A Sweet Deal (Crimson Romance) (14 page)

Tonight, Richard’s attention would be divided, with friends and family, dinner attendees, and business associates all vying for his time. He wouldn’t be able to spend the entire night focused on her, but she knew that he would keep her close by his side. Before the evening ended, she’d be introduced to everyone important in his life and a hundred other people she’d likely forget. Since the engagement became public knowledge, it had seemed important to him that people know that they were together. Yvette didn’t care what people outside of her family thought of her or her relationship with Richard, but she had to admit that it was nice to have him so willing to be open about it with the public.

• • •

The hotel ballroom was awash with twinkling lights, the sounds of dozens of cultured voices chattering, and silverware clinking against china. Richard squeezed Yvette’s hand as they entered the ballroom together and heads turned towards them. He kissed the top of her head and leaned down to whisper in her ear, almost close enough to taste her skin. “Ready to do this?”

She nodded and smiled up at him, stopping his heart for a second, and they made their way through the room. They wound through groups of people, occasionally stopping to chat, until they found their table towards the front of the room. Two of the eight chairs circling the table were occupied by Richard’s college roommate and his wife. That left two mystery couples yet to arrive. One was likely reserved for his father and whichever woman managed to snag his attention enough to finagle a date. Yvette squeezed his hand, a gentle reminder that they were in this together. He pulled a chair out for her and she smoothed her dress under her as she sat. His breath caught in his throat when he looked down at her, grace and beauty wrapped in a stunning package.

He said hello to the guests at their table and took the seat next to her. He leaned over to whisper in her ear, noticing her subtle fragrance. “I’m pretty sure my father is seated at our table.”

Yvette turned her head until her cheek brushed against his face. The brief contact sent a shot of longing through his body, and he wished the night would end soon so he could get her alone. She whispered, “You’re not worried I’ll try to talk shop all night, are you?”

“I’ll just have to whisk you out of here if you do. I have ways to distract you.” He laughed, but the truth was that he hadn’t told her about the deal he and his father had struck. His father had agreed not to disclose their arrangement to Yvette, but things could become awkward if she decided to press the issue. All it would take to send everything bubbling over would be a casual remark about resuming talks, or a mention about missing opportunities if they didn’t take her deal. Richard hoped that the conversation would remain social tonight, and he was determined to keep her focus on him and away from work.

He straightened up and introduced her to the couple seated at their table. “Yvette, this is my old friend, Brent Bixby. Brent, this is my fiancée, Yvette Cruz.” Richard saw the flash of surprise on Brent’s face as he leaned over to shake Yvette’s hand. “This is Brent’s wife, Penelope. Penelope, Yvette.” He smiled at Brent’s wife as she took Yvette’s hand. Brent and Penelope had been married for years, and Richard had known them through their entire relationship. They were always urging him to find a wife and settle down despite his protests, so he knew that his engagement would come as a huge surprise.

“It’s so nice to meet you Yvette.” Penelope gave Yvette a bright smile and turned to Richard, wagging a finger between the two of them. “Now, when did this happen? We didn’t even know you were dating anyone.” Her eyes danced with excitement, as though he were joining some secret club. He knew the news that he had finally decided to settle down would thrill her.

“Well, I wasn’t seeing anyone until I met Yvette. Let’s see, we’ve been engaged about a month now, so things are really new for us still.” Their one-month trial period was ending, and she’d shown no signs that she wasn’t interested in moving things forward. It was amazing how fast the time had flown by. He smiled at Yvette before dropping a sweet kiss on her lips and turning back to Penelope. “You look lovely this evening, Pen. How are the boys?”

“Wonderful, growing like weeds, into everything, you know, being boys.” Penelope’s surprise at his engagement dissolved in her enthusiasm for chatting about her children. “Scott is in first grade now, and he’s been taking piano lessons. It’s the cutest thing. Ethan is in preschool, and he amazes me every day with the new things he picks up. Time flies, you know? It’s crazy how fast they grow up.”

“Wow. I can remember when those little guys were born.” He smiled indulgently at Penelope.

“It is so nice to meet some of Richard’s friends. How do you all know each other?” Yvette asked, leaning in to join the conversation.

