Page 50 of Second Chance Serenity

“Can you hear me?” he asks carefully. I know he’s not talking to me, but rather to the guys via the earbud I’d seen him slip in right as we’d arrived. “Great. Let me know if that changes.” His hand goes to my mid-back, and he leans in. I have to fight the urge to lean into him farther as he whispers, “We’re all good right now.”

Before I can respond, a beautiful woman rushes through the crowd, a wide smile on her face. “You’re here!” Emily greets. I barely have enough time to get my arm free of Michael’s before she’s wrapping me in a hug. “And looking absolutely amazing!” She holds me at arm’s length and studies me.

I do the same, appreciating the lavender gown she wears and the way it complements her coloring.

“And who is this tall drink of water?” she asks, looking up at Michael.

“Michael. My—uh—date.”

“Wait—Michael from high school, Michael?” she asks, arching a brow at me.

Why? Why did I not warn her ahead of time? “One and the same,” I tell her, trying to keep my tone casual.

“Wow. Well, it’s nice to meet you, Michael. I’m Emily. Are there more of you?” She offers him her hand, and he takes it.

“More of me?”

“Tall, handsome, muscled men? Because as it happens, I’m in the market for a long-lasting relationship, and so far, I’ve had terrible luck.”

“Emily!” I half scold, even as I can’t keep the grin off my face. This is one of the reasons I adore her. Straight to the point. Always.

Michael laughs. “Nice to meet you too. While I do have a single friend, he’s not much in the mood for dating these days,” he replies. “Did you help with this event?” He looks around the room and I long to ask him what he thinks. Will he be impressed by what we’ve done? Bored?

“Shame. Have him let me know if that changes.” She winks. “As for helping, I did, but our girl here organizes it. All I do is make sure the pieces are in the right place since I’m local.” She beams at me. “There are quite a few people who want to meet you.” She takes my hand and tugs me along, but I can’t keep myself from looking back to make sure Michael is with me.

His gaze meets mine, and my stomach flutters.

He’s finally agreed to leave me alone, and all I can think about is kissing him. How does that make sense?

I turn back around as Emily drags me across the floor, introducing me to people I won’t remember, though I should.

By the time I’ve done the rounds, I’m already exhausted.

“Here.” Michael offers me a mug of coffee, then guides me over to our table near the front. After scooting my chair in once I’ve sat down, he sits beside me. “This is amazing, Reyna. How long have you been hosting this?”

“This is the third year,” I tell him.

“It’s spectacular.” He looks around the room, clearly impressed, and it warms my heart to know he’s seeing all of the hard work I put into it.

“It does good work,” I tell him.

“Michael! There you are!” A woman with golden hair and a white dress that manages to be both form-fitting and modest at the same time rushes toward us. Michael stands, and she wraps her arms around him, then plants a kiss on his cheek.

“Hey, Sunny, I’m so glad you could make it.”

Jealousy sears me from the inside. Did he seriously invite a date here? Is that how badly he wants to hurt me?

“Sunny, this is Reyna Acker.”

I stand and offer her a smile and my hand when she reaches forward for it. “You organized this?”

“I did,” I reply.

“It’s amazing. So well run. And I—there he is! Over here, babe!”

A tall man steps through the crowd and offers her a glass of water. “Sorry, I got lost there for a minute.”

Sunny laughs. “This is my husband, Geoff. Honey, this is Reyna. The woman who organized this event.”

---