I chuckle. “Did you grow up in this house?”
“Yes, mostly. We stayed at the hotel sometimes but it was rare. Summers were—oh.”
A couple approaches us. My smile freezes in place, switches from genuine to professional.
“St. Clair,” Isaac says with a nod. “And Cecilia, it’s always a pleasure to see you.”
“But not me?” Victor says. He does it straight-faced, but there’s a hint of humor in his eyes. I’ve never been this close to him before. His leadership at Exciteur is stern, but hands-off, and he prefers his orders to come filtered through his COO.
And from what I’ve heard, that’s probably for the best.
He’s also the man who assigned Isaac’s case to my team with the instructionsspecial friend of the CEO.
Around my glass of champagne, my hand turns clammy.
“You remember Sophia,” Isaac says. “You met briefly at Anthony’s house out in Montauk in August?”
Cecilia’s eyes are warm on mine. “Yes, that’s right. It’s lovely to meet you again.”
Victor extends a hand. There’s no spark of recognition in his eyes. They’re guarded, intelligent. Unreadable. “A pleasure to meet you again,” he says. The words are similar to his wife’s, but spoken with a lot less feeling.
My stomach sinks. He doesn’t recognize me. Not from the brief hello at the party, and not from Exciteur.
“Thank you,” I say. “It’s Sophia Bishop.”
Maybe he knows the name.
But he just nods. Takes a sip of his drink and glances out at the rest of the guests. Cecilia makes a comment about the decorations, and Isaac responds, all while I realize that my boss’s boss doesn’t know who I am. All he knows is that I’m Isaac Winter’s date.
Maybe all he’d done was told the COO to give the Winter project to the best team they had, and she’d chosen mine. Still flattering.
But it’s humbling, all the same.
Cecilia takes a step closer to me. “So I’d love to hear how you and Isaac met,” she says.
I chuckle. “Well, that’s a funny story. It was about a year ago, but we didn’t start dating until recently. I… well, I used to be married.”
I tell her the gory parts and leave out the Exciteur ones. The night spins onwards in a tangle of polite conversation and genuine connection. It doesn’t take long until we’re joined by others, names and faces I recognize from Montauk. Anthony’s business partners and their wives are there, too. They talk in comfortable tones about the upcoming holidays, about trips and companies and kids.
They’re as welcoming as they had been at the last party.
Anthony and Summer sit down beside us in the backyard. “We finally got away from Aunt Kelly,” Anthony says, and runs a hand along his jaw. It’s a move so similar to Isaac that it makes me smile. “She wanted a beat by beat update about Theo’s growth.”
“We should invite her and John over for dinner one of these days,” Summer says. “Maybe along with your parents. She can inspect him thoroughly herself.”
Anthony nods, but he doesn’t look thrilled at the prospect. Isaac’s lips twitch. From what he’s told me, his brother’s not exactly the extroverted kind.
“Oh yes, spend time with extended family,” Tristan says dryly. “The worst thing in the world.”
Anthony shakes his head. “Yeah, it is, when they won’t stop asking if and when we’ll have another kid.”
“They’re not that bad,” Summer says with a smile. Her blonde hair has a beautiful sheen beneath the string lights threaded over the backyard. “They’re just so in love with Theo.”
“Well, he’s easy to love,” Isaac says. Does he want kids of his own? It’s not something we’ve spoken about.
“So, how do you two feel now?” one of the men asks Summer and Anthony. He’s auburn-haired, a teasing grin on his face. “Your son might get some competition in inheriting the family business, if Isaac’s game holds up.”
Chuckles erupt around us, some heartier than others. I smile too. It’s expected of me. After all, they’re implying that Isaac and I might have kids.If his game holds up.