Chapter Five
Sarah fastened her gold heart charm necklace and stepped back, glancing one final time in her bathroom mirror. “You did good,” she murmured.
She’d gone with her emerald green minidress that, with her matching, strappy stilettos, elongated her body and showed off her cleavage, which normally she wouldn’t do, but all was fair in love and war when competing with Mary Beth’s boobs.
She wasn’t expecting miracles, but she hoped that her boss would think she looked pretty tonight, or at the very least be touched that she was there to celebrate his accomplishment.
A knock at her door brought her out of that sweet thought. It was probably Ryan. She raced to the door, leveling her eye to the peephole.
The civil engineer looked mighty fine in his black suit coat and green tie, his black wool coat draped over his arm and his blond hair slicked back.
She grinned. They hadn’t planned it, but his tie matched her dress perfectly. She unlatched the door and swung it open. “Howdy, handsome. You ready to have a little fun?” she asked while batting her eyelashes for full effect.
His eyes went wide. “Sarah, you look…”
“What?” Suddenly feeling more than a little self-conscious, she took a couple of steps back, smoothing her dress. “Is it too short? I have a longer one in my suitcase. I could change.”
His throat worked, but then he gave her a warm smile. “No. It’s perfect, but I have some bad news.” He held up his cell phone. “I got a call a few minutes ago from Logan.”
“Is he running late?”
“He’s not coming.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Why not?”
“His plane was grounded because of bad weather. He and his mom are stuck in Florida. He won’t get back in time.” Ryan shoved his phone in his pocket. “I told him I’d accept his award on his behalf.”
Her hopes for the night wilted a bit. “I’m sure he’ll appreciate that. I know you’ll do a wonderful job.” She grabbed her velvet clutch and beige wool coat off the bed where she’d left them. Not that she needed the coat. It had been unseasonably warm since they’d left New York City.
“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“Dragging you up here.” He frowned and looked away. “I know it’s not worth it for you now.”
Her heart fell. Had she made him feel that insignificant? “You didn’t drag me anywhere. I’d have come regardless.” When he didn’t look up, she reached for his arm. Wow. Holy tight bicep. Her cheeks heated, but she shook off the surge of attraction. This was Ryan, king of no commitments. Even if he ever saw her as more than a friend, any sort of future wasn’t in the cards. “So… Are you ready to give your former classmates something to talk about?”
He met her eyes—finally—and gave her a little smile. “Let’s do it.” He opened the door, holding it for her. “You look beautiful, by the way.”
“Thank you. You don’t look so bad yourself.”
He adjusted his tie as they walked down the hallway for the elevator. “Yeah? I did my best.”
“I have a feeling Melanie isn’t going to be too happy once she realizes what she missed out on.”
“Doesn’t matter.” He pushed the elevator’s down arrow, a tiny smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Besides, she’s not the one I’m worried about.”
Wait, what? Sarah searched his face, but he didn’t give anything away.
The ride to his former school where the gala was taking place only took ten minutes. Ryan drove them through the center of town, pointing out the arcade that he and Logan would often hang out in on the weekends and the drugstore that Ryan had worked in part-time throughout high school. She listened and asked questions in all the appropriate places, managing to enjoy the small-town charm in everything he showed her, but she couldn’t shake what he’d said at the hotel elevators.
Questions raced in her mind: Who was he worried about? Was there someone he hoped to impress at the gala? And why did it bother her so much?
Time to steer the weekend back to where it was supposed to be taking her.
She cleared her throat. “So, um, did Logan have a part-time job?”
That question got a hearty chuckle in response as Ryan turned into the school parking lot and slid into an empty space.
“I suppose he didn’t have to,” Sarah said, kicking herself for pointing out the obvious difference between the two friends—Logan came from money and Ryan didn’t.
Ryan didn’t seem to mind answering her question. “No, but he would help his dad out from time to time. Mr. Scott hired both of us the summer before our senior year to work on a construction site. It was quite the experience seeing Mr. Scott’s sketches come to life.”
The warmth in his eyes set her at ease. “Is that when you knew for sure you wanted to be an architect?”
“You know, I think it was.” He got out of the car, and Sarah opened her door. Ryan was immediately in front of her, offering his hand.
“Thank you, kind sir.” She took it and stood, taken aback by the gothic-looking building in front of her. “Good God.” Sarah’s gaze climbed the gorgeous ivy-covered tower. “Did you go to Hogwarts?”
He smirked. “More like Harvard. It’s a private prep school.”
She wrapped her coat tightly around her shoulders, suddenly feeling a little overexposed. Maybe she should have worn a more modest black dress. “I’ve never been inside a place like this. Am I dressed appropriately?”
“You’re fine, and it’s really no different from a public school—other than some fancy rooms named after donors and portraits of long-deceased people all over the walls.” He winked. “I’m sure all the dead men will be stirring in their graves when they get a look at you.”
“Ha. Ha. Very funny.” She faced him and took a deep breath. “Okay then. I’m ready. One alluring redhead at your service.”
“Oh, so you’re alluring now?”
“If that’s what you want me to be,” she said, taking his outstretched arm.
“You, Red, are both alluring and mysterious.”
Her cheeks warmed as they walked into the high school, but the pleasant embarrassment was quickly replaced by awe when she saw an exquisite glass chandelier hanging in the lobby and the mahogany full-twist staircase. Small-town girls from Dillon, Montana, even ones who moved to the city, were rarely gifted with such gorgeous sights. And then she noticed the walls. “Wow. You weren’t kidding about the portraits.”