“Rich and I met when we were freshmen in college back at the University of Pennsylvania, then we roomed together in business school at Wharton. And I work for Morgan Enterprises now. I guess I just couldn’t stay away from this guy,” Brent answered with a hearty laugh.

“He’s being a little modest. Brent doesn’t just work for Morgan Enterprises, he heads up our pet care division over in Reading. We’d be lost without him.”

Penelope leaned in, propping her elbows on the table, barely concealing her curiosity. “Yvette, how did you and Richard meet?” Her eyes sparkled with interest as her lips curled back in an open smile.

“I’ve known about Richard for a long time, and we’d spoken on the phone,” Yvette answered and Penelope nodded, “but I suppose the first time we actually met was at the Confectioners conference in Las Vegas.”

Penelope looked intrigued. “Oh, so you work in candy too? You don’t work at Morgan Confectioners, do you?”

Yvette started to answer, but Richard interrupted. “She works for Saffron Sweets.”

Unsurprisingly, Brent looked confused. Richard had confided in him when talks began with Saffron about the transaction and the tension it had caused between him and his father. He laughed to diffuse the tension. “Our relationship has nothing to do with the business. I mean, look at her. I couldn’t help but fall in love.”

Yvette looked pleased by the compliment and gave him a sweet smile. It still surprised him how much things had changed between them. He planted a soft kiss on her lips, careful not to muss her lipstick.

The crowd stirred a bit, and the room’s energy changed, became charged and electric somehow. He looked up to see his father approaching the table, stopping to kiss cheeks and shake hands as he wove his way through the crowd. Michael Morgan was a force of nature. He was brilliant in business, handsome, powerful, and most importantly, he still seemed accessible. Richard didn’t see a woman accompanying him, but he was sure that he had brought a date, most likely someone half his age and completely inappropriate for him. Richard stood to greet him as he approached, then broke into a wide smile when he saw his younger brother, Robert, following close behind.

Sure enough, a gorgeous blonde caught up to them and grabbed onto his father’s arm as he made his way through the room. Richard laughed to himself at the latest choice of companion. She looked like she would rather be anywhere but at a charity dinner for something as depressing as pediatric cancer. His father was a wizard at reading people and managing personalities when it came to business, but whenever a beautiful woman came into the picture he seemed to lose whatever sense he had.

They reached the table and enveloped Richard in a bear hug, giving him a few hearty pats on the back. Michael’s date twirled a lock of gleaming platinum hair around perfectly manicured fingers as she scanned the room, looking bored.

“Robert, I can’t believe you made it. It’s good to see you, man, really good. What an awesome surprise.” Richard couldn’t stop smiling. It had been months since he’d seen his younger brother, and he didn’t think he was going to make the trip from New York to join them at the benefit.

“I couldn’t miss your big night. Besides, I wasn’t convinced you were really engaged, man. I had to see it for myself, I guess.” Robert clapped him on the shoulder. “I mean, if you’re getting married, she’s got to be something special. I had to get down here to meet the woman good enough to get you to take the plunge again.”

“Son, it’s always great to see you, but your lovely fiancée is positively breathtaking. Yvette, it’s so nice to see you, dear.” His father took Yvette’s hand and kissed her fingertips when she stood to greet him. “We’re practically family now. Give an old man a hug.” He pulled her into an embrace that seemed to rankle his date, then stepped back and held Yvette at arms’ length, giving her an appraising gaze. “How have you been feeling? You look absolutely radiant.”

Yvette was clearly pleased by his compliment. “I’ve been a little tired, but I’m fine. I’m feeling good, and the baby’s healthy. Everything’s going well.”

His father beamed at her, his chest puffed with pride and his eyes sparkling with affection. Richard couldn’t remember the last time he had seen his father look so genuinely happy. Impending grandfather-hood agreed with him. He held her hands in his, grinning like a kid on Christmas until his gaze flitted over her left ring finger. His smile faltered for a second before he recovered it, and he stepped back from Yvette. “Well my dear, you look beautiful, just stunning.”

