The Only Shark In The Sea (The Date Shark Series Book 3) (26 page)

Leila was the first to throw her arms around him and burst into tears. It made him tear up again to see how affected she was by learning the truth, and her heartfelt love and compassion gave him strength. Warren didn’t really seem to understand what all the crying was about, but he offered Vance a hug too, and asked if he could come play with him again soon like he used to. Charlotte pulled him off Vance with a smile and a roll of her eyes.

“Really, it’s no rush to have him over. He’s just been missing his uncle like everyone else,” Charlotte said as she squeezed his hand. Her expression changed as her thoughts slipped from Warren to something more serious. “I know with my chemo treatments I haven’t been around much and we haven’t been able to get to know each other as much as I would like, but please, if you need to talk, I’m always here. I know you have a lot of support already, but losing a spouse unexpectedly, it’s not worse than other kinds of losses, but it’s…” She shrugged as her eyes teared up and she struggled to find the right words. “It’s just different, I guess, and sometimes you need to talk to someone who’s been through that.”

Emotion constricted his throat at her offer. Vance knew Charlotte’s first husband had been killed very suddenly right after Warren was born and it had understandably affected her very deeply, but he hadn’t even thought to share what he’d been feeling with her, even though he was sure she would have understood much of what he had been going through. Hiding in his apartment had seemed like the only option at the time, and now he thought himself an idiot for having ignored so much love and support.

“Thank you, Charlotte,” he said. “I think that would be a great idea.”

She smiled and then cringed as Warren launched himself off a barstool and crashed onto his knees. She excused herself quickly and left Vance to face Guy, Eli, and Leo, his three closest friends. They had all suffered through medical school and psychiatric residencies together, and he knew they all had loads of advice and counseling in their back pockets, but none of them tried to preach to him.

“I wish you would have told us about Steph,” Eli said, “but I think we all understand why you didn’t. That’s not an easy thing to talk about.”

“Just know we are all very sorry about your loss of both Stephanie and the pregnancies, and we are all here to help and talk when you need it,” Guy said. His brow creased and a deeper sadness lined his features. “Sabine, she knew about this, yes?”

Vance nodded, feeling suddenly very guilty for not having gotten in contact with Sabine since the funeral. Talking to her meant facing everything that had happened with Steph and he hadn’t been about to dig up enough courage or desire to do that. He knew he had probably hurt Sabine by avoiding her and now regretted shutting her out.

“Sabine has not been herself the last few weeks and I think this is why. You will speak to her, yes? I think she is very upset about Stephanie and the hurt she caused you,” Guy said.

“I’ll call her tonight and apologize. I think I have a lot of apologizing to do,” he said with a sigh. Sabine wasn’t the only one he had been avoiding. His entire family probably thought he was off the deep end by now. He didn’t relish telling his parents the truth, but he knew he at least needed to call and reassure them that he was still alive and surviving.

Leo stepped forward, usually the least outspoken of their friends, and clapped him on the shoulder. “And just for the record, I think we all really like Natalie. It’ll take a while to get used to it not being Steph with you after so long, but she’s great.”

Relief that they were willing to accept her finally brought a small smile to his face. “Thank you, really.”

Their conversation was interrupted when Leila nearly bowled him over with Natalie close behind looking thoroughly chastised. “Why didn’t you tell me about this gala you’re going to tomorrow?” she demanded. “You didn’t think to make sure Natalie had a dress suitable for a black tie event?”

Eli rolled his eyes and Guy chuckled. Vance didn’t really know what to say. “Uh, I didn’t even think about it.”

Leila threw up her hands. “I assume you have a tux, at least?”

“Of course I do,” he said with a shrug. Between two weddings in the last year and various work functions he attended, it would have been more shocking if he hadn’t had a tux in his closet.

Leila crinkled her nose at him in annoyance. “This is Natalie’s first big party. You should have made sure she had something appropriate to wear. Really.” She huffed and turned her back on him. “Natalie, I’ll be at the studio first thing in the morning. You’ll meet me there and I’ll get you taken care of.”

It wasn’t so much a question as a demand, and Leila walked off muttering to herself about men and fashion. Eli was still grinning and shaking his head. All Guy said was, “At least it is not Sabine here making a fuss, yes?”

Vance laughed, agreeing completely. He loved Sabine, but she was a monster when it came to fashion and dressing the part. The others all dispersed to get back to dinner and setting up the poker table, but Natalie walked up to him nervously and asked, “I didn’t think the dress would be that big of a deal. Leila seemed really upset.”

“Leila is a marketing director turned fashion designer, and she’s also a new mom who hasn’t been away from the baby for weeks and is dying to have something to do,” he said with a laugh. “Leila’s wonderful and she’ll get you all taken care of.”

