Irresistible Lies (10 page)

For
the gala, the decorators had strung lights along the walls and had thrown them
over the barrels, creating a beautiful, twinkling effect. The rustic charm of
the room was offset by round tables covered in pure white tablecloths and the
people dressed to the nines. There were a lot of people, he thought. A good
turnout.

“This
is... wow.” Grace dropped her arm from his and straightened her dress.

“Don’t
be nervous,” he said, sensing that she was. Grace didn’t like crowds, he knew.

She
looked up at him, eyes wide. “I honestly can’t remember the last time I went to
a fancy party. I feel a little out of place.”

When
she looked at him like that, open and vulnerable, he had to try so hard not to
kiss her.

“Maybe
it’s time to move back to New York,” he told her instead. “There are lots of fancy
parties here. You could get used to it.”

She
giggled, making him grateful that he had thought to bring her champagne. He had
known it would loosen her up. He just wanted her to relax and have a good time.

“Hey,
there you are!” Nick made his way toward them, followed by Lacey in a flowing
purple dress.

“You
look amazing!” Lacey fawned over Grace like they were old friends and gave her
a hug. “That dress is darling!”

“Thank
you! You look great, too.”

Jamie
couldn’t help but smile, seeing the two of them together. Lacey had quickly
become one of his best friends, and he had always wanted her to meet Grace. He knew
they would get along. He wanted her to be included, part of this family they
had made for themselves. Without Grace, the biggest part would always be
missing.

“Wow,
Grace. That’s some dress,” Tom said, making his way over to them. “Jamie, you
let her out looking like that?”

“I
didn’t have much choice, I’m afraid.”

“Shut
up, leave her alone,” Lacey said, swatting at Tom playfully. “What about my
dress? You haven’t said anything.”

“You
look great, too,” he said, kissing her on the cheek. “And how is my little
niece?”

“Ready
to come out and meet you, I should hope. Any day now!”

Tom
and Nick soon fell into a conversation with Jamie about the investors and
restaurant owners at the gala that they wanted to speak with, and he tried hard
to pay attention to what they were saying. He wasn’t sure how effective he was
going to be as a businessman tonight, when all of his attention was on Grace.

“We’re
going to go get a drink while you boys talk shop,” Lacey said to them, linking
arms with Grace. “We’ll be back, so don’t miss us too much.”

“A
drink?” Jamie raised an eyebrow at Lacey.

“I
know, I know, water for me. I’m not an idiot.”

“Just
checking.” He smiled at her. “You can’t be too careful. That’s my niece we’re
talking about. I’m a little overprotective.”

He
saw Grace frown slightly. What was that about?

Lacey
rolled her eyes and took Grace by the elbow. “Hush, Jamie. Come on girl, let’s
get you some alcohol so I can live vicariously through you.”

Jamie
met Grace’s eyes to make sure she was okay with that, and she smiled
reassuringly at him.

As
soon as the two walked away, his friends zeroed in.

“How
is it going?” Nick asked.

“So,
she has a boyfriend,” Tom said. “What are you going to do?”

Jamie
sighed, watching Grace from across the room. She was laughing with Lacey about
something, her head thrown back, and he thought that he had never seen someone
so beautiful. “I’m working on it. She’s not making it easy on me, but I’m
working on it.”

Nick
and Tom looked at each other, and he could tell there was something they
weren’t saying.

“What
is it?” he asked them gruffly. “Spit it out, I can handle it.”

“We’re
just worried about you, man,” Nick said. “For years this is all you’ve wanted,
and you spent all that time looking for her.”

“And
now if it doesn’t work out...” Tom drifted off. “We’re worried.”

Jamie
understood their concern. Truly, he did. They had been listening to him talk
about Grace for years, and now he had found her and brought her home, and she
wasn’t his girl. She was someone else’s.

Hell,
he
was worried. If he lost her again...
He didn’t know what he would do.

He
watched Grace standing across the room in her beautiful dress and sexy heels,
sipping straight from the bottle of the beer he had named after her. She caught
his eye, raised the bottle and smiled.

“It’s
going to work out,” he told them. “It has to.”

Chapter 9

The
party was wonderful.

Grace
was having a great time. She had been talking with Lacey for a while about her
pregnancy, careful not to hint at the fact that she had personal experience
with it. She really liked Lacey. She was so nice, and Grace felt like they had
known each other for years.

“I
was so excited when I found out we’re having a girl,” Lacey was saying. “Nick
was, too.”

“Do
you know what you’re going to name her?”

“Yes.
Emma.”

“That’s
so pretty.”

“Isn’t
it? I know it’s not the most original name, but I think it’s beautiful.” Lacey
put her hand on her stomach lovingly. “She’s going to be the most loved little
girl in the entire world, with this group around. She will have three amazing
uncles.”

“You’re
so lucky,” Grace said, and she really meant it. “Nick is going to be an amazing
father.”

