Page 51 of Free Me

I could absolutely kiss him right here in the middle of everyone for being so considerate. “I find the most effective way to introduce myself is with they/them pronouns. Most people struggle to think past the binary, and if I introduce myself as ‘he’ from the start, most people don’t bother adjusting after that.”

Even when I introduce myself asthey, the average person struggles to remember. I get that gender normative pronouns are ingrained in our culture, and it’s difficult to re-train years of default thinking. But unless I’m in full wig, dress, and heels, I appear male. That means people default to he/him even after I’ve asked to be called they/them. It’s frustrating, and, honestly, viscerally disturbing to be called a gender I’m not.

As we walk away from the table, Blake sets his hand on my lower back, steering me toward an older woman in an emerald green ball gown, with beautiful silver hair and an open, kind face. “I’m going to introduce you to Margaret McCauley. For all intents and purposes, this is her event.”

Margaret’s face lights up when she spots us. “Blake, good to see you.” She holds out her hands and he takes them, leaning in to kiss her on the cheeks. “You look dashing in your tux, as usual.”

“Margaret, so good to see you. You look lovely.”

“Thank you, dear.” She turns her attention to me and I really don’t think I’m imagining that Blake puffs up a bit. “Hello. I’m Margaret McCauley.”

She extends her hand, and I shake it, giving her my most charming smile. “It’s so nice to meet you. I’m Stef Evans.”

Blake slips his arm around me. “Stef, Margaret is a local philanthropist and strongly supports literacy and access to books in schools. Margaret, this is my partner, Stef.”

She practically beams at him. “Finally.” Margaret’s eyes sparkle as she turns back to me. “I was wondering when someone would snatch him up. Quite smart of you. He’s a catch.”

I look up at Blake, so many emotions crowding my chest, making it difficult to breathe. “He really is. I’m incredibly lucky.”

“I’m the lucky one.” Blake’s gaze is soft and sweet, and I swoon. But just a little.

A crisp British accent interrupts the moment and we all turn to look. A tall, handsome older man walks toward us, a drink in his perfectly manicured hand, and a confident swagger in his step. He looks familiar, but I can’t place him. “Blake, I was hoping I’d see you tonight.”

Blake tenses and pulls me tight against his side. “Gilbert, I wasn’t aware that you were attending tonight’s event.”

Gilbert’s eyes lock on mine. There’s a slight pause, as if he recognizes me, too. His smile is practiced, and so slick it makes me uneasy. “I wrangled a last-minute ticket from your admin. Such a sweet young man.” He winks at me. “You do like to surround yourself with pretty young things.” He steps into my personal space. “And who are you?” For a moment all I can imagine is the caterpillar fromAlice in Wonderland. I’m not sure if Gilbert is assessing me or undressing me with his gaze. Maybe both.

It takes everything I have not to back away from him. I’m not afraid, but I don’t want to contaminate myself with his touch. He oozes negative energy, although he’s trying for seductive. He’s failing miserably.

I plaster a smile on my face and force myself to shake his outstretched hand. “Stef Evans, I’m Blake’s partner.”

Gilbert’s eyes widen and snap to Blake’s, but Blake’s expression gives nothing away. “Hispartner?” He peers at me, this time more intently. “It’s lovely to meet you, Stef.”

“Thank you.”

Before Gilbert can extend the conversation, Blake places his hand at the small of my back, a comforting pressure guiding me away. “We should make our rounds.”

Gilbert puts his hand on my arm, stopping us. “Nonsense. That will be utterly boring for Stef. Blake, why don’t you go drum up support, and I’ll whisk your lovely date off for a dance?”

Blake’s tense posture and the tick in his jaw telegraph what he thinks of that idea. “They are mypartner, Gilbert, and I’d like to introduce them to everyone.”

Gilbert waves Blake’s words away just as Margaret chimes in. “Oh, let them enjoy themselves. Stef doesn’t want to meet all these stuffy people. You and I will work the room for a bit. Let Stef have some fun.” She hooks her arm through Blake’s expectantly.

He ignores her and searches my eyes. “Stef?”

The last thing I want is to embarrass Blake by making whatever this is into a scene. “One song, then I’ll come find you. Alright?”

Blake assesses me for a long moment. “If you’re sure.”

“I am.” I smile and push up on my toes to kiss his cheek. “Go get lots of donations. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

Gilbert slips his arm around my waist and rushes me to the dance floor. The song is a slow jazzy number and he attempts to pull me against him. That’s happening over my dead body. I firmly press my hand against his chest until there are a few inches between us and smile tightly. He pretends not to notice. “So, Stef, I didn’t know Blake was seeing anyone. I’m surprised.”

My hackles rise. I’ve watched my share of rom-coms. I know how this goes. Ignoring the bait, I change the subject. “What is it you do, Gilbert?”

As expected, he’s offended that I don’t know who he is. “I’m a bestselling author. You’ve probably read my Magnus Pine mystery novels.”

I tilt my head like I’m actually thinking about it. “Mmm? They don’t sound familiar. Are they like Gary Atkinson’s Sterling Archer series? I love those books!”

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