23. Cora
CORA
“Idon’t know if strapless was the way to go with the dress,” I said, pulling the silky material up—a sparkly green thing that showed off an obscene amount of thigh.
“I feel like I’m going to sweat this off.
” It had been a ridiculously humid July day, and even with the sun setting before the launch party, the air wasn’t cooling off much.
Our tiny A/C unit was struggling to keep up, and I was already dreading the short walk from the building to my ride.
“There’ll be A/C inside the venue,” Jennifer reminded me, coming into the room with a hairbrush. “You’ll be fine once you arrive.”
“My hair is going to frizz.” It always did when the weather was like this.
“I say we go with a low updo and keep it off your neck,” Jennifer said, pulling my hair back and holding it in place as we both stared into the full-length mirror.
“That way you can accessorize with some pretty jewelry but still get your mask on.” Jennifer was due at the restaurant in an hour, but she’d agreed to help me get ready for the party before she left.
“We could put it up with one of those fancy claw clips you have.”
I nodded in agreement. “Then hairspray the shit out of it.”
Jennifer clapped her hands together. “That’s the spirit.”
I dragged a chair in front of the mirror and sat down as Jennifer set to work, brushing the tangles from my hair and smoothing out all the bumps. “I really wish you could come tonight,” I said.
She offered me a sad little smile in the mirror. “I tried to get tonight off, but there’s just no one to cover for me.”
I reached back to squeeze her hand. “I understand. It would have been nice to have someone there in my corner, though.”
“Well, I wouldn’t want to take away from your time with Aiden,” she teased.
I sighed, releasing her hand.
“Uh oh. What’s wrong?”
“Things have been weird with me and Aiden.”
“Weird how?” Jennifer asked, twisting my hair into a fancy knot at the back of my head.
“Just…odd,” I said. “You know that feeling you get when you’re out of step? Or like when you know you’re not connecting the way you normally do, but you don’t know why?”
She frowned as she pressed my baby hairs down with hairspray. “You feel like you’re not connecting?”
I lifted my shoulder. “It sort of feels like he’s pulling away.”
“Well, he can’t have pulled away very far…” Jennifer said, gesturing to the concealer we’d used to cover the new hickey on my collarbone.
“Yeah, okay fair,” I said. “But even with that, I had to come on pretty heavy to get Aiden to touch me in the first place.”
“Hmm…Has he said anything?”
“Nothing! I literally don’t have anything to go on, which is what’s most frustrating. It just seems like any time we’re alone together, he finds an excuse to get away from me.”
“To go where?”
“It’s been all about the launch party lately, but what if that’s just an excuse?
” When we’d finally come together at the reunion, it had felt so right, but maybe that was only on my part.
Maybe for him, it was just nostalgia or old memories getting the better of him.
It seemed like he wanted me—the grown-up me that I was now—but maybe I was just seeing what I wanted to see.
Jennifer added the clip to my hair, making adjustments until she was satisfied with the placement. “What if he’s just stressed about the launch?”
“He could be,” I said. I’d love to believe that—but it really felt like there was something more going on.
“You think you’re being paranoid because of what happened with Levi? Or because of what happened with Aiden the last time?”
“Maybe.” Perhaps I was a little hypersensitive when it came to the idea of being left behind—especially since I still didn’t know why he ended things back then.
But just because we broke up when we were kids didn’t mean it was going to happen now.
He hadn’t said anything about wanting to end things.
Maybe he was just struggling to juggle a relationship, a multi-million-dollar company, and a new product launch.
He’d said himself that he hadn’t had a serious girlfriend since he launched Elixir.
It could be that he just didn’t know how to be a good boyfriend when he had so much else going on.
Jennifer rubbed her hands up and down my arms. “Hair’s done.
You look amazing. How about you try not to stress about the Aiden stuff tonight and enjoy the evening?
You’ve worked as hard as anyone on this line.
Actually, there wouldn’t even be a line if it wasn’t for you.
So go have a good time, let people fawn over you, and we’ll figure out what’s got Aiden out of sorts tomorrow. ”
“Yeah,” I said, smiling. “Okay.” I could work with that. I would focus on one thing at a time. Tonight was the launch. Tomorrow, I would tackle everything else.
There was a knock at the door.
“That’ll be Aiden,” I said, getting to my feet and adjusting my dress once more.
