Page 7 of Whiskey and Whispers
She was still just as beautiful but clearly far more sophisticated and worldly than she had been fourteen years ago. There was a veneer of glamour that hadn’t been there before. She’d been fresher-faced and naive back then. They’d both been young and optimistic, full of dreams for the future.
Tonight, she was wearing a simple green silk sheath that shimmered under the soft lights and made her porcelain skin glow. Her long blonde hair was pulled back from her face with some sort of fancy clip covered in bright rhinestones, showing off her absolutely perfect bone structure.
Photographers all over the world had drooled over Cat Townsend’s high cheekbones, almond-shaped blue eyes, perfectwhite teeth, and lustrous locks that fell into waves down to her waist.
Seeing her was like a gut-punch straight to the heart. He hadn’t expected to react this strongly to her mere presence, and the fact that he had didn’t make him happy in the least. He wanted to be immune to her, not reliving moments from their past. He’d wanted to show her that she couldn’t affect him at all.
“I heard she was going to be here,” Tyler said, his gaze following Tate’s. “Are you going to talk to her?”
No.
Despite preparing for this moment, Tate found himself wanting to avoid the entire situation. That first moment that he’d seen her, he’d felt all the former good feelings rushing through him. They had so many good memories together.
He’d thought she was the woman he would grow old with, have kids with, and love for the rest of his life. She’d been the sun, the moon, and the stars.
But then he felt something else. Anger.
He was mad that she hadn’t reached out when his mother had disappeared. He was angry that she’d basically ghosted him all those years ago, leaving him to drown in his sorrow.
He wasn’t looking to lose his temper tonight. This party wasn’t about him or Cat. It was for Josh and Rachel. If Cat had moved back to town, there would be other opportunities to talk and hash out the past.
If she even wanted to, which Tate wasn’t sure. She might be content to pretend that he didn’t exist.
That was just fine with him.
Chapter
Three
Cat Townsend had been debatingwith herself all day long. She’d gone back and forth about whether to attend the anniversary party, but none of her excuses sounded even a smidge believable.
If she hadn’t shown her face tonight, everyone would have said she was either too stuck up or too afraid to face Tate. The latter might not be far from the truth, but that didn’t mean she wanted people saying it behind her back. Or in front of it.
She’d tried and discarded half a dozen dresses before her mother had helped her choose this one. It was one of her favorites, and she knew she looked good in it. For some reason, it was important to look attractive tonight.
Cat didn’t want to delve too deeply into why that was, but just being here tonight made it clear as to why she cared. She wanted to seethat lookin his eyes. She remembered it well.
After the effusive greeting from Josh and Rachel, she’d made the rounds to say hello and chat with several of her old friends from high school. It had been awkward at first, but the conversation had smoothed out after a few minutes. She had the distinct feeling that they were wondering what she would sayand how she would act. Was Cat going to act like a self-centered diva?
Perish the thought. My mom would kill me.
Even at the height of Cat’s modeling career, Grace Townsend hadn’t coddled her daughter in the least. She’d made sure that Cat never had any delusions of grandeur. She wasn’t better or worse than anyone else. End of story.
“Looks like Leo and Shelly are leaving,” Winnie whispered into Cat’s ear.
Winnie and Rachel were helping Cat look for a new home in Winslow Heights.
“Leo’s just had too much to drink,” Glen, her husband, replied dismissively. “The man can’t hold his whiskey. Never could.”
“I’m not sure that’s why Leo is leaving,” Winnie said. “He was arguing with Josh. Shelly was, too.”
“They’re partners,” Glen shrugged. “They probably argue. Not everything is a conspiracy.”
Winnie gave her husband a sour look but dropped the subject, turning back to Cat.
“Everyone is so excited about you moving back to town. How does it feel?”
Everyone? Cat doubted the statement.