Natalie didn’t look completely convinced. “Will you come with me?”

“You’re staying the night with me, right?” he asked.

“Of course,” Natalie replied, like it was a silly question to ask.

Her response made him smile. “I’ll drive you over in the morning.”

She sighed in relief. “Thanks.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t think to ask if you had a dress. I’ve never really had to worry about that kind of thing before. Steph always had ten outfits for every possible occasion. It didn’t even cross my mind to ask you.”

“It’s okay, really. I should have considered it myself, but I was really trying not to think about it at all, to be perfectly honest.” She grimaced considering it now.

Vance touched her cheek, testing to make sure it was okay before pressing his palm flat against her cheek reassuringly. “It’s going to be fine, I promise. These things really aren’t that bad. It’s usually just a lot of standing around or eating.”

“Donald said there would be dancing.” As she said dancing, her face paled.

“We don’t have to dance,” Vance said. He slipped his other hand onto her waist. “Unless you want to.”

Uncertainty flashed in her eyes, but she didn’t pull away. Natalie was saved from answering when Eli called out that dinner was ready and Warren went tearing through the apartment squealing with joy about finally having good food. Vance stifled a smile, thinking Guy must have been doing the cooking at their house lately, and stepped away from Natalie.

He had come that night for dinner, poker, and a chance to get away from his apartment, and had instead ended up having a breakdown, unloading all of his and Stephanie’s secrets, and getting into a discussion about having children with the woman he had only been seeing for a few weeks—and not even officially at that. So much of his hurt and pain had been soaked up and assuaged by the loving support of his friends. The relief of leaning on them was palpable. Oddly, it was the conversation with Natalie that he couldn’t get out of his head more than anything else.

They were holding hands as they walked, so when Vance stopped suddenly, it jerked Natalie into stopping as well. She turned back and looked at him questioningly, but too many thoughts were racing through his head in that moment for him to respond.

What was it Leila had said about Natalie that night, that she adored him and maybe even…loved him? Venting his anger over Stephanie hadn’t eliminated those emotions, but it had cleared his heart and mind, opened it up to healing and seeing the truth. He didn’t understand how quickly he had been able to form a bond with Natalie. It was there before Stephanie died, but it had grown deeper and more profound, like sinking through quicksand over the last few weeks.

He would always miss Stephanie and love her, but the thought of going to bed without Natalie pained him not because he didn’t want to be alone, but because he truly wanted to be with her. No ulterior motives, no
need
born of circumstance. Natalie didn’t just trust him enough to give him the chance to hurt her terribly, she loved him enough to take the risk. It was like a slap in the face to realize she wasn’t alone. Somehow, in the midst of his grief and anger, he had fallen in love with her completely by accident.

“Vance, are you okay?” Natalie asked in concern.

A soft smile broke across his mouth as he squeezed her hand. “I’m fine.”

Chapter 28

The Difference

The prep work involved in getting ready for the gala was enough to make Natalie never want to attend one again, all on its own. Leila had certainly come through with a gorgeous black dress, but Natalie was so horrified by the prospect of wearing it that it was still hanging on the back of her bathroom door as she stood with her robe clutched tightly around her trembling body.

Vance called through the door to remind her that they needed to be leaving soon, which certainly didn’t help her nerves. He had yet to see the dress, at Leila’s insistence, but Natalie felt certain he would have raised an eyebrow at it if he had.

There was nothing wrong with the dress. It was simply more revealing than what Natalie was comfortable with. She knew she should have said something that morning when Leila was tossing her into dress after dress to find one that fit without the need for alterations, but it had been stressful enough to be shut up with Leila in the dressing room that she’d just done as ordered and kept her mouth shut.

Now, Natalie stood staring at the dress biting her bottom lip so hard it was beginning to ache. The black velvet looked positively luxurious. Natalie was sure it would feel wonderful against her skin. She thought the silk detailing added a certain dramatic flair to the dress. One of the biggest problems was the sections of sheer fabric through the bodice. While equally black, they hid nothing, and Natalie was all about hiding.

The other biggest problem was the skin, or rather, the amount of her skin left exposed. Talking with Vance about her past had helped tremendously over the past week, but the idea of exposing so much of her body was a huge struggle. She knew she would stand out in the dress, but she had no other alternatives. She would stick out even worse showing up in something more appropriate for work. Since she rarely went out and never attended these sorts of things, her wardrobe was sadly limited. It was Leila’s dress or nothing at all.

Sighing and wishing physical harm upon her boss for roping her into such a frightening ordeal, she slipped out of her robe and took the dress off the hanger. She had been right about the dress feeling absolutely wonderful, but she had been equally right about how revealing it was. The midsection, coupled with the fact that the dress was strapless, nearly sent her into meltdown mode.

