Chapter 24
DANE
Galas were fucking stupid. That was my primary thought as I stood in the ballroom of the Metropolitan Club, sipping champagne that was far too sweet and doing my absolute best to look like I didn’t want to watch the entire venue burn to the ground.
Then we could all go home and relax.
My bowtie felt like it got tighter with every swallow of champagne, feeling like a hangman’s noose. I was usually fine at parties. A little bored but not suffering. Tonight I was miserable and I wasn’t sure why.
Technically, I could leave at any time. No law required me to be there. But this was the cost of doing business. Sometimes I had to put on a polite face and smile for the world.
The gala was made worse because no one wanted to talk about business or potential partnerships. Instead, everyone wanted to know about my mystery girlfriend, asking why she wasn’t with me.
“So when do we get to meet the future Mrs. Kavanagh?” an investor’s wife asked me, her smile excited, although a little predatory too.
“There’s no Mrs. Kavanagh,” I said for what felt like the hundredth time.
“Yet,” she added with a wink that made my skin crawl. “I saw those photos. Very romantic. You must be serious about her.”
“I’m serious about my privacy,” I deflected.
“Of course, of course.” She patted my arm like I was a child. “But you know what they say.”
“What do they say?” I prompted.
She frowned and shook her head. “Love finds a way. And you’ve helped so many people find love through your app. It’s only fair that you finally found it too.”
“That’s a very sweet thought.” I excused myself to get another glass of champagne, even though the last thing I needed was more alcohol that tasted like liquid sugar and was guaranteed to give me a migraine.
Outside the tall windows, I could see snow starting to fall.
Not the gentle, romantic snow from last Friday when Ina and I went ice skating.
This was the beginning of what the weather reports had been calling an epic winter storm.
It was supposed to break snowfall records.
I had no doubt it would be one hell of a storm and getting anywhere in the city would be nearly impossible.
The wealthy folks in this room weren’t worried. We all had drivers who would navigate the icy roads while we sat in the back, scrolling on our phones. Still, I could probably use the inclement weather as an excuse to leave a little early. I had already been here for hours.
I checked my watch. Seven forty-five. What the hell? That meant I’d been here for less than an hour. It felt like days. Did time move more slowly in this ball room?
“Dane Kavanagh!” A voice boomed across the room, and I turned to see the event organizer making his way toward me. “We’re ready for your speech!”
My speech. Right. The speech I’d been told about two days ago and hadn’t prepared for because I’d been too busy putting out fires at work and thinking about Ina.
“I was thinking we could skip the speech. I don’t have anything prepared.” I didn’t but I rarely did for these things.
“Oh, just a few words! Everyone’s dying to hear from New York’s Most Eligible Bachelor.” He was already guiding me toward a small stage at the front of the room. I had no way to gracefully decline without physically pushing him away from me, and that would cause a scene.
I stepped onto the stage, and the room quieted. Hundreds of faces turned toward me, all of them waiting for me to say something charming and self-deprecating about being honored and flattered. Like it wasn’t creepy at all how obsessed they were with my personal life.
I was very good at putting on a mask. I had perfected a charming smile and saying exactly what people wanted to hear. I’d been doing it for years. To me, it was like dressing up for a Halloween party or stepping onto a movie set.
Dane Kavanagh, billionaire bachelor, was a character I played very well.
I took the microphone from the host and smiled at the crowd. “Thank you all for being here tonight. What an honor to be recognized as New York’s Most Eligible Bachelor, even if I’m not entirely sure I deserve the title these days.”
Polite laughter rippled through the crowd.
“I’ve spent the last few years building Cupid’s Arrow, helping thousands of people find meaningful connections. And I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished. We have the best matchmakers in the world, the most sophisticated algorithm in the industry, and a success rate that speaks for itself.”
People nodded along.
“But when it comes to my own love life?” I paused, letting the crowd lean in. “Well, it turns out even the best matchmakers in the world and the most sophisticated data can’t help someone who refuses to fill out their own profile honestly.”
More laughter, this time louder.
“I’ve been guilty of the very thing I tell our users not to do. I’ve convinced myself that I’m too busy for love.” I smiled ruefully. “My matchmakers are the best in the world, probably because I’m such a challenge.”
More people laughed.
“Trust me when I say, I give them a lot of practice.”
They thought I was being charming. Self-aware.
“So while I appreciate this recognition, I have to admit that being New York’s Most Eligible Bachelor isn’t exactly a badge of honor. It’s more of a reminder that I’ve been doing something wrong.” I raised my glass. “Here’s to hoping—”
I stopped mid-sentence. The ballroom doors had opened, and a woman in a sapphire blue dress stood framed in the entrance.
Ina.
My brain short-circuited. The words I’d been about to say evaporated. The crowd started to murmur, confused by my sudden silence.
I cleared my throat. “Excuse me.”
I had two options.
Option one: Finish the speech. Say something smooth about how despite having access to the best matchmaking resources in the world, I hadn’t found my match yet. I could continue to play the part of the charming, unattainable bachelor that everyone expected.
It was the safe option. The professional option I’d been planning on going with this evening.
Option two: Step off this stage and go to her.
I handed the microphone to the confused host and walked off the stage, my eyes locked on Ina as I crossed the ballroom floor.
Everyone was watching. Phones were probably out with cameras recording, gossip already spreading like wildfire through the room. I didn’t care.
