Tide Changer

Twenty-six

The dessert buffet we'd been invited to enjoy after dancing was just as unforgettable as the rest of the anniversary celebration. The variety of delicious sweet treats had me regretting eating so much before. As Rys and I stood chatting, plates with bite-sized pastries in hand, Cohen approached us, flashing a sparkling white smile that stood out against his tanned face.

"I'd love to steal Rys for a moment if you don't mind," he said to me.

I shook my head with a smile. "Sure."

Rys touched my cheek with his lips and went after the business owner. Once clusters of guests hid them from view, I bit into my strawberry cheesecake, my gaze wandering around the hall. A guy in a gray suit with his hair neatly combed to the side ambled over and stood by my side as if I were an old acquaintance he'd run into.

"Enjoying the night?"

Something in his innocent question sent shivers of awareness down the length of my back. I glanced at his clean-shaven face and quickly refocused on the lonely chocolate truffle on his plate.

"Very much."

"Not a big talker, are you?"

My thoughts made a U-turn and stopped at my earlier conversation with Paolo, who was now nowhere to be seen. "Guess I am in the right company."

If the truffle guy thought I was rude, he'd hopefully leave me alone and go eat his dessert. To my disappointment, he laughed. "She's got jokes."

Apparently, he was the type to hear a yes each time someone said no. A huge neon warning sign flashed in front of my eyes. The crowd parted slightly, allowing me to see Rys chatting with Cohen across the hall.

"Doesn't it amaze you how some people are just lucky?" My unwanted companion stared Rys's way with overt animosity. Or that and jealousy. "The most beautiful women, the best business opportunities. All because—"

"All because some people work hard and are excellent at what they do," I said, protectiveness unfurling in my chest.

The truffle slid to the edge of the plate from the force of the guy's laughter. "Beautiful and naive. I meant to say all because Isaac Delano fathered them, but what do I know? Enjoy looking at the world through rose-colored glasses, sweetheart."

Sweetheart. The word sounded like an insult coming from him. "Excuse me. I've got cakes to try," I said, making it my mission not to flatter the man by looking at his face.

I rushed to the opposite end of the buffet table and grabbed a chocolate-covered strawberry I wasn't sure I'd eat without feeling sick. Why did one rude person unsettle me so much? Was it his condescending behavior or what he said about Rys?

"Sorry." Rys came to stand beside me. "Cohen had a few questions, and I needed to answer."

Relief swathed me. No more unwanted attention and weird men now that he was back. "Don't apologize. I'd hate it if you missed an opportunity you'd been waiting for because of babysitting me. I was enjoying the pastries."

Too bad some were untouched, and Rys's attention strayed to my plate as if he'd read my mind. "Aren't those good? You haven't tried the chocolate one."

"Someone interrupted me." The words tumbled out before I thought them through.

Rys raised his brows. "Who?"

"That guy in a gray suit. He knows you."

I nodded in the truffle guy's direction. The girl in a purple dress was in his proximity, talking to a woman, but Rys didn't look her way and focused on the source of my discomfort instead.