AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Anitta’s expression darkens. “You need to watch how you’re talking to me.”
“Don’t you worry about Pearl, baby. She’s going to regret falling into bed with just any old man.”
“Are you kidding? You’re one to talk. You’re dating your ex’s cousin!” River cries, getting heated.
I place my hand on his bicep and squeeze it to draw his attention to me. “Calm down, honey.”
Bishop points at River. “We have a problem. If we weren’t surrounded by all these fancy people, I’d beat your ass.”
River gives Bishop a feral grin. “I would love to see you try.”
“River!” I hiss. “Look around you! You’re drawing a lot of attention to us. This is not the time nor the place for a fight.”
He looks around to the gathering crowd of onlookers and his mouth thins. “Sorry, darlin. You’re right.”
Bishop sneers. Anitta pulls at his arm. “Let’s go, baby. I see some people that I want to talk to,” she says. She shoots me a murderous glare as Bishop shakes his head and walks away.
As soon as they are swallowed up in the crowd, River slides his gaze back to me. “Where’s your engagement ring?”
“Uhh…” I stammer. “In a Ziploc inside my purse. Why?”
He gives me a smug look. “Because. It’s time that we told the whole town just how serious we are.”
River gestures for me to hand it to him, his eyes on the crowd. Feeling my stomach drop, I juggle my wine and look in my purse. “What are you going to do?” I whisper. I sneak the ring into his hand and he puts it in his pocket.
“You’ll see.” A malicious grin breaks out across his face. “Stay put.”
Draining the contents of his whiskey glass, River wades through the crowd. I’m left alone with my glass of wine, nervously clutching it. I don’t even take a sip but feeling it in my hand grounds me somehow. My eyes dart around the ballroom.
What is River planning? I can’t guess, but I don’t think I’m going to like it.
Before me, the sea of brightly-colored ball gowns and black tuxedos ebbs and flows. I empty my wineglass and turn toward the bar for a refill. A second glass is definitely something I’ve earned tonight.
I’m almost to the bar when I hear someone tap a microphone. Freezing in place, my eyes widen.
He wouldn’t.
“Hello, everyone,” River says.
I squeeze my eyes closed for the briefest moment. My heart pounds. I turn ever so slowly, looking for River.
“Everyone having a good time? Be sure to open your hearts –and your checkbooks – for this event. My mom, Mrs. Sarah Bennett-Taylor, would kill me if I didn’t mention her charity first. Thank you all for supporting the Bennett Foundation for Pediatric Health.”
I finally find him. He’s standing across the room on the small stage that was set up for the jazz quartet. I see him scanning the crowd. “Where is my girlfriend?” he says. “Pearl, come up here, if you will.”
A sudden buzz ripples through the crowd. As if by magic, the crowd steps back from me, leaving me standing alone.
Oh god. Am I dead? Is this a nightmare?
River catches my gaze and smiles encouragingly. “Pearl is shy. Come on, darlin’.”
I shoot him a pleading look, but start moving toward him, feeling as though I’m slogging through wet sand. My cheeks are on fire. My head dips down.
Why didn’t I tell River that being called out in public like this is the very last thing I’d ever want?
The crowd parts like the Red Sea, forming a narrow path up to the stage. I plod along it until I find myself being helped onstage by my friendly fake fiancé.
His sapphire eyes twinkle as he grips my cold fingers. “Hello, darlin’.”