“Natalie?” Vance called through the door. She didn’t answer. “Nat, honey, we really should get going if you don’t want to be late.”

Late? She didn’t want to go at all. Late was fine with her. Had Vance called her
Nat
? A nickname? That seemingly random thought did wonders for her anxiety. No one had ever given her a nickname before. Even when she’d been Clara, nobody ever dared to or bothered with shortening it or calling her anything but her full name. As Natalie, no one knew her well enough to give her one either, though that was entirely of her own making. She’d never before considered the lack of having a nickname before that moment, but she found she rather liked having one.

Reaching for the doorknob, she heaved in a deep breath and opened the door. Without realizing it, she had closed her eyes as she’d opened the door. The silence from Vance, who she knew had been waiting for her just outside the door caused concern. Had he left? Did she look terrible? Facing her fears, she opened first one eye, and then the other.

Vance
was
still there. The pained look on his face confused her. “Vance?”

“I could strangle Leila right now,” he muttered.

Natalie’s hopes fell. “Is it that bad? I should have said no to it this morning.”

A strangled laugh burst out of Vance. “Bad?” He shook his head. “No.”

“Then what?”

“How am I supposed to keep my hands off you wearing that dress?” he complained. “It’s seriously killing me right now.”

Natalie thought he might be exaggerating, but she appreciated the compliment either way. Until she really thought about it. Frowning, she looked down at the dress. “People are going to look at me, aren’t they?”

“Absolutely,” Vance said, laughing, “but I’ll be by your side the entire time.”

She glanced up at him and forgot her own discomfort for a moment when she finally looked at him. Polished and handsome in his black tuxedo and matching black dress shirt, her fingers and toes started to tingle. It spread to the rest of her body in a flash as she continued to stare at him. “Am I hyperventilating?” she asked, sure she must not have been able to tell thanks to the tightness of her dress and the way Vance was distracting her.

Grinning now, Vance stepped forward and settled his hands on her hips. The tingling worsened, pooling in her belly so she could barely think. She wanted to move her hands, loosen the buttons on his shirt so she could feel his skin against hers, but she couldn’t seem to get her brain to communicate with the rest of her body.

“No,” Vance said, his smile wide and full of mirth, “you aren’t hyperventilating. Why do you ask?”

“I feel funny.”

He didn’t respond, just kept smiling and took her hand. He led her out of the bedroom and into the hall without speaking, seeming to enjoy his private joke. She wanted to make him quit walking and demand he stop teasing her or laughing at her or whatever it was he was doing, but her brain still hadn’t caught up with her body. She thought maybe he’d drag her all the way down to the car like that, but he stopped and pressed her up against the wall next to the front door. That’s when her brain really turned off and she found it difficult to breathe.

“You’ve never felt like this before?” Vance asked, still sporting his irritating grin. Natalie shook her head. It was as much as she could muster as far as responses went. Vance leaned in closer. “Not even with Thomas?”

Natalie started to shake her head, not sure what Thomas had to do with her weird anxiety attack…and then her brain clicked on and a scarlet blush flooded her entire body, bringing with it a shocking warmth. “Oh,” she whispered.

Vance’s teasing faded as he leaned in and lightly pressed his lips against her temple. “You make me feel the same way.”

His words were a jolt of electricity straight through her entire body. He didn’t give her any time to contemplate it. Half a second later he was pulling her through the door, locking it behind them and leading her down the stairs and out to his car. Neither of them spoke the whole way to the hotel where the gala was being held. Natalie was way too distracted by her own response to Vance and what he had said to do much of anything. He seemed distracted as well.

Too quickly, they arrived at the hotel and Vance handed his keys to the valet while someone else opened her door. Before the other valet could offer to help her out, Vance was in his place, taking her hand and rescuing her. Natalie had the suspicion he’d have to do that more than once during the night. Thankfully, Vance was paying enough attention to hand their invitation to the man guarding the door to the ballroom. Natalie hadn’t even thought to grab it off her kitchen counter before they left the apartment.

“Ah, Ms. Price. Thank you for coming. Mr. Moniteau asked that you and your guest be escorted to his table as soon as you arrive.” He gestured for someone and two seconds later a young waiter was at his side and given instructions on where to take the new arrivals.

Natalie had no idea they were being treated differently than anyone else until Vance leaned over and asked, “Do you know Michael Moniteau personally?”

“Do you?” she asked, wide-eyed and surprised Vance knew the man’s full name.

“No, but I’ve definitely heard of him. We’re sitting at his able?” he questioned.

Natalie could only shrug. She honestly hadn’t thought she’d made much of an impression on the man the one time they had met in a meeting to go over her analysis. Natalie tried very hard not to make impressions on people. Even the invitation to the event had seemed more like him being polite to the people involved in the project. Now she wasn’t so sure.

