So in being grateful and trusting her, I let Ellie Sutherland blindside me.
Ellie was an art history lecturer and tutor at the University of Edinburgh. She told me she was being forced to attend a formal award ceremony on a Saturday evening and since they couldn’t get a babysitter in time, Adam couldn’t attend with her. She begged me to come keep her company.
And I agreed.
Wearing a peacock-blue Diane von Furstenberg dress I’d bought for the occasion, I’d hoped I was appropriately attired as the taxi pulled up to the hotel where the ceremony was being held. The dress had three-quarter sleeves and hit me above the knee, a wrap dress with a slightly daring V in the cleavage. Paired with matching peacock-blue platform peep-toe shoes, I was sexy-classy and now worried that perhaps for an academic award ceremony, I should have gone with conservative-classy.
Turns out that was really the least of my worries.
I texted Els to let her know I was pulling up. As I walked through the hotel foyer, she hurried toward me, gorgeous in a champagne-colored satin slip dress and strappy sandals.
“Wow, you look amazing,” I said, meaning it and feeling better about the sexiness of my own outfit. “You’re literally a hot momma.”
She smiled, but there was something nervous about it that immediately put me on edge. “You look gorgeous, too. So gorgeous.” Now there was something pleased and calculating in her expression.
“What’s going on?”
“You’re late, that’s what is going on.” She looped her arm through mine and gently tugged me through the reception.
“This is the time you told me to be here.”
“Is it? I thought I said seven.” She was lying. She knew exactly what time she’d told me. Altogether her manner was strange.
Something was definitely up.
“Ellie, what is—” I was cut off as she led me in through a set of doors and I found myself not at an award ceremony at all.
Instead there was a live indie rock band playing on the stage at the far end of a massive room. Tons of people danced in the middle while even more sat at circular tables lining the edges of the dance floor.
There weren’t any balloons or streamers, but the tables were decorated and I noted that a lot of the guests were teenagers.
I quirked an eyebrow at Ellie.
She grimaced. “Don’t kill me.”
“What did you do?” I at once felt a little ill and automatically my gaze searched the crowd.
I found him easily.
Braden stood by a table talking to Adam and a group of people I didn’t recognize.
My eyes swung back to Braden.
I now understood that old cliché about water and the desert. Braden was that tall, cold drink of water I’d been thirsting after since deserting myself in a dry, hot wasteland when I broke things off.
“Ellie.”
“This is Declan’s eighteenth birthday party.”
Shock and horror ripped through me; at the same time, every cell in my body came alive upon finding myself in the same room with Braden. “Why?” I whispered, feeling betrayed.
She gripped my hand tightly. “Please, please don’t hate me. I … I thought you guys should spend some time together now that you’re trying to move through …”
I groaned. “Ellie, I’m not miraculously changed overnight. And Braden’s situation hasn’t, either. In fact, right now, I am the last thing he needs.”
It was true. Ellie had told me only a few days ago that Kiersten had agreed to give Abby to Braden for the weekend to celebrate Declan’s birthday. (Ellie had told me they were having a family party on Sunday … little sneak.) During the week, Kiersten had changed her mind, refusing to allow it unless Braden paid off credit card debt she had accrued buying too many pairs of Jimmy Choos.
He had her repeat her demands while he secretly recorded the conversation.
Braden had refused to pay the debt, losing out on Abby for the weekend, but he’d gotten evidence that his ex was blackmailing him and using their child to do it.
I didn’t think it would be long before they saw the court.
Hence why I was pissed Ellie had put me in his path this of all weekends.
“Does he know you invited me?”
“Yes. I told him.”
“Was he angry?” I didn’t really want to know.
“Um … well … I only told him an hour ago.”
“Ellie Sutherland!”
“I told you it would go well.”
We spun around to find Adam smirking at his wife.
“It’s fine,” Ellie said airily. “Isn’t it, Joss?”
She begged me with her eyes, as if to say, “Don’t let my husband be right, I’ll never live it down.” But I hadn’t forgiven her yet.
“If me wanting to bury you in your own backyard is called being fine, then yes, we’re fine.” My grin was shark-like.
Adam snorted. “Braden said something similar.”
I flinched. “I should leave.”
“No.” Adam lifted his hands in apology as Ellie shot daggers at him. “No, don’t go. Braden’s fine. He was just a little surprised when Els told him you’d be here.”
“He doesn’t think I agreed to this, did he?”
“No. Els told him what she’d done. I think his exact words were, ‘Well, I don’t have to kill you then, because Jocelyn will flay you alive for the both of us.’”
“Wow.” I wanted to look over at Braden, but I determinedly didn’t. “He thinks I’m pretty scary, huh.”
“You are scary.” Ellie slid her arm around my shoulders and hugged me to her. “But in a cute way.”
I frowned. “I’m not cute, Ellie.”
She laughed and tried to lead me into the room.
“I didn’t bring a birthday gift,” I said, stalling.
“Pfft! My brother has gotten more presents than five teenagers need.”
And that was how I found myself being led unwillingly across a dance floor to meet Ellie’s parents and converse with Braden for the first time in three months.
&
nbsp; We’d been apart longer than we’d been dating.
So why couldn’t I breathe the moment he turned to watch us approach?
To make matters worse, his expression was carefully blank.
“Braden, you remember Joss,” Ellie said breezily.
I cut her a dirty look but she beamed at me like I’d called her a princess.
“Jocelyn.” Braden nodded at me. “Let me be the first to apologize for Ellie.”
“I would have,” Adam piped up, giving me an apologetic look, “but I want to get laid tonight.”
“Words every mother wants to hear.” A tall, older blond rolled her eyes at Adam as she appeared at Braden’s side. Her eyes cut to me. “I’m Elodie Nichols, Ellie’s mum. It’s nice to meet you, Jocelyn.”
I shook her hand, relieved by her warm welcome. “It’s just Joss.”
“Clark,” she called over her shoulder, “come and meet Joss.”
Thirty seconds later, I was shaking hands with Ellie’s friendly stepfather, followed by introductions to Hannah, Ellie’s half-sister, and her date, Marco D’Alessandro. Hannah was statuesque, curvy, and drop-dead gorgeous. Marco was this too-beautiful-to-be-real, half-Italian, half-black American who towered over even Braden and had biceps that made me figuratively drool. If Hannah weren’t so smart and snarky and Marco didn’t look at her like she was an angel fallen from heaven, it might have been hard to like them.
But I did like them.
I liked them all. Or I imagined I would like them all. I hadn’t met Declan yet as he was on the dance floor rocking out with his friends.
The truth? I focused on liking these people because it meant I didn’t have to focus on Braden whose blank expression had quickly given way to intense study of my every move.
I wanted to rip the well-fitting black shirt right off his body.
Shit fuckity shit fuck.
“So,” I tried to place Marco’s accent as I stared up into his stunning green-blue eyes, “Chicago?”
He nodded. “For the most part. I’ve been living in Scotland a while. You?”
“Virginia. But I’ve been in Edinburgh for the past twelve years.”
Hannah cocked her head to the side as she leaned into her date. “You don’t have an accent.”