She glanced around but they were alone. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt.”
“Splendid. I’ll go and grab some beers and sneak right back.” Riley watched the real Ben disappear inside the ballroom as Linda and Anna returned to their bench down the hall. He followed, hoping her date wouldn’t decide to take a stroll any time soon.
“I really shouldn’t have worn these shoes,” Phoebe said as she pulled them off.
“Just walk around barefoot,” Linda told her. “No one will notice.”
“What do I do with the shoes?”
Linda leaned close and confided, “I always stash mine in the supply closet. Usually forget about them.”
Phoebe laughed as Riley rolled his eyes. “Why do you wear them in the first place?”
“They were a gift, actually. So was the dress.” She hunched her shoulders a bit, and Riley had a feeling she wasn’t used to getting such outlandish gifts. Had to be from her date. Who was this guy? She didn’t seem like the type who would go after someone for their money, so why hang around him? “But it’s all right, I’ll just carry them. Everyone here already knows I don’t belong.”
“Trust me,” Riley whispered, leaning in close, “that’s a good thing.”
“What do you mean?”
“He means that those people in there are utterly full of themselves,” Linda chimed in. “And what’s worse is they know it. They’re terrible, self-centered, arrogant, and the list goes on. You’re better off not hanging around them, ever.”
Phoebe laughed. “Is that why your boss makes you three come instead?”
Linda looked right at Riley and smiled. “Not sure. Maybe one day I’ll ask him, and he can explain it all to me.”
Riley nodded when Anna wasn’t looking. “I got your message by the way,” she said.
“Oh? And were you going to call me back?”
“Considered it, but now that you’re here, I guess I don’t have to.”
“So, are you going to make me wait all night before you give me your answer?”
Phoebe glanced sideways at Linda, who took that as her cue to leave. “I’ll be with Frank if you need me,” she said to Riley, then headed off down the hall. Riley took her spot on the bench, laying one arm on the back and turning so he faced Anna.
“So? Date or no date?”
She looked at him long and hard, a gentle smile playing on her lips. For a second, he thought she was going to say no, and he felt all his hope dashed…but then she leaned onto his arm behind her and said, “Sure, why not? I don’t have any plans.”
“Well then, it’s a date.” He reached out a hand and tucked one of the curls behind her ear. “Now, are you going to tell me why you called me pirate the other day?”
“You have to admit, you give off that flair. Black leather jacket, tattoos, stubble, and not to mention this,” she said, tugging at his earring. “Honestly, I thought you were going to pull out a cutlass at any second.”
Riley laughed. “Pretty sure I own one of those, too.”
He wasn’t sure how long they sat on that bench and talked about mundane things, but with Anna, it was anything but boring. He could tell she was holding back much of who she was, but then again, wasn’t he doing the same thing? It wasn’t that he didn’t trust her, but he had to be careful. This marriage-in-two-months issue was driving him nuts. That and the fact that she did, in fact, work within Yancey’s company somewhere. There were too many unknowns to reveal who he really was. Maybe soon, maybe in two months when he hit the deadline and needed a wife.
A buzzing interrupted his thoughts, but it wasn’t him. Anna glanced down at her clutch but didn’t reach for her phone. Instead, she stared at him, cheeks flushed from their laughing. The light was soft against her face and brought out the green in her eyes. He noticed a slight shimmer around the edges where it faded to grey. He’d never seen eyes like hers and started to lean forward with every intention of investigating further. Her breathing intensified and her chest moved, breasts brushing against him as he hesitated, only inches away. Her lips parted and he was about to lean in for a kiss when her phone buzzed again.
Her eyes fluttered, and she backed away slowly, the moment gone. “Sorry, I really should see who this is,” she said as she reached for her cell.
Riley wanted to take it out of her hands and throw it down the corridor, but she answered and her face fell. “What’s wrong?” he whispered.