“Most
men want a son, I think, but Nicky can’t wait to have his little princess
around. That’s what they all call her, all the guys, I mean. Nick spends so
much time surrounded by men. It will be refreshing for him to come home to a
little girl. In fact, I think I’m going to paint the kitchen pink.”

Grace
laughed. “You should. I think Nick would love that. In fact, paint the whole
house pink.”

“I
might,” Lacey said, her eyes sparkling. “But you know men. He probably wouldn’t
even notice.”

Grace
laughed again. “You’re probably right.”

Lacey
narrowed her eyes like she had something on her mind.

“What?”

“Can
I ask you a personal question?”

“Of
course.” For a split second Grace worried that Lacey was going to ask if she
had a child, but she quickly realized how ridiculous the idea was. She hadn’t
given anything away.

“Have
you ever thought about getting back together with Jamie?”

Grace
was speechless.

“He
really cares about you.”

“How
do you know?” It wasn’t the response Grace meant to give, but her curiosity got
in the way.

“It’s
obvious.” Lacey looked at Jamie and Grace followed her gaze. He was talking
with Nick and Tom about something that looked important. “I want to see him
happy.”

“Lacey,
I can’t be with Jamie,” Grace said. “But he will be happy. He’ll find someone
else. We’re not right for each other. We never were.”

Grace
wished she felt as convinced as she sounded.

Lacey
shrugged. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have asked. Don’t tell Jamie I said anything.”

“I
won’t.”

“Don’t
look now, but that guy is staring at you,” Lacey said. She smiled mischievously,
as if their previous conversation had never happened. “Three o’clock.”

Grace
turned her head slightly and saw that a man was in fact looking at her. He was
young and good-looking. They smiled at each other, even though she wasn’t
interested. The last thing she needed was to further complicate her already
overcomplicated love life.

Almost
on cue, she felt Jamie’s presence at her side. He slipped an arm around her
waist, and it felt so natural that she didn’t try to stop him.

“What
are you two ladies talking about over here?” he asked them with a grin.
“Telling stories about me, I bet.”

“So
arrogant,” Lacey said, shaking her head. “We were just discussing the baby.”

“Ah.
How is the little princess today?”

“Kicking
up a storm,” Lacey said. “Right now, actually. Driving me crazy with it.”

Jamie
put his hand on her stomach to feel the kicks, and Grace felt a sting of
jealousy—her second of the evening.

He
hadn’t been there to do that when she was pregnant.

Then
again, that wasn’t exactly his fault.

She
finished her beer, determined not the ruin the night with thoughts of the past.

“Grace,
I hate to ruin the evening with work, but there are some people I’d like you to
meet,” Jamie told her, grabbing her another beer from a waitress in a black
cocktail dress carrying the bottles on a silver platter. Others were carrying crystal
flutes of champagne, and Grace thought the contrast was clever. “Ready to
schmooze?”

“Ready.”
And she was. With Jamie by her side, she was confident that they could handle the
crowd.

He
brought her with him around the party, introducing her to people, most of them
older men in suits. Some were friendly, others were less so, but nearly all of
them were drinking a bottle of Four Brothers Beer.

Jamie
was confident and intelligent, making it clear that Four Brothers Beer was
worth investing in without being pushy. Grace backed him up where she could,
rattling off figures from all of the research she had completed over the past
week. They made a great case for the brewery, although Grace secretly thought
the beer spoke for itself.

If
she (a dedicated champagne girl) liked it, that was saying something.

Most
of the businessmen they spoke with, especially the few with investments in restaurants,
were interested in Jamie’s idea to expand to the Mid-Atlantic markets and eventually
become the beer of small-town America. They liked the fact that the brewery was
owned by a group of friends and thought that it had a great back-story.

Grace
agreed that it was easy to market the beer because the product was great and
the company and its owners were so appealing, and she felt she was very
convincing when she made her case. She could tell that Jamie was appreciative
and that he thought she was doing a good job, and she was happy she was able to
help him.

Networking
had never been her strong suit, but she and Jamie made a great team.

By
the time they had finished making the rounds, Jamie had a pocket full of
business cards and several promises of meetings.

“You
were fantastic,” he said, smiling gratefully at her. “Thank you.”

“You’re
welcome,” she said. “Thanks for bringing me here. I’m happy I got to be a part
of all of this.”

“No,”
he insisted. “Thank
you
for coming.”

They
soon sat down at their table to dinner, where their friends surrounded them.
Grace thoroughly enjoyed herself, laughing and joking around with Lacey, Nick,
Chris and Tom. She felt so comfortable with all of them, like she fit right in.

They
seemed to think she did, too.

“You
should come back to New York, Grace,” Tom told her. “We need someone to handle
our marketing when Lacey is on maternity leave.”

“It
goes well beyond maternity leave,” Lacey said. “Business is booming, and I need
someone to help me handle all of it. I told Grace all of this, but she already
has a job in Virginia.” She pulled a face. “Go on, boys, convince her.”

“But
you would be perfect, Grace,” Nick said enthusiastically. “You wouldn’t be an
employee of ours, either, if that’s what you’re worried about. We could give
you some shares in the company. It would be a partnership.”