Time to think about the oddity ran out when they arrived at their table and Michael Moniteau stood and approached them. He didn’t make an effort to shake Natalie’s hand, apparently remembering her aversion to touching people, but his greeting was gregarious all the same. “Ms. Price, how wonderful to see you again! Donald told me you didn’t like these sorts of things, but I told him you simply had to come and I’m so glad he convinced you.”

“I, uh, thank you…for inviting me.” It came out almost more of a question than a statement, but he only smiled even wider.

“Now, who is your guest? Was I incorrect in addressing the invitation to Ms. rather than Mrs.?” It seemed an innocent enough question, but something in the way he eyed Vance put her on edge.

Still reeling from the whole experience, she was grateful when Vance took the lead and extended his hand. “Dr. Vance Sullivan,” he said politely, but not terribly friendly.

“Doctor,” Michael said appraisingly. “Respectable choice.” He nodded approvingly in Natalie’s direction, but there was a definite hint of disappointment in his tone. Vance stiffened as they broke the greeting.

Gesturing at the table, Michael said, “Please sit and enjoy the appetizers. Dinner won’t be served for another hour, but there are cocktails and dancing as well. If you need anything else, don’t hesitate to ask.”

It was a gracious offer, but Natalie just wanted to hide and escape his intimidating presence. “Vance promised me a dance,” she said suddenly. If Vance was surprised by her announcement, he didn’t show it.

Michael nodded. “Wonderful, though I do hope you’ll save a dance for me. I was so impressed with your work for us I’d love to hear more about your plans for your career.”

Her plans involved staying far, far away from him, but she only nodded and said a silent prayer of thanks when Vance started leading her away. As soon as they were tucked away on the dance floor, Natalie relaxed despite the crowd of people around them. “It wasn’t just me that was freaked out by him, right?”

Vance’s eyes narrowed. “That man is definitely interested in you and he’s used to getting what he wants, but I have no intention of letting go of you tonight.”

“I want to go home,” she pleaded.

Slowing, Vance’s expression changed from annoyed to apologetic. He pulled Natalie against his chest and kept dancing. She was so frightened by the prospect of not being with him that she stayed huddled against him and tried to block everything else out. “It’s going to be okay, really,” Vance said soothingly. “Moniteau is aggressive, but I’m not letting you out of my sight, okay? If he doesn’t get the hint that you’re not interested, I’ll take you home, but I don’t want this to cause trouble for you at work either. I’m sure his company is a big client for your firm.”

Natalie bit her lip, knowing this must have meant a lot to Donald if he had risked forcing her out of her shell to attend. Considering that her leaving might get him in hot water, she shoved down her apprehension and nodded. Besides, if hiding from Michael meant dancing with Vance all night, she thought she could probably live with that.

“You called me Nat earlier,” she said, trying to distract herself.

“Did that bother you?” Vance asked. “I just kind of said it without thinking.”

“No,” she said quickly. “It was nice. I’ve never had a nickname before.”

Vance smiled. “Good, because I kind of like calling you Nat.”

She relaxed against him, not for the first time amazed by how close they had become and how much she had come to trust him. Maybe Vance would be the only person she’d ever be so comfortable with, but Natalie found she was okay with that. As they moved around the dance floor without speaking, she let her mind wander, wondering what it would be like to be in a real relationship with Vance.

It was clear to her that he still hated being in his apartment. They had stayed the night there twice during the week, mostly, she thought, because Vance was trying very hard to tell himself he could handle it. The other nights he had been more than happy to stay at her apartment. He slept better in her apartment too. Those two nights at his place had been long nights with him tossing and turning relentlessly.

She didn’t think he’d ever be comfortable in his apartment again, but the solution that kept creeping into her mind seemed positively ridiculous. Then again, much of their relationship probably seemed ridiculous from an outside view. What did it matter if they took it a step further? Natalie had no real friends to speak of outside of Vance’s close-knit group that was more like family than friends. It made her smile to hear little Warren call everyone aunt and uncle and claim Amelie as his cousin even though none of them shared blood. They were family by choice, and to someone like Natalie whose worst trauma had been inflicted by those she shared blood with, that truly meant something to her.

Knowing none of his friends would judge them for another unconventional step, she looked up at Vance and asked, “Do you want to move in with me?”

Vance’s eyebrows rose, and though his mouth opened, he didn’t actually say anything.

Fear stabbed at her that she’d just made a fool of herself, but she refused to relent. “If you don’t want to, that’s okay, but I know how unhappy you are at your place and you sleep better at my apartment and I love having you there, or if you just want to find a new apartment on your own that’s okay too and I’ll help you if you want, but I just want you to be happy and you just aren’t when you’re back at your apartment.”