Page 38 of Wife Unwanted
She smirked. "He hasn't gotten over it?"
"He warned me not to talk to you after we met that first time."
Darcy threw her head back and laughed out loud, attracting the attention of a few people around us. "I mean, he was kinda right." She leaned into my shoulder and whispered, "It was because of me you got your first arrest."
My gaze was at the entrance to the terrace and I was able to see Gemma come in. "You invited her?" She could invite anyone she wanted after all, it was her birthday party, but still felt a stab at my heart that she was here. It would have been fine if Carey wasn't there. And to make matters worse, it was as though the two lovers could sense each other. Gemma saw him at the same time he turned to her direction. I watched as she made her way to him, feeling helpless and seething with jealousy.
Darcy cursed under her breath. "I forgot to tell you. Hugh invited her. They went to the same college."
"It's fine." Gemma was now talking to Carey. They looked comfortable with each other and he was smiling, like he has never done before. Not for me. The pang throbbed again. They looked like a perfect couple. They were more compatible than Carey and I would ever be.
"I can make her go away."
I turned my gaze back to Darcy. She looked serious too. She was certainly capable of throwing out a guest for no discernible reason. "You don't have to. I'm fine. It's fine."
Darcy stared at me. "Uh-huh?" Her hand went to my back. "Girl, let's get you a drink. My birthday cocktail will do the trick."
The bar was at the corner of the terrace and Darcy ordered the Darcy's 29th. It was an ombre cocktail of blue and white. I never got to ask what was in it before Darcy handed it to me and commanded that I drink. It was powerful, sweet and had hints of lemon rum, vodka and something else that made my head a little dizzy.
"What's in this?"
"There are no illicit substances, if that's what you're worried about."
Okay. Now I am worried. "What did you put, Darcy?"
But before she could answer, the caterer interrupted us with a kitchen emergency and took Darcy away. The bartender was now too busy taking orders to answer trivial questions, so I took another sip of the cocktail. It was sweeter this time and didn't make me dizzy, but a little heady. I looked around the party for someone I knew and found Jack looking like a fish out of the water, standing stock still in the middle of the crowd. I made a beeline towards him.
"Are you enjoying yourself?" I said to Jack over the music. He was startled and jumped around until he faced me. "You were all alone."
Jack let out an embarrassed giggle. "Let's just say this kind of party is not my scene. Uh, Deb asked me to send her apologies. She said she would not be coming. She has an exam tomorrow."
"I'll pass on the apologies to the birthday girl." I darted my gaze around us. Several women had their eyes on Jack and some even looked mildly jealous. He was handsome and had attracted a number of customers to our store, and it seemed like he still had the same aura on college students and on socialites."I'm surprised you are all alone when you have all this attention coming your way," I said, lightly jabbing his biceps. The white t-shirt he had on was struggling to contain his muscles. He blushed, and it made him even cuter.
"I don't know what you mean," he said.
"Please. You know at least five women are throwing daggers at me with their eyes for merely speaking to you right now. You should be talking to them."
He chuckled again.
"Is my wife as funny as that?" I felt him approach before he even spoke. Carey came from behind me and slid an arm around my waist in a gesture one might call possessive.
If Jack could deepen to a darker shade of red, he might have at that moment. Was he remembering the incident? He must have guessed what Carey, and I did in that room. Instead of using the back door, Carey had left through the front and stumbled into Jack as he made his way out of the store. The boxes jack was carrying flew all around him, but Carey continued on as if he didn't see it. Or as if it was deliberate. It made no sense, but it looked deliberate.
"How are you Mr. Hawthorne."
"You make it sound like I am an old man. Call me Carey. I don't think I ever got your name, have I?"
"Jack." He extended his hand, but Carey didn't take it.
"First time at a place like this?"
Jack chuckled nervously. "Yes."
"I can tell. Don't make it obvious, or they will smell it on you. Unless of course you don't want to end up in the bed of one them." He jerked his head to a group of women who looked to be about Jack's age. "Maybe you have another woman in mind."
"Uh…"
"Carey. Stop tormenting him."
