Page 9 of This Could Be Us
“I did not skulk off. I told you exactly where I was going and that I had something I had to address with my assistant. Judging by the way I saw Cross looking at you, I should be the one who’s suspicious.”
My hand freezes, suspending the fork between my plate and my mouth. “What do you mean?”
“He couldn’t take his eyes off your ass.” Edward smirks. “Didn’t know he had it in him. He’s always such a cold fish.”
The way his eyes held mine. The warm smile that slipped behind a cloud when Edward came. Judah hadn’t seemed cold to me. Focused. Intent. Imperturbable. Yes.
But cold?
When I recall the few moments we shared in the buffet line, my cheeks heat, but I shiver.
“It’s that skimpy dress,” Edward says around a mouthful of green beans.
“What?” I force myself to focus on his words.
“If you had worn the red dress I liked, you wouldn’t be cold now.”
Glancing down at my bare arm, I see the telltale goose bumps and clear my throat. “I’m not cold.”
“Well, I’m not gonna complain, because of the way Cross was looking at you in that dress.” He chuckles and reaches for a glass of wine from the table. “And then to realize you’remywife. Priceless.”
The self-satisfied expression on his face steals what little is left ofmy appetite. I push my plate away and stand. He stares up at me, an unspoken question on his face.
“Bathroom.” I toss the linen napkin over my barely touched plate of tasteless food. “I’ll be right back.”
I leave the room, relief slumping my shoulders as soon as I’m out of view. A long hall stretches before me, which, if I remember correctly, leads to a powder room. Once inside, I stare at my reflection.
The way Cross was looking at you.
Edward’s words ring in my head. What did Judah see when he looked at me? I assess the woman in the mirror, turning this way and that to view myself in the gold dress from every angle. Not bad for a mother of three.
Rejuvenation, my ass.
Even though I see Edward’s hurtful comment for what it is, a tiny sliver of doubt pricks my heart. I’ve spent my whole adult life with one man. Slept with one man for nearly two decades. He wasn’t my first, but he’s been my last, and I’ve been his. And now I have tobeghim to fuck me?
Would anyone else even want me? Maybe I’m… maybe I’m not…
I draw in a marshaling breath and fluff the hair around my shoulders. I will have my midlife breakdown just like every other self-respecting woman in Skyland—in the privacy of my home, with a good wine to drown my doubts, without fear of public humiliation.
I leave the bathroom and stand still in the hall, dreading returning to the table and to the fake smiles and sharp asides Edward and I have been exchanging all night. Hell, all week. A giggle somewhere close echoes in the hall. Curious, I follow the sound, cautiously poking my head around the corner. Amber stands in an alcove, almost hidden. A man with dark hair has his arms wrapped around her, one hand on her ass. She giggles up at him but catches sight of me over his shoulder.
“Mrs. Barnes!” she squeaks, jumping guiltily away from the man.
“Sorry.” I raise my hands as if in self-defense. “I was looking for the powder room and started wandering.”
“Yeah. Of—of course,” she stutters, her eyes zipping from me to the guy. “This is my… cousin Gerald.”
Cousin? What, in the backwoods? With that hand on her ass? I’d hate to seethatfamily reunion. Incest much?
He turns to face me, a phony smile pasted on his face.
“Gerald works in IT,” Amber rushes on. “Right, Gerald?”
Gerald nods. “Right.”
“Oh, that’s great,” I murmur. “Well, it was nice finally meeting you, Amber. Edward says you’re invaluable.”
“Thank you.” Her eyes flick away from me and then back. “He’s a great boss.”