“Sarah, I’d like you to meet Dr. Leopald Fitzpatrick,” Ryan said, pointing to a portrait of an old man with wire-rimmed glasses wearing a red-and-white blazer. “The school’s first headmaster.”
“Hi, Leo.” She gave the painting a short wave. “I guess I didn’t realize you and Logan went to a private school.”
“I was lucky to come here. As part of my mom’s employee benefits, Mr. Scott agreed to pay my tuition.”
“Did Bridget go here, too?”
He threw back his head and laughed. “I love my sister, but academics weren’t her thing. She went to a public school a mile down the road, but Mr. And Mrs. Scott sprung for her to study abroad the summer of her senior year. She had a blast in France.”
A petite brunette in a sleek, tailored black dress and pearls headed their way carrying a glass flute, filled with what Sarah assumed was sparkling champagne. “Ryan Wright. I saw you on the attendee list and couldn’t believe my eyes. I was wondering when you’d get here.”
The boost in confidence Ryan had given her a few moments earlier vanished. Next to the woman grinning up at Ryan, Sarah felt even less comfortable in the short party dress she’d bought on clearance than before. She glanced around for a bar. Where could she get some of that champagne?
“Lizzie good to see you.” Ryan leaned down and kissed her cheek and then stepped back, shoving his hands in his pants pockets.
“And you are?” The petite brunette didn’t even bother to bring down her curious eyebrow when she turned to Sarah.
“This is Sarah Leonard,” Ryan interjected. “She’s…um…my colleague. And Logan’s assistant. Sarah, this is Lizzie Daniels.”
Wow. The former quarterback really was nervous about being there, but he’d set up the “is she or isn’t she” well by going with colleague instead of friend. Sarah decided then and there she needed to push her own insecurities aside and help her friend get through this night. She stretched out her hand toward Lizzie. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“You, too.” Lizzie turned back to Ryan. “I heard Logan’s not coming?”
“No. He’s stuck in Florida.”
“That’s a shame. I should get back to the registration table before Melanie comes looking for me.” Lizzie winked at Sarah and nudged Ryan’s hip. “Be careful of this guy and his Fifth-Quarter Experience.”
“I don’t think we need to bring that up.” Ryan put his hands on Sarah’s shoulders. “Can I get your coat? We’ll see you later, Lizzie.”
“You bet. It’s nice to meet you, Sarah. Ryan, you better save me a dance.” Lizzie gave them one of those little finger waves, then beelined straight for the gaggle of women next to the registration desk.
Sarah looked over her shoulder. “Fifth-Quarter Experience?”
He helped her out of her coat. “I might have had a bit of a jock reputation before I started dating Melanie.”
Sarah couldn’t help but laugh. She could easily imagine Ryan breaking the hearts of girls everywhere. “Oh really,” she teased. “And these ladies refer to your having sex with them as a Fifth-Quarter Experience?”
He shrugged, flashing her a lopsided grin. “What can I say? Teenage hormones.” He nodded toward Lizzie. “Now you’ve met—”
Sarah pounced on his words before he could finish. “Did you give her a Fifth-Quarter Experience?”
“God no. I was going to say now you’ve met my ex’s cousin.” He gave her a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Probably why she was so curious about you.”
Sarah recognized the vulnerability in his words and another surge of protectiveness washed over her. Petty high school crap. “You know, now that Logan’s not here to ruin it, we could have actually been a fake couple like in all those romance novels.”
“Want to? It’s not too late,” he said, waggling his eyebrows.
A vision of them walking hand in hand across the foyer, her laughing casually at something he’d said, hit her like a semitruck.
“Yes,” she blurted out before she could stop herself. She straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin. “I mean…if it helps you get through this night, I’m willing to do whatever you need.”
Whatever you need? God, she really needed to stop talking.
“I don’t know…” He draped her coat over his arm, not quite meeting her eyes. “I’m not good at faking things. Let’s stick to the mysterious, hot office colleague.”
“Okay,” she said, relieved, but inexplicably disappointed. What was wrong with her?
And then she processed what he said.
“Wait. I thought I was only mysterious and alluring. Now I’m hot?”
Ryan turned red. “Um…I mean…”
So, she wasn’t the only one embarrassed. “I’m kidding, Ryan.” Sort of.
“Right.” He cleared his throat. “I’ll go check us in and get our name tags.”
Over at the registration area, Lizzie chatted with several other women dressed in similar black cocktail dresses. That small feeling crept back in, but Sarah immediately squashed it and stood straight in her high heels. Tonight, she’d be the sophisticated, cosmopolitan woman she’d become. A woman who could easily be on Ryan’s arm, even if he preferred to keep things professional.
Ryan came up beside her. “Having second thoughts?”
“Not at all.” She reached out and straightened the name badge he had put on himself, unable to hold back laughter when she saw the picture.
“Ryan, you were so…”
He brought his head down, covering his picture with his finger. “Dorky.”
“No. Not at all.” She moved his hand away. From what she could tell from the black-and-white thumbnail photo, Ryan had been a seventeen-year-old hottie, his hair a little longer than it was now, and combed to the side. She nodded toward Lizzie and her friends. “I bet you broke a few hearts over there.”
“Doubt it.” His smile widened. “I have something for you.” He handed Sarah her name tag and then another badge like his.
“What is this?” Her eyes widened when she recognized the face. “Oh…my…God. Look at Logan’s hair. Are his bangs feathered?”
“Yep.”
She slid Logan’s name badge into her clutch. She’d have a blast teasing him when she got back to the office. “Wow. Not what I’d expected.”
Her gaze darted back up to Ryan’s badge.
No, not what she’d expected at all.