Page 19 of All That Glitters
I took my time putting one foot in front of the other. My legs didn’t want to carry me forward and my brain was screaming at them to turn me around and run me back home.
But that didn’t happen.
Instead, I walked side by side with Hale up the stone steps to the wide-open front door. I squeezed his hand and he squeezed mine, a silent agreement that we were in this together.
We were swallowed up from the second we stepped inside the marble foyer.
“Finally! Friendly faces!”
I looked up to find a smiling Braxton Glitterati bearing down on us. I felt the tension in Hale ease a little.
“I was beginning to think y’all were going to leave me to manage all of this alone.”
“You’d have managed just fine,” I said. “Besides we’re not late.”
For that, he clucked his tongue.
“You’re on time, which means you’re late.”
He wedged himself between us and draped an arm around Hale’s shoulder and an arm around my waist. He’d filled in for Ashton after the accident and had a light, just here to have fun approach to racing that was far and away the opposite of Ashton’s overly serious, weight of the family legacy on his shoulders style. But that was just a facade for Brax. He wanted to cement his own legacy in the world of endurance racing, though I wasn’t sure he’d limit himself if other opportunities came along.
“My two favorite people. My night’s complete now.”
He was rewarded with a soft elbow to the ribs for that comment. “Two favorite people?”
“I can’t say you’re the favorite all on your own, my darling Helen. Hale’s feelings would be hurt.”
Hale shifted away from Brax with a grin. It was the first genuine one I’d seen from him in months and it eased something inside me.
“Nah. I’m good.”
“You know you’d be jealous.”
“For all of a second.”
“See? He’s already covering his sadness. How about a glass of wine?” he asked.
“I’m sure there’s something stronger around here.”
“There is. What’s your vice tonight?”
I didn’t hesitate. “Whiskey?”
“Oh, straight to the hard stuff. Follow me.”
My gaze met Hale’s before I was helplessly led away.
“Holler for me if you need to be rescued,” he said, earning a scoff from Brax.
“She won’t need to be rescued from me, thank you very much. I am a perfect gentleman.”
I shook my head and Brax steered me around a small group of women. I smiled at the ones I was familiar with. And while I might not need to be rescued from Brax, but there was another I might need help with. I kind of hoped Ashton kept his distance. I also kind of hoped I could and would stop obsessing over him.
“Maybe we shouldn’t leave Hale on his own.”
Brax sobered, his eyes lifting over my head. I turned and we both watched Hale shake hands with several other drivers, one of which was a teammate. He smiled, then laughed at something one of them said. They soon disappeared out of sight.
“He’ll be fine. I think maybe both of you need this little outing instead of staying all cooped up in that big house.”
