“And did you?”
“Did I what?”
Although she had no claim to him, something uncomfortably close to jealousy churned. “Date her as well?”
She heard the hard tone of her voice and wished the words back. What was wrong with her? Simon had been hailed by an equal number of men and women. He was obviously well liked by both sexes. No reason for her to behave like an insecure, possessive female.
“No.” He frowned. “At least I don’t think so.”
Unable to tell if he was teasing or not, Caroline felt her insides lurch. How many women had Simon dated and forgotten? How could she dream of being the one who could catch his attention for more than a week or two? Maybe their interrupted interlude earlier that afternoon had been a blessing in disguise.
“Now that I think about it, I don’t think we dated.” Simon squeezed her hand. “Why?”
“No reason.” Caroline impaled him with a long, pointed look, but resisted the urge to ask him how long before he forgot all about her. She didn’t want to know the answer. Sometimes ignorance was bliss.
Elizabeth had reserved a table for ten, but Harold declined to join them, so Dane invited Jasmine. Watching them laugh and converse reminded Caroline that she wasn’t the only one dreading Francine’s arrival.
Earlier that afternoon, she might not have learned anything about problems with Hannah’s pregnancy, but she certainly had learned a great deal about how Francine made everyone’s life miserable with her need to be the center of attention and the way she liked to play Simon and Dane off each other.
Hannah’s rant about her future sister-in-law had softened Caroline’s attitude toward Simon and his crazy plan. She stopped resenting him for putting her in such an untenable situation and completely sympathized with his problem.
* * *
Excellent food and a robust cabernet revived Simon’s good spirits. Tonight’s event was his mother’s pride and joy. The black-and-white gala, sponsored by the country club each year, raised a great deal of money for cancer research. Simon looked upon this party with fond memories.
He’d kissed his first girl at this gala at the advanced age of thirteen. His brother had laughed at him that night. Having much better luck with girls, Dane had kissed his first girl at twelve and lost his virginity at sixteen. Simon could have explained to Dane that his first kiss wasn’t a milestone like starting to shave. It was a coming-of-age moment, a romantic setting, and the magic of the first tentative touch of her tongue against his.
His brother didn’t understand. Maybe that was Dane’s problem with Francine. He wasn’t romantic enough.
Simon enjoyed watching Caroline experience her first country club party and grinned as her eyes grew wider with each tidbit of gossip Hannah lavished on her. Leave it to his sister to spill all the dirty secrets of Savannah’s well-to-do. She had a story about every man in attendance, married or not, and each tale ended with a warning.
“And whatever you do, don’t let him dance you toward that potted plant over there. His wife nearly got into a catfight with Audrey Stall last year.”
“Honestly, Hannah,” Caroline said, laughter in her voice. “You should have warned me to bring a notebook. How am I supposed to keep all these men straight?”
Simon was happy to see Caroline relax and enjoy herself. He also liked how well she got along with his sister and Sarah. Not that he was surprised. Caroline revealed a warm, fun-loving nature when she wasn’t lecturing him about all the things he was doing wrong. Despite her reservations about their pretend engagement and the effect its eventual end might have on his family, he believed that this vacation from work and school was good for her.
“Why don’t you forget about dancing with anyone but me?” Simon suggested. Shortly after dessert had been cleared, he had put his arm across the back of her chair, preparing to glower at anyone bold enough to try to steal her away from him.
“I could,” she agreed, tossing him a saucy grin. “But I’ll bet your mother has already made sure your dance card is full.”
“I don’t care. I don’t want to dance with anyone but you.” He leaned forward to press his lips to hers.
He intended to keep the kiss light until her tongue flicked out to tease him. She grazed his nape with her nails and put her other hand on his thigh. Pulled off balance by the desire that surged between them, Simon forgot about the tableful of people around him. Her soft murmur of delight speared straight to his groin and laid waste to his control. He dipped his tongue into her mouth. She tasted like chocolate and the full-bodied cabernet they’d had with dinner. The combination went straight to his head.
“Simon, let that poor girl come up for air.”
His mother’s words and tone acted like a blast of frigid air. He lifted Caroline’s hand off his thigh and freed her mouth. The dazed, passion-drugged look on her face made easing back from her sheer torture.
“Honestly, Simon, what will our friends think??
? Hannah’s imitation of their mother was dead-on.
He speared his sister with a murderous look and raised his eyebrows at his father, who covered his amusement by coughing loudly into his napkin. Elizabeth hadn’t missed the jab and had a disapproving glare of her own for Hannah.
“Oh good, the music is starting.” Charles stood up and held out his hand to Elizabeth. “Shall we, my dear?”
Shooting one last warning look at her wayward children, Elizabeth stood up and let her husband escort her onto the dance floor. The band played an old-fashioned waltz and Charles swept his wife into a dramatic twirl. Beside him, Caroline murmured her appreciation.