the realization had come to her that Julian wasn’t as excited to have her as his date as she had been to be there with him. She couldn’t count on his support.
Annie came to stand next to Kiara. “Looks like loads of fun, huh?”
“It’s beautiful,” Kiara said, not sure she should admit she no longer wanted to be there. “Elizabeth has certainly put a lot of effort into it.”
“She has,” Annie agreed. “I just hope my dad doesn’t expect me to ever do something similar.”
Annie and Cole stayed close to her, even as Julian moved away to talk to someone else.
“Dad, can we sit down soon?” Annie asked. “My feet are dying in these shoes.”
Duncan lifted his eyebrows at her comment. “Elizabeth manages just fine, and she’s older than you.”
“Yes, but she’s used to it,” Annie said. “I’m not. Plus, Kiara isn’t either, and she’s pregnant to boot.”
Duncan gave Kiara a sympathetic look. “Just a few more minutes, and we can be seated.”
“Maybe I should have told him my feet hurt too,” Cole said as Duncan moved away from them to where Elizabeth was speaking with another couple.
“Do they?” Kiara asked the tall man.
Cole grinned. “Actually, they kind of do. I much prefer my basketball shoes. These types of shoes pinch my toes. And this bowtie is choking me.”
“We didn’t have to come,” Annie told him with a little nudge in his ribs.
“It was important that we did,” Cole said as he slipped his arm around her. “But I think we should all vote to stay home the next time an event like this comes up.”
“I can agree to that,” Annie said with a nod. “What about you, Kiara?”
“I doubt I’ll be invited to any similar events in the future.”
“Why?”
“I’ll have a baby to take care of.” Plus, she’d be Julian’s ex-wife by then, and he wouldn’t be inviting her to anything.
“I suppose that’s a good enough reason,” Cole said.
“Maybe we need that reason,” Annie told him as she gave her husband a coy smile.
Kiara felt a pang of longing as she watched their interaction. It was more lighthearted than Angie and Jude’s relationship, but no less affectionate and loving.
She looked away from the couple, and her gaze landed on Julian. He stood talking to a couple of men about his age, all dressed similarly to him, but to Kiara’s eyes, he was the most handsome. As she watched, a beautiful Asian woman joined the group and greeted Julian with a friendly smile.
When Julian kissed the woman’s cheek, Kiara turned her back to them, not wanting to watch any more of their interactions. She tucked away the hurt she felt, knowing she couldn’t deal with it right then.
“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for coming to this special evening,” Elizabeth said from behind a podium on a small stage. “I would ask that you find your seats.”
There was a low murmur of conversation as people moved toward the tables and sat down. Annie pulled Kiara along to the table Elizabeth had said was theirs. Cole held a chair for Kiara and then the one next to her for Annie. He sat down on his wife’s other side.
Julian approached the table with the woman and one of the men he’d been talking to. They also took seats at the table, with Julian between Kiara and the man, while the woman sat on the man’s other side.
“Sean and Ava, this is Kiara, Annie, and her husband Cole,” Julian said. “Sean and Ava are from our Singapore division of Burke Neurotech. They’re here for meetings this coming week.”
Kiara had heard the names before when Julian had spoken about the work in Singapore. It was clear that Julian considered the two more than just employees. And it made her wonder if Ava was part of the draw Julian felt to Singapore.
The table was large enough for ten people, and soon Duncan and Elizabeth joined them, as did a couple Duncan introduced as the chairman of the board for Burke Pharmaceuticals.
As the meal was being served, Annie leaned close to her and spoke in a soft voice. “If you get confused about which fork to use, just poke my leg, and I’ll help you out.”
Kiara appreciated Annie’s sensitivity to her situation. It helped to calm some of her nerves. Some… but definitely not all.
While they ate a delicious meal, a string orchestra played in the background. After the dessert was served, they were treated to stories about the people who had benefited from the fundraising efforts in years past.
Kiara found it all fascinating because she hadn’t had a clear understanding of what the Burke Foundation actually did. The stories definitely helped clarify that for her.