“Absolutely,”
Chris said, joining in. “We would love to have you be a part of all of this.”

She
looked to Jamie. He sat stone-faced and said nothing, just watched her.

“You
are all so sweet,” Grace told them, “but I can’t. I have a life back in
Virginia. But, like I told Lacey, I am contracted to work for the brewery.
While Lacey is on maternity leave, I’d be happy to cover some of her duties
here—provided I can do them remotely.”

The
men exchanged glances with one another. She had the distinct feeling that there
was a secret she wasn’t privy to and wondered what it could be.

“I
guess that will have to do for now,” Nick said. “Either way, we are so glad we
got the chance to spend today with you. We’ve all missed you.”

They
raised their bottles in a toast to her, and she felt an ache in her chest. How
was it possible to feel so happy and so sad at the same time?

The
rest of the meal passed without anymore mention of Grace staying in New York.
She grew quieter and more withdrawn with each course, lost in her thoughts.

The
one thought she kept coming back to was how happy and in his element Jamie
looked, like he was meant to be right here, doing this.

She
remembered how ambitious Jamie was in college and how hard he worked. All those
days and nights he spent in the library and working part-time jobs to save
money had paid off. Seeing him like this, so successful, she was truly proud of
him.

She
had been so angry for so long, but now she realized this is how things were
meant to work out. Maybe Jamie hadn’t come back into her life to show her what
she had missed out on but to show her that everything had happened for a
reason.

Maybe
he had done the right thing, breaking up with her.

And
maybe she had done the right thing, not telling him about Jake. She had set him
free, allowing him to follow his dreams. And having Jake had allowed her to
follow a dream she never knew she had.

It
was meant to be this way.

Grace
knew she couldn’t resent Jamie any longer. He had everything he wanted, and she
had her baby, the real love of her life, waiting for her back home.

It
made her happy but hurt her heart at the same time.

She
smiled sadly as they all finished their meals and stood up from the table,
feeling the beginnings of tears in the back of her eyes.

Jamie
pulled her toward him, his hands resting on her hips. She felt them through the
fabric of her dress and wished her attraction to him would just go away.

“What’s
wrong?” he asked, looking intently into her eyes.

“I’m
just tired.” She bit her lip, embarrassed for suddenly feeling so emotional.
Maybe it was time to stop drinking for the night.

He
frowned at her, searching her eyes for a lie. When he couldn’t find what he was
looking for, he released her. She suddenly felt cold.

“I
think we’ve done enough work for the evening, don’t you?” he asked her. “We can
leave the rest to Chris. He’s much better at this kind of thing than the rest
of us.”

Grace
saw Chris across the room laughing with one of the businessmen she and Jamie
had spoken to, and she couldn’t help but smile. In college, Chris had been the
big man on campus. At least things hadn’t changed where he was concerned.

Jamie
reached for her hand. “It’s been a long day. Let’s get you back to the hotel.”

She
looked up at him, confused. “You want to leave? But they haven’t even done the
auction yet.” The auction was meant to raise money for charity. The businesses
represented at the gala had donated everything from gift baskets to five-star
vacations. “Won’t it look bad if we just leave?”

He
shook his head. “I’ve given them a check. Besides, Tom and Chris will be here
representing the company.”

“Please,
let’s not go on my behalf. I’m fine.”

“You
don’t look fine,” he said. “You look exhausted. Besides, Nick and Lacey are
leaving, too.”

Grace
did suddenly feel drained, so she agreed it was time to go. They said goodbye
to everyone before they left, and Grace was touched when Lacey gave her a kiss
on the cheek.

“Please
come back and visit us soon, okay? You’re always welcome to stay with us.”

“Thank
you, I will,” Grace said, thinking that once Lacey had the baby she wasn’t
going to be in the mood to entertain anyone for a quite a while. “I can’t wait
to see the house with its new paint job.”

“What
paint job?” Nick asked, but they just laughed.

Jamie
retrieved his truck from the valet they had hired for the night and helped her
into it like the gentleman she could always count on him to be.

“That
was a great party,” she told him as he drove. “The place looked great. You’re
going to be flooded with calls to have weddings there now, I guarantee it.”

“Really?
Don’t you think it’s a little rustic for a wedding?”

“That’s
what made it so beautiful,” she said wistfully. “I’d love to get married
there.”

He
was silent.

“Really,
though. From a public relations standpoint, this was a great night for you.”

“I’m
glad you think so,” he said.

They
parked at the hotel and made their way to their rooms. Jamie didn’t say much
until they reached her door. He took the key from her hands before she could
open it.

He
didn’t touch her, but he was standing close enough to.

“I
don’t want this night to end,” he said. His tone was matter-of-fact, but his
eyes were smoldering.

I don’t either
, she thought. She didn’t dare say a word.

There
was a weight in her chest and a voice in her head. The voice was telling her to
go to bed, but the weight in her chest was begging her to hit the mute button,
just for a little while.