Jennifer pecked me on the cheek. “I’m gonna go get ready for work. You two have fun. Don’t stress.”
“Don’t stress,” I repeated on my way to answer the door.
I sucked in a big breath, letting it out in a rush as I swung the door open.
My jaw dropped, my pulse skipping a couple beats as I took in Aiden clad in a fitted black tux, his curls slicked back, adjusting his sleeves like some sort of dashing James Bond character.
He was…
Fuck.
He looked so damn good my mouth went dry.
He smiled at me—a real, sweet smile—and the concern I’d felt moments ago shifted into giddy butterflies. “I think you were born to wear this tux,” I said.
He laughed softly, reaching for my hand. “Only so I could deserve to have someone so beautiful on my arm. You look stunning.”
“Thank you.”
“I mean it, Cora. Drop-dead gorgeous.”
A flush washed over me, and all my concerns from before felt silly. I had to relax and give Aiden a break. Of course he’d been distracted and busy working up to this night. But now here we were, about to bask in the triumph together.
It was perfect.
Tonight would be wonderful.
I let Aiden lead me down to the black limo he had waiting for us outside.
“No Ferrari?” I teased. “No Mercedes? No chariot?”
“Thought I’d let someone else worry about the driving tonight,” he said.
“But if I knew you’d finally go for a chariot, I might have considered otherwise.
” He pulled the door open for me, and I slid across the leather seats.
He joined me a moment later, laying his hand on my knee.
It sent a shiver up my spine, and I tried to shake off the thought of climbing into his lap.
As tempting as it was to fool around a little, it would mean we’d be late for the launch—a very bad idea.
“Nervous?” he asked as the driver pulled away from the curb.
“Not really,” I said. “Mostly excited. You?”
He squeezed my leg, which made me realize I’d been bouncing it. “You’re jumpy.”
“Guess I’m just looking forward to seeing all the hard work pay off.”
He leaned over and kissed my shoulder. “I’m really glad you came on board, Cora.”
“Me too.” For a moment, I thought he might lift his head and kiss my lips, but he pulled back, turning to look out the window. He spent the rest of the thirty-minute drive on his phone.
As we pulled up to the Glasshouse, the event space for tonight’s launch, I slipped my Masked Mixer mask over my head, settling it across my eyes. “How do I look?”
Aiden slipped his phone into his jacket, then reached out to adjust the mask. “Perfect. I’ll try to remember not to blow your cover tonight.”
I smirked. “Now that would get the fans talking.”
We exited the car, and Aiden offered me his arm. A pair of towering security guards escorted us into the venue.
I gaped at the space as we were let through a door.
I’d seen pictures of the Glasshouse online, but tonight it had been totally transformed into a gorgeous lounge area featuring plush velvet seating, luxurious floral displays, and gold accents that reflected the warm lighting.
The massive windows offered breathtaking panoramic views of the Hudson River and the Manhattan skyline, the buildings glittering against the evening backdrop.
The numerous outdoor terraces had been fitted with mini bar stations.
And a huge Elixir branded step and repeat was roped off along the far wall where the guests entered.
They paused for the press and photographers that crowded around, conducting interviews and taking photos.
But the real showstopper was the large, mirrored bar set up in the center of the room where expert Elixir mixologists crafted signature cocktails and mocktails.
“This is incredible,” I said, reaching up to adjust my mask once more. I turned to Aiden when he didn’t respond, only to find him waving down a group of influencers. It looked like the same crowd that had gathered to watch me compete at Bottom of the Barrel.
“Suppose I should introduce you,” he said, adjusting his suit jacket.
I blinked hard, trying not to read too much into the way he’d said that, like it would be an inconvenience. I knew this was his least favorite part of his job—playing happy host. He already wore that same tight smile he’d had on that night at Bottom of the Barrel. It was obvious he was stressed.
For a moment, I thought he might offer me his arm, but he simply inclined his head across the room. “Shall we?”
He set off for the influencers, and I followed, having to rush to keep up.
Part of me considered taking his hand. I thought my presence might comfort him, but an even bigger part of me worried he would yank his hand away in response.
He was less than a foot from me, but the distance suddenly felt enormous.
The warmth and sweetness from the limo had dissolved, replaced by what felt like indifference.
I knew I was playing the Masked Mixer tonight, but when he looked back at me, he was all business, and I immediately missed my Aiden.