Page 119 of The Masks She Wore

?A smile touched his own lips, his eyes flicking to my lips and back. He looked proud of me, and that alone was enough to set butterflies fluttering in the pit of my stomach.

?“Ms. Bennett!”

?I looked over to find the Mayor himself walking over with a beaming look across his face. I gave him a polite smile and nodded. “Mayor Strauss, it’s good to see you again.”

?“You as well. Don’t you look like a vision tonight,” he said, taking my hand and taking me in. “And who might this be?”

?I released Jack’s arm and gave them room to shake hands. “Ash Offerin,” I told him. “My soon to be husband,” I said, the smile growing painfully wide. God, that sounded good.

?Francis’s eyes widened as he found my left hand. “Oh my goodness, congratulations. Not a Bennett too much longer then, hmm?” he chuckled. “I’m so happy for you. And you,” he nodded towards Jack. “Come, grab a drink, enjoy yourselves. No expectations, no anything, just have fun.” He leaned in close. “Celebrate, hmm?”

?I chuckled. “Of course, thank you again for the invite. Your home is as beautiful as ever.”

?He laughed. “Thank my wife for that one.” His attention was quickly taken away from us. “Mr. Grange!” he boasted, giving me a nod as a goodbye before he disappeared once again.

?“Friendly,” Jack commented.

?I rolled my eyes, sliding my arm around his. “It’s in the job description, Ash.”

?“Good name. Come, let’s mingle with the elites and see what we can find.”

?I nodded, taking the wine he offered me from the table and turning towards the room. Any information would be just fine. We weren’t here on any sort of mission or assignment. We didn’t have any leads. This was a night simply out of obligation, but if we could find anything out from these higher ups, it would help.

?If there was anything every elite did well it was talk.

?So, we began our mingling. Slipping into our roles with ease as we walked around the room and inserted ourselves into certain conversations.

?I liked watching Jack slide into other roles. It was so interesting seeing him change to match whoever he was talking to. His posture, his energy, the way in which he spoke. He became different people with each group we walked up to. Zo must have been relieved having him as a partner, then again, I suppose if Jack had been trained to do this, so must the other brothers.

?When it was nearing midnight, I was finally starting to get tired. We hadn’t found out anything important outside of trading deals and who was buying a new boat.

?I was ready to get back and rest.

?I left Jack to finish up his conversation with a couple of attorneys that seemed to take a liking to him and headed for a waiter carrying champagne. I didn’t really like the taste of champagne, but I did like holding the glass. It made me feel less as if I were standing out.

?I thanked him for the drink and found a spot near the wall so I could observe for a while. Jack looked so at home around these people. His shoulders were relaxed, his smile easy going, although not real. It felt surreal seeing him like this.

?“Ms. Bennett.”

?I looked over, finding a woman I knew well walking up. Marie Espinoza. She and my mother had done a few deals when I had been younger. “Ms. Espinoza,” I greeted with a smile. “It’s good to see you again.”

?“And you,” she hummed, looking me over. “Look at you, all grown up. You are so beautiful, just like your mother.”

?“Thank you. How is everything? Your son?”

?She laughed. “Oh, as wild as ever, but I wanted to talk about you,” she cooed, reaching for my left hand.

?I allowed her to take it, watching as she admired the beautiful ring I couldn’t get enough of.

?“Wow, a lucky man,” she said with a glint in her eye. “He walks around this place as if he owns it,” she went on, turning to face Jack who was still deep in conversation with the attorneys.

?I nodded, my heart lifting as I watched him talk. “He does.”

?“Where did you find him?”

?“On a trip to Washington,” I answered without thought. “I was on vacation, and we ran into each other at the market.”

?“Love at first sight,” she sighed, placing a hand over her heart. “Beautiful.”

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