Robert gave Richard a discreet thumbs-up sign before greeting Yvette. “I’m Robert, Richard’s younger and much more handsome brother.” She laughed and held out her hand to him, but he pulled her into a hug. “It’ll be nice to have a woman in the family again. There’s too much testosterone floating around the Morgan clan with just us three guys.”

“I’m thrilled to be joining the family.” She beamed at him, clearly in her element. She was his perfect match, and he could have gone the rest of his life without realizing it. Her traditional upbringing and closely held values were more in line with Richard’s than he would have guessed. Months ago, he would have pegged her as the worst thing that could’ve happened to him. Now, she was the answer to dreams he didn’t think he’d had.

His father leaned over to Richard and spoke softly, so no one could overhear. “That’s not your mother’s ring.”

Richard stiffened. The ring he bought for Yvette was beautiful, a sparkling tribute to his developing feelings for her, but true, it wasn’t his mother’s ring. When Richard was eighteen, his father had given him his mother’s wedding ring to give to his own bride someday. Chelsea had deemed it too modest for her taste, which should have alerted Richard to impending trouble, but didn’t at the time. After the demise of his first marriage, Richard was so determined that he would never marry again that he’d locked it away in his safe deposit box. The ring represented everything that he would never have in this life: pure love, uncompromising commitment, untethered passion for another person. It was his one enduring link to his mother, and he never considered giving it to anyone else, no matter how greedy it seemed. He wanted it to keep her memory close to his heart, perhaps selfishly, and he would never pass it along to his own bride.

He glanced at her, and saw with relief that she was chatting with Penelope and didn’t overhear the conversation. Surely she’d understand the significance of the ring sitting in the safe deposit box and would be hurt that it wasn’t the one sitting on her finger. He knew that she wouldn’t ask for it, but their developing relationship was so tenuous that he didn’t want to take any chances.

Richard took his father’s arm and moved him a few feet away from the table. “Our engagement was a bit rushed, due to the circumstances. My assistant helped me get Yvette’s ring on short notice.”

His brow furrowed. “You still have your mother’s ring, right?”

“Of course I do. It’s in my safe deposit box.” Richard hoped his tone would end the conversation. Yvette wasn’t stupid, and she wasn’t unobservant. She was a proud woman, so surely she wouldn’t ask him about the ring if she overheard, but he knew that it could hurt her.

“So, why not go get it?”

Richard shot a quick glance towards the table and noted with relief that Yvette was laughing at something Robert had said. He lowered his voice and leaned close, hoping his father would get the hint that he didn’t want to talk about the ring. “Because I already gave her a ring.”

“What, did you lose the receipt or something? I think your mom would’ve wanted her daughter-in-law to wear her wedding ring.”

“I know. It’s important, but it happened so fast. I just bought a ring and proposed. I didn’t think about it at the time.”

“Okay, I just think it’s strange.”

“I’ll take care of it. Please don’t mention it to Yvette until I do.” Richard realized he was speaking through gritted teeth and took half a step back, deliberately relaxing.

“Whatever you say.” His father clapped him on the shoulder and walked towards his seat, belatedly greeting the rest of the guests at the table. He introduced his date to everyone, and Richard was treated to a tepid smile and a limp handshake from her before she took her seat.

He breathed a sigh of relief. Surely his father would have his hands full entertaining his date and would drop the issue of the ring for the night. Penelope engaged Yvette in conversation, and Richard took the opportunity to mentally review his speech. He was looking forward to speaking to the crowd tonight. Unlike many people, he enjoyed public speaking and found that it was a great opportunity to influence giving when he spoke for causes that he believed in.

Yvette’s hand found his thigh under the table and gave him a light squeeze. His focus flew from his impending speech to the warmth of her skin on his leg. What was it about her that got to him? It was a lot to wrap his mind around, but she had a way of calming him, of centering him, without even trying.

Suddenly, he became aware that all eyes were on him and realized that his name had been called. It was time to make his way to the front of the room and address the crowd. His fingers found the notes for tonight’s speech in his pocket, and he stood, ready to project confidence and optimism. He cleared his mind and regained his focus as he reached the podium and moved the microphone up to his face to address the room.