Page 89 of The Lies of Bryn van Doren

God, I love my name on his lips.

Shaking off her reaction, she leans close and asks, “People are staring. I’m not imagining that, am I?”

“No. But don’t let it bother you. Half the people in here who know me probably don’t recognize me.”

“Oh,” she sighs, feeling relieved. “No beard.”

“Precisely.”

As if to prove his point, their attention is drawn a few feet away from them when a woman calls, “Khalohn? Is that you?”

Jessica’s feet stop moving and it takes every brain cell she’s got to keep her jaw from falling open as Naomi Gray makes her way toward them. Until this very moment, she’s only ever seen the Grammy award winning artist on television or on the internet. The fact that Naomi and Khalohn are apparently on a first-name basis makes her feel more out of place than she already did.

“Naomi, back in the city already?”

She coughs out a laugh, her big, beautiful smile lighting up her round eyes. “I get it. Me, home, in the city—hasn’t happened a lot in the last year. Butyou—Khalohn Morgan sans beard? Is this what you’ve been hiding?” she asks, gesturing toward his face. “You look—dashing.”

Khalohn merely shakes his head, as if he finds her amusing.

“Then again,” she continues, folding her arms across the front of her gorgeous, gold gown, “Maybe it’s the woman on your arm who makes you look so good.”

Reflexively, Jessica’s hand tightens and then loosens in Khalohn’s bent elbow.

“Naomi, Jessica,” he introduces without further prompting. “Jessica—”

“Naomi Gray. Yeah. Anyone who doesn’t know who you are is seriously disconnected,” Jessica blurts.

Naomi stares at Jessica openly, taking her in from head to toe before she shifts her gaze back to Khalohn. “I’ve got to admit—she came in on your arm, and for that alone I didn’t like her. Upon closer inspection, I’ve changed my mind,” she teases before holding out her hand. “It’s so nice to meet you, Jessica. Honestly, I’ve never seen this man with anyone. You being here says more about you than you know.”

“Thanks,” breathes Jessica, letting go of Khalohn long enough to return Naomi’s gesture. “It’s nice to meet you, too.”

“Are you here with Porter? I haven’t seen him, yet,” asks Khalohn, mercifully changing the subject.

“Oh, he’s around here somewhere; working the crowd, as usual. But to answer your question, no. I’m not here because of him. I’ll actually be performing after dinner.”

“Looking forward to it.”

Someone calls Naomi’s name, she glances over her shoulder and then excuses herself, promising to catch up with them again before the end of the night. Jessica is still a little star-struck when someone beckons Khalohn’s attention. Following his lead, she turns to face a small group of people coming to speak to him. It’s the man who seems to be acquainted with Khalohn. He introduces the woman on his arm as his wife, Scarlett, and the second woman as his sister, Christina. At first glance, Jessica thinks Christina looks vaguely familiar. It’s not long before she decides—in a crowd like this—there’s no way she knows her.

“I would say it’s nice to meet you, but I’m afraid that wouldn’t be true,” says Christina.

“Chris,” chastises her brother.

Even though she addresses her sibling, it’s Khalohn she stares at as she replies, “Charlie, you’re selling our legacy to this man and his company. Pier House Resorts will lose everything that makes it unique once it bears the name Khalohn Morgan. You know it, I know it—and if you weren’t such a coward, maybe we wouldn’t be losing the business that’s been in our family since we were children.”

“Christina, we agreed,” interjects Scarlett.

“Right. A peaceful evening.” She finally pulls her fixed stare away from Khalohn only to pin it on Jessica. After giving her a very deliberate once over, she shakes her head and mutters, “If you’ll excuse me.”

“I apologize,” says Charles. He casts a small smile at Jessica and adds, “I didn’t mean to put a damper on your evening. Just wanted to be polite.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Khalohn assures him. He offers Charles and Scarlett a nod, then begins to walk around them as he says, “I hope you enjoy the rest of the gala.”

“What was that about?” asks Jessica when they’re out of earshot.

“Just business. At least, it’s just business for me. For them, it’s a little more complicated—butthatis not my business.”

“Oh,” mutters Jessica distractedly. She can’t help but look in the direction Christina went. Whateverbusinesshe’s referring to is obviously complicated. The way she was staring him down made Jessica feel uncomfortable. She hopes that was the first and last time they will cross paths.

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