Gold Shimmer (16 page)

I
stand out of sight, staring at them talking politics and upcoming elections in the fall. Wealth rubbing shoulders with wealth, hoping even more wealth will rub off on them. What I
want
can’t be bought. I deserve it, but it’s not mine. Not yet, but soon.

I scan the room, seeking Celeste. My heart thumps when my gaze lands on her. She’s talking to her younger sister. I study Elizabeth with an unbiased eye. She is pretty with the mischievous streak of someone who has never known suffering or sadness. She makes you smile and enjoy her company, but her eyes don’t hold the depth that Celeste’s do. She has more layers than I ever knew, making her even more interesting.

She
is beautiful. Her smile is genuine, her eyes alight with curiosity at everyone around her. When Ben walks up and she calls him Batman, I tense. What the hell is that about?

I watch him touch her hand while he talks about his plans to set up his medical practice and my gaze slits. Fury clenches my insides.
You don’t have permission to touch her. She’s not yours. She’ll never be yours.
Celeste belongs to me.
Only me.

I skim my gaze over her face once more and shake off the anger at myself for not pushing my plans for Celeste forward before now.

She will resist like she always has. And a part of me will enjoy hurting her for all the suffering she’s put me through. But the thought of making her bleed so that things will fall in line makes me smile.

She’s held me off long enough. Soon, I’ll own her body and soul.

I
shake my head in bemusement as I watch Ben Hemming walk away to get a drink. He’s just a year younger than Jake, but it’s hard to believe he and Jake are related. It had been great to put a face with the nice guy in the Batman costume I danced briefly with at the masked party.

Even though I had to pretend I already knew who he was, Ben was easy to talk to. I remember him being on the thin side that night at the party, but in four years his hair had turned an even darker brown and he had filled out to a sleek, athletic build. Apparently he’s whip smart to already have his medical degree a whole year sooner than his peers.

Unlike most of the types slowly filling up the Carver’s ballroom, Ben didn’t come across as the kind of person to dissect every word I uttered for its worth and credibility. Instead, he laughed at my quips about politics, saying, “You should be bluntly honest more often. It’s charming, Celeste. You’re making me reconsider.” Our conversation had been pleasant, like normal people chatting at a party.

“Celeste, come and greet our guests.” Nadine’s green gaze spears past the businessmen in front of her and she waves, beckoning me forward.

My stomach tenses into knots as I approach Celeste’s mother. How I manage a smile once I reach her side, I have no idea. She looks tired, but even with her illness she’s still a very attractive woman. “You look beautiful,” I say as I take her hand and admire her floor length black chiffon dress and the four-caret teardrop diamond pendant earrings that match her necklace.

Nadine’s gaze holds mine long enough to make me squirm. When she finally squeezes my hand and smiles, her gaze sliding over the off-the-shoulder bodice and long, fitted sleeves, to the tea-length pencil-style skirt, I slowly exhale my pent up breath. Paired with Celeste’s red-bottomed black patent pumps, the dress manages to be both elegant and subtly sexy. I’m just so glad the back forms a deep-vee to my waist. It might’ve made wearing the bra Celeste bought for it impossible to wear, but at least then I won’t get overheated. Apparently fitted velvet is quite warm.

“That wine color is exquisite on you, dear,” Nadine says before turning to the two men she’d been speaking to. “Gentlemen, my oldest daughter, Celeste.” Looking at me, she indicates the thin-faced, middle-aged man with rosy cheeks. “You remember Governor Marlin.”

As the Governor shakes my hand, the blond-haired man to his right smiles at me. “I’m Alan Warren, Celeste.”

I welcome the Governor, then turn to Mr. Warren. “It’s nice to meet you, Mayor Warren.”

Clearly pleased to be recognized, Alan takes my hand once the Governor releases it. “It’s wonderful to meet you. I hope you’ll come as our special guest at the upcoming city-council meeting next week?”

A moment of panic grips me, seizing my throat. I manage to smile and make a
mhmm
sound. The mayor is in his early forties with honest brown eyes and the firm handshake of someone who stands by what he says. I hope politics doesn’t ruin that about him.

I release his hand and realize too late that the way he’s grinning at me means I must’ve just agreed. Well crap. So much for no one asking me tough questions.

“I’m sure, Celeste will make every effort to be there, Alan, but her schedule is pretty full with family business duties.”

As the mayor nods his understanding, I slide an appreciative look Nadine’s way. I have no clue what Celeste really does if her title in the family business is just that, but I can’t help but be a bit in awe of Celeste’s mother. This whole way of life is so alien to me, yet despite her illness Nadine maneuvers through the murkiness like an elegant swan gliding across a pond. Watching Alan take it in stride, clearly enthralled by her charms makes me realize just how one-dimensional photography can be. I can’t possibly capture
all
the nuances that go on underneath the glitz and glamour.

A tall, well-built man in his early-fifties walks up to our group. “Good evening, gentlemen. You look as lovely as ever, Nadine,” he says as he offers her his hand.

Nadine folds his between hers and gives him a warm smile. “Thank you for coming, Phillip. You know how much Gregory appreciates all the support you give our family.”

