“I was skeptical at first, but I love the idea of you and Brody.”
“What if I’m the only one falling?”
“Give him a chance. What if he feels the same way you do? What if he decides to stay in Merriweather Springs?” Jaylyn’s eyes filled with hope, which Reagan found contagious. “Let’s go order champagne and dance our asses off. It’ll be fun.”
“Sure about that?”
“Yes. Never be intimidated by the pomp and circumstance. The secret is to look bored. Pretend you’ve done this a hundred times.” Jaylyn offered up her best bored expression.
Maybe she was right. Reagan decided to shake off the worry that she didn’t belong—here and with Brody.
Brody hadn’t missed the way Reagan hightailed it out of the ballroom after Jaylyn’s pregnancy joke. And neither had Dante, who’d procured a glass of scotch, greeted three different people, and managed to bring it up ten minutes later.
“Pregnant?”
“She’s not pregnant.”
“How do you know?”
“I know.” He tugged on his bowtie, irritated with his siblings for being so…sibling-like.
Reagan had been closing up and closing in since they’d arrived in the city this morning. He’d chalked it up to fatigue and the scare she’d had with her grandfather. Now he wasn’t so sure.
“She’s not from our world, Brody,” Dante said. “I imagine this is a lot.”
“We’re not on Neptune.”
“To her, we might be. Did you tell her you were giving her the house?”
A couple stood off to the side, their interested gazes on Dante. “You have more meet-and-greets to do.”
“You have to tell her. Soon.” Dante pointed at him with his glass and then turned toward the couple.
Before Brody could take a breath, Jaylyn and Reagan materialized, each carrying a glass of champagne.
“Oh my God!” Jaylyn exclaimed, her gaze darting across the room. “My ex-roommate is here. I have to say hi.”
“Male or female?” Brody asked. Jaylyn flipped him the bird before scampering off to say hello.
Reagan laughed, and it was like a light had turned on inside her.
“How are you handling this bullshit?” He gestured at the crowd. “I guess I didn’t consider how uncomfortable this was for you.”
“Jaylyn advised me to act bored.”
“Thankfully not a challenge when in the presence of the uberwealthy.”
“I just had to take a minute to breathe and remind myself that if I can rewire a ceiling fan, I can make small talk with billionaires.”
“The ceiling fan thing is probably less painful.” He cast a look around the room at the well-dressed crowd and then weaved his fingers with hers. “Come with me.”
“Where? Don’t tell me we’re going to the terrace Lexi bragged about?” Her tone was teasing.
“Try not to let her ruin it for you, okay?”
“Okay.”
On the far end of the ballroom, there was a pair of double doors. Beyond that, a terrace with a seating area marked private. Fire bowls were lit, and fairy lights glowed.