Through it all, Kiara sensed that Julian remained on edge. Though he continued to speak with the people at their table, he shifted frequently and didn’t eat all the food they’d been served. Which, to her mind, hadn’t been a lot to begin with.
“Cole is going to make us order room service after this,” Annie muttered.
Annie’s words made Kiara give a soft huff of laughter. “I’m eating for two. I might need room service as well.”
Once the meal was over, two women went up on the stage with Elizabeth. One gave a personal report of what the foundation had done for her, and then the other shared what they hoped to accomplish in the coming year.
When they were done speaking, Elizabeth announced that the dance floor was open. Kiara knew she wouldn’t be dancing, and she was actually fine with that. Dancing was something she’d never learned how to do, so she didn’t want to embarrass herself by pretending she could.
Julian, Sean, and Ava had gotten up and gone to speak with someone at another table. Duncan and Elizabeth were circulating throughout the room, and the other couple at the table had gone to the bar.
“Would you like to dance, babe?” Cole asked Annie.
“I don’t want to leave Kiara on her own,” Annie said.
“Oh, don’t worry about me,” Kiara told her. “Baby boy and I will just hang out here together.”
“Are you sure?” Annie asked, her brow furrowed. “Julian should be here with you.”
“No, seriously, I’m fine.” She didn’t want to sit there by herself, but she also didn’t want them to think she wasn’t able to do it. “Go enjoy yourselves.”
After a moment, Annie nodded, then took Cole’s hand when he offered it. Kiara watched as the couple took to the floor. Their height difference was even more noticeable, but that didn’t stop them from moving together smoothly as they performed an elegant dance.
Kiara glanced over at the wall nearest to their table, taking comfort when her gaze met Lucy’s. The woman gave her a small nod.
“Hello.” The soft greeting had Kiara turning her attention back to the table in time to see a dainty woman with highlighted blonde hair sit down in the chair Cole had recently vacated, leaving one empty seat between them. The woman held out her hand. “I’m Emilia.”
“I’m Kiara.”
“You must be Julian’s wife.”
Kiara hesitated for a moment, her gaze going to where Julian stood with a glass in his hand, still talking to Sean and Ava. “I am.”
“Oh, you’re very lucky. He’s a great catch,” the woman said. “He’s a very handsome man. All the ladies have had their eyes on him. Well, except for me.” She lifted her left hand to reveal a large diamond ring. “I’ve already got my Prince Charming.”
“Actually, the things that make Julian a great catch have very little to do with his looks.”
A finely plucked brow lifted. “Oh really? Why would you say that?”
“He has many other qualities that make him a great man. The fact that he’s handsome isn’t even near the top of that list.”
“Do tell,” Emilia said with a small smile. “I’d love to hear what you think makes him so special.”
Once again, Kiara hesitated. It felt a bit like a trap, but she couldn’t figure out the woman’s angle. “He’s smart and passionate about his work. He is determined when he sets his mind to something. He’s also kind and caring.”
“You definitely sound like a woman in love,” Emilia said, giving her a wink. “I wonder what good qualities Julian would say you have. And if he also feels that he is lucky to have you for a wife.”
And there it was.
Kiara felt the trap closing in and struggled to know how to respond.
“No worries, my dear.” Emilia reached out to pat her hand.
“Everyone already knows why he married you. It was well known among the women that if they managed to get pregnant by Julian Burke, he’d probably marry them.
And even if it had nothing to do with love, the payoff would be worth it.
I assume you thought the same thing, because I doubt he would have married someone like you otherwise. ”
Someone like you.
The woman’s words reinforced what Jill had said to her. She would never fit into the Burkes’ world, and there was nothing she could ever do to be good enough for that social circle.
“So, congratulations on being the one who finally captured the man,” Emilia said. “I just hope that it’s really his. But either way, I doubt you’ll have him for long.”
Kiara had no idea what this woman wanted from her. Was a friend of hers one of the women who had wanted to land Julian?
Keeping her expression calm, Kiara gave her a small smile. “I appreciate your… concern, but I assure you, everything is fine.”