CHAPTER FOUR #4
With that, several women, including one I recognized as his daughter, Nora, walked in.
They were all dancers with the company but had changed into evening wear.
They were all beautiful, and on a normal night, I might have chosen a woman to flirt with and see where things led.
But this wasn’t a normal night. I was waiting for Cara to come in.
As more than a few minutes passed and she didn’t appear, I realized she wasn’t with the rest of the pack.
Would she not come at all? I couldn’t decide if I was relieved or disappointed. Maybe she had seen me from the stage after all and skipped the party to avoid me altogether. The thought of that made me feel like I had a pit in my stomach.
“Come meet Nora,” Garrison said as he grabbed my arm and dragged me towards her.
We stopped in front of her. She looked at me questioningly. “Nora, this is Edward Ashton. He’s a business associate of mine, and he’s staying with us for a day or two.”
She was completely unfazed by this, as if it happened all the time.
“Hello,” she said and took my hand, shaking it lightly.
She looked up at me, and, while she was beautiful, I noticed she had the same slightly eerie quality to her dark eyes that her father did.
“It’s so nice to meet you.” She’d changed into a sparkly silver evening gown.
She was elegant and attractive. Her manners seemed more reserved than either of her parents’.
“You as well,” I smiled at her.
“Whoa, there, buddy,” Garrison boomed out. “You need my permission to court her!”
I was mortified as Nora didn’t even bother hiding a smile. Did I do something that made him think I was into Nora? I was just being polite. I looked at her to see if she thought I was giving off vibes I was interested in her, but she was shaking her head at her father.
“Daddy, you’re so over the top.” She looked at me. “If I go on more than one date with a man, he has me walking down the aisle.”
Garrison looked around the room, obviously searching for someone. As if on cue, a handsome, dark-haired man appeared at Nora’s side, putting a possessive arm around her and giving me the eye. I stepped back instinctively but couldn’t help but notice Nora didn’t look pleased to see him.
“Edward, this is Eric Hightower. His daddy is one of my best friends.” Garrison leaned in as if he was going to whisper, but then boomed out, “And if you want to date my baby girl, you might have some competition from this guy.” Then he laughed uproariously.
I had no idea how to respond to that. I wasn’t the least bit interested in Nora, but I definitely couldn’t say that. I just downed the rest of the champagne in my glass. I kind of wished for something a little stronger. This night was turning into a bit of a nightmare situation.
“Of course, this one,” he pointed at Nora, “has to stop dancing and settle down before she can marry one of y’all.” He looked at Eric and me.
Marry one of us? What the hell? I smiled weakly. It was all I could force.
Nora took his comments in stride, like it was normal for her dad to talk about marrying her off to a stranger. “Not likely anytime soon, Daddy. You know I plan to make principal dancer this year.”
“And it’s high time, sweetheart,” Garrison assured her. “I’m sure that’s going to happen for you.”
Eric nodded at me. “Nice to meet you,” he said perfunctorily. His eyes were cold and dismissive.
I was desperate to get away from them. As soon as I politely could, I excused myself and walked around, mingling with people here and there and always keeping one eye on the room’s entrance.
Surely Cara would be coming. Libby had said she was one of Nora’s close friends, hadn’t she?
And it seemed like she was dating Monty.
I couldn’t imagine that she wouldn’t end up at the party.
At least, I hoped she’d end up here.
I finished my glass of champagne, and a member of the catering staff was immediately by my side to give me a refill. Was she the same girl who’d refilled my glass all night?
“What, did Mr. Hart assign you to me and tell you not to let my glass go empty?”
She smiled, and I thought she would laugh at my ridiculous question.
She didn’t. Instead, she said, “Yes, sir,” and filled my glass to the brim.
I frowned and glanced over at Garrison Hart.
He was staring at me, a calculating look on his face, and his eyes weren’t friendly.
He looked completely different, and I suddenly understood where he’d gotten the reputation for being a ruthless businessman when something got in the way of what he wanted.
He covered it quickly with a smile when he realized I’d noticed him.
He held his glass up to me, giving me a slight nod of his head.
I returned the gesture but couldn’t force myself to smile.
I’d just seen Garrison Hart’s mask slip.
And what was underneath wasn’t the same man he presented himself to be.
A slight chill ran down my spine. What was going on with Garrison Hart?
Was he upset because I hadn’t seemed interested in his daughter? Or was it something else?