“No, she found a much younger man. Can you believe it?”
“Don’t hate the player.” I enjoyed how he settled his palm on my thigh and rubbed circles as he laughed along with me. “Her loss, my gain, though.”
* * *
We pulled up to a stately mansion as elegant as any place I’d ever been. The redbrick pathway led to stairs nestled between huge white columns, up-lit from behind pristine rosebushes. All around us, women in flowing gowns and men in tuxedos moved into the opulent structure or milled about in the gardens visible from the front of the house.
My jaw must have dropped as Jake took my arm and helped me out of the car, handing the keys to the young valet.
“I’m a little out of my depth,” I whispered as we made our way toward the front entrance. That was an understatement. This place could have been a plantation house, and I was surrounded by a lot of very wealthy people.
Try something new. Check.
He pulled me closer. “It’s easy. Laugh at their jokes, especially if they look rich and ready to donate, take liberal advantage of the open bar, and no matter how amazing the time-share looks at the silent auction, don’t bid on it.”
“Do you speak from experience?”
“Branson wasn’t really my thing.” He nodded to another young man holding the door for us as we entered an immaculate ballroom draped with lush fabrics and filled with sprays of flowers. “And stick close to me. That doesn’t have anything to do with navigating the gala; I just like having you close.” He dipped his head toward mine, brushing his lips against my ear, his hand resting on my lower back. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“I’m glad, too.” We locked eyes, both grinning, and I slid my hand to his.
The charity was for leukemia research, and the speeches from doctors and survivors moved me to tears. Jake’s arm came around my shoulder when he noticed me wiping a tear from my eye, wordlessly offering comfort.
After that, he never stopped touching me. Whether it was his thumb stroking my knee through the fabric of my dress, his arm around my shoulder, or his lips brushing against my temple and cheek, the contact was subtle and sweet. A spark zinged through me every single time.
Once the program was over, we were mobbed by people wanting to talk to my handsome date. Jake seemed to know everyone, and laughed at all their jokes, whether delivered by someone funny or by someone rich.
“You’re so good at the schmoozing,” I whispered as we left a group of people to head to the dance floor. “I had it in my head you were shy.”
Jake chuckled. “Do you think I have them fooled?”
“I think you have me fooled.”
“You get the real me,” he said. “I can be the person out front when I need to, but I much prefer to be behind the scenes or one-on-one.”
“You’re good at one-on-one.” I rested my palms on his shoulders as we reached the dance floor, and his hand settled on my waist. Around us, couples swayed, their conversation a low hum over the music from the quartet onstage.
“It’s a cause I believe in. I started volunteering at hospitals as a Boy Scout, and I never stopped.”
That he’d been volunteering to help kids with cancer and their families for a couple decades made the feelings squeezing my heart even stronger. I wasn’t ready to acknowledge them or fixate on what flaws of his I had to be missing. Instead, I asked, “You were an honest-to-God Boy Scout?”
“Eagle Scout, actually.” His crisp scent filled my nostrils, and I leaned in, noticing the way his eyes crinkled at the mention of the accomplishment. “At first, it was a way for my dad and me to spend time together without all my sisters, but then I got into it. I told you I was a nerdy kid.”
I shook my head with a smile. “You’re a nerdy adult, but I told you, I like nerds. And you’ve been volunteering all this time? That’s incredible, Jake.” I tipped my head up, unsure if I was hoping to kiss him or let all my feelings spill out, but I didn’t get the chance to do either.
“And who might you be, pretty lady?” A man with thin white hair and slurred speech approached us at the edge of the dance floor, and I pulled back, startled.
“A little something on the side, huh, Shaw? Haven’t seen your wife tonight.” He swayed, leering at me unabashedly.
Jake shifted, placing more of his body between me and the drunk man. “No, Bertram. I’m separated from Gretchen.”
The man looked me over again, and Jake’s body tensed next to me. “You’re light skinned, but your features sure look colored, or are we supposed to say African American now? I can never keep it straight what you people want to be called. I like pretty light-skinned girls, though.” He winked before turning back to Jake. “Didn’t think you had it in you, boy.”