When I reached Ina, she looked up at me. I saw how nervous she was. She looked like she was ready to bolt at any second.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, keeping my voice low.
“Lucas showed up at my apartment with a dress and turned me into the modern-day Cinderella you see standing before you.” She glanced around at the crowd watching us. “He said it would be good if I showed up tonight.”
“I’m going to kill him.”
“Don’t. He means well.” She smiled. “Although I was absolutely terrified to walk in here.”
“I can’t believe he sent you into the lions’ den alone.” I put my hands on her upper arms and gave her an affectionate squeeze. “I also can’t believe you’re really here. For a second up there, I thought I had lost my grip on reality.”
She smiled. “I’m glad I came. You looked like you were chewing glass up there. Totally miserable.”
“I am miserable.” I looked into her eyes. “I’m feeling slightly less so now, though.”
Her eyes drifted over my shoulder. “Everyone is looking at us, so maybe you should go finish your speech.”
I groaned. “Do I have to?”
“Probably.” Ina shrugged. “Or you could take my hand and we could run out of here to get milkshakes.”
That made me laugh. “I love the way you think, but sadly, duty calls. The milkshakes must wait.”
“That could be the title of my biography,” she said, grinning. “Go knock ‘em dead.”
Feeling energized by her smile and support, I marched toward the stage with my shoulders back and my head held high. Then I took the microphone back from the host, who looked thoroughly confused.
“My apologies,” I said to the crowd. “My date was running late. We planned to arrive together, but make a plan and God laughs, right? Anyway, I already forgot was I was saying and I’m sure you have too.
So everyone have a good time, be generous and kind, and if you’ll excuse me, I owe a gorgeous lady a drink. ”
The applause that followed was mixed with laughter and a few whistles. I could already imagine tomorrow’s headlines. I didn’t care about those right then.
I stepped off the stage and made my way back to Ina, who was trying very hard not to laugh.
“That was smooth,” she said. “You might actually be charming sometimes.”
I offered her my arm. “Come on. The milkshake will have to wait, but let’s get you a drink anyway, before we’re mobbed.”
I guided her through the crowd to a quieter corner of the ballroom. It wasn’t exactly private, but was at least marginally less exposed than the center of the room. I flagged down a server and got her a glass of champagne, then spent a moment just looking at her.
“You look like a vision,” I said.
“Lucas picked the dress. I’m pretty sure he missed his calling as a stylist.” She took a sip of champagne and made a face. “Damn, this is a little sweet, don’t you think?”
“Thank you!” I said, leaning into her. “Did they put Splenda in it or something? It’s terrible.”
Ina smiled. “Then why are we drinking it?”
“Because getting a real drink requires going to the bar, and everyone becomes a real chatty Cathy standing there, waiting for their stuff.” I shook my head. “No thanks. Easier to stick with the sugar drink.”
She looked up at me through her dark lashes. “Be honest. Are you upset I’m here?”
“No way.” The answer came out with zero room for argument. “Well, I was hoping to spare you from tonight’s tedium. But I also spent this whole evening wishing you were here so I had someone to talk to. Someone I could joke with about the crappy champagne.”
“You didn’t want to suffer alone,” she teased. “Misery loves company.”
“It’s impossible to be miserable when you’re wearing a dress like that,” I said, giving her body an appreciative look. “And Lucas told me to bring you.”
“But you didn’t.”
“Well, he never told me about the dress.”
Her cheeks turned pink at the compliments and warmth filled my chest.
“But honestly,” I said. “I didn’t want to expose you. I hope you understand the position Lucas put you in by having you show up here.”
She nodded slowly. “I do.”
“And you’re okay with that?”
“I’m strapped into a gown and wearing heels that could be used as torture implements, what do you think?”
That dress was something else. Lucas deserved a raise.
She was covered except for her shoulders and arms, but I had never seen anything so sexy.
I’d had my hands on her body and had a pretty good idea of what was under the clothes she typically wore to the office, but seeing her all wrapped up in a bow like this was a feast for the eyes.
When I first saw her, I damn near swallowed my tongue.
“Do you want to get out of here?” I asked. “I mean, I know you got all dressed up and I appreciate it, but I think we’ve given the world a show already. Mission accomplished.”
I wanted to go somewhere quiet with Ina and talk about everything we’d been avoiding since Saturday.
“We’d have to lie to Lucas,” she said. “He’ll kill both of us if he finds out you left early and all his hard work pouring me into this dress was for naught.”
“Not for naught.” I shrugged. “You look amazing and everyone here will remember how beautiful you are. I think we’re good.”
She grinned. “Then let’s go.”
We made it to the coat check and stepped outside into what had become a full-scale winter storm. The snow was coming down hard, and the wind whipped it into a blinding wall of white. The streets were already covered in a thick blanket, and I could see cars moving at a crawl.
“How did you get here?” I asked.
“Car service. Lucas arranged it.”
“Of course he did.” I pulled out my phone to call for my own car, but the app was showing wait times of over an hour. Every driver in the city was either already occupied or staying home because of the weather.
I sighed. “I don’t see us getting you back to your side of the city.”
She grimaced. “Am I supposed to build an igloo out here?”
“My place might be a better option than that. And it’s close.”
She looked up at me, snowflakes clinging to her heavily mascaraed lashes. I waited for her to tell me she’d take the subway. That was her usual line.
“Okay,” she said.