Laying his free hand over hers, his smile is magnetic. “Your husband is going places and I plan to be right there with him.”

Phillip Hemming.

I quickly glance around the crowded room and blow out a thankful breath. Jake doesn’t appear to be here. Until Celeste briefed me, I had no idea that she knew Jake outside of school. Jake’s father has been Carver Enterprises legal counsel for well over a decade. Phillip has also been Gregory’s close friend and confidant for almost twenty years. I got the impression their families had gone on some vacations together when the kids were younger, so Celeste must see Jake and Ben like quasi-brothers. Maybe that’s why she refused to date Jake. Then again, it could be she just didn’t have any interest in him.

I glance around and finally spot Phillip’s dark-haired, tan, and perfectly botox-ed wife, Lana, chatting up a storm with the wives near the bar.

I try not to look too closely at Phillip as he talks to Celeste’s mother, but with his blond hair turning a bit lighter at his temples, I can definitely see where Jake got his striking good looks. Ben is pleasant looking, and he favors his mother’s coloring, but Jake got his father’s light hair, hazel eyes, and raw appeal. Unfortunately, I know how deceiving a handsome face can be. It might be unfair of me to make the father guilty by handsome-association, but I really don’t want to be around him. As I look for an opportunity to gracefully slip away, I start to step back, but Phillip turns to me, his forehead pinched. “You look a little flushed, Celeste. Maybe you should get some water.”

I lift my glass of soda. “I’ve got a drink, thanks.”

Phillip starts to say something else, but then Beth’s voice sounds behind me. “Look who I found, Celeste?”

When I turn, I’m unprepared to see Calder standing next to Celeste’s sister.

Wearing a black suit and a slight smile, he looks like he could easily be one of the fashion models I book for my shoots. His hair is a bit longer than the last time I saw him, but still short by most guy’s standards. And damn if I hadn’t been right about his bone structure. The past several years have bulked out his broad shoulders and honed his striking features. I can’t believe how devastatingly handsome he’s become. With high cheekbones and an angular jaw, he’s absolutely breathtaking. But his eyes hold a wariness I don’t remember seeing before. It makes him both beautiful and even more unattainable at the same time.

“Well then.” Beth’s gaze pinging between us makes me realize I haven’t said a single word. “I’m heading to the bar. Anyone want a drink?”

While Nadine asks Beth to bring her a glass of wine, I’m so mesmerized by the fact Calder’s green eyes are a couple shades darker than I remember, all I can do is blurt out, “You’re here.”

He nods, a smirk teasing his lips. “I am.”

I want so badly to throw my arms around his neck and beg his forgiveness. No, first I want to kiss his sexy mouth and make him feel as loopy as I do while staring at him, and then beg his forgiveness.

I tilt my head and smile. “And you’re early.”

His smile fades. “I see you’re astute as always.”

I’m so stunned by the sudden shift in his demeanor, that it takes me a second to realize Nadine is speaking. “Celeste, don’t be rude. Introduce your guest.”

“Oh, sorry.” I hook my hand on Calder’s forearm and turn him toward the group. As introductions are made and he pulls free of my hold to shake hands, I watch him. He chats with the men and Nadine about local politics so easily you’d think he was born to it. No wonder he and Celeste hit it off. The realization that Celeste wasn’t exaggerating about their ability to connect hits me hard, churning my stomach.

After Beth hands her mother a glass of wine, she pulls me back from the group and whispers, “How have you kept your hands off that handsome specimen? There’s no way Scrappy knows about him or I’d have heard about it. Speaking of which…” Trailing off, she looks around. “Where is he?”

Who the heck is Scrappy?
I shrug and hate that I can’t think of a way to ask without making Beth suspicious. “Have you seen Father anywhere?”

Beth nods toward the French doors. “He stepped out there to answer a call.”

“At his own party? Are you kidding me? I’ll go get him. Tell Calder I’ll be right back.”

She gives me a funny look. “Brave girl. You’re acting so odd.”

Damn, apparently I’m being too
me
right now.
May as well own it. I shrug. “Sometimes rocking the boat doesn’t do the trick; you have to turn the dang thing over.”

“Ooh, I like this feisty side of you,” Beth calls after me, chuckling.

Cigar smoke is the only thing that greets me when I walk outside. Celeste mentioned that her father likes to occasionally smoke cigars, so I follow the scent across the patio and down the lantern-lit stairs.

The smell fades once I reach the garden, a seven-foot hedge maze with ground lights spearing up from under the tall bushes every few feet. Though it’s not fully dark yet, the lights add a nice touch. A fountain gurgles in the center of the maze, and farther out, the scent of pine blows in the light wind from the evergreens lining the back of the property. As I make my way through the maze, I notice a few patches of white and yellow daffodils trying to pop through.

Knowing the future of my father’s business is riding on my success tonight is weighing down every move I take in there. It feels good to take a breather away from the crowd. Celeste asked me to make sure that Calder is introduced to her dad, so I keep moving toward the center of the maze. The open space in the middle of the maze is empty except for a tall stone fountain and four wrought iron benches facing each other along the edge of the hedges.