Page 178 of Hale Damage
“It’s me,” I say, accepting my former mother-in-law’s warm embrace. I don’t hold any ill feelings toward Rose. She might have overstepped some boundaries, but that’s only because her son let her. I didn’t have a mother-in-law problem; I had a husband problem.
“Well, you just look fantastic. I’m glad Roger and Blakely invited me along, or I would have missed out on seeing you.” She beams at me and then lowers her voice. “I’m so excited to see Remington Hale in person. He’s such a handsome young man.”
“Oh, he definitely is,” I say with a smirk before turning to the blonde woman standing awkwardly beside Rose. I offer her a smile and a handshake. “Hello, I’m Mindy Espinoza.”
Her smile is tentative and a little shy. “Hi, I’m Blakely Caruso.”
“It’s so nice to meet you,” I say. “What do you do?”
Blakely rolls her lips between her teeth. “I work at First National as a teller.”
Before I can comment back, I feel a warm hand on the bare skin of my back, and someone takes my champagne flute, replacing it with a cool full one.
“Sorry that took so long, beautiful.” Remi places a bold kiss directly on my lips. “I got sidetracked by the senator. Do we have plans next Saturday? He wants to get together for golf.”
My lips twitch as I look up at the man with impeccable timing. “We have reservations at Brenner’s, remember?” I rest a hand on his chest. “But you should still have time for your golf game with Senator Jameson if you’re done by five.”
He smiles, and goddammit, I want to bite those luscious lips of his. “Wild horses couldn’t keep me away from you, sweetheart.” Oh, he’s really laying it on thick, and I love it. He turns to the group of three standing there with their mouths gaping open, and he holds out a hand to Roger. “I’m Remington Hale.”
“R-Roger McCoy. So nice to meet you.” He winces a little as Remi towers over him and squeezes his hand with so much force I can hear Roger’s bones grinding together.
“Wish I could say the same,” Remi replies before smoothly turning to the women and planting a charming smile on his face.Holy fucking hell. Did he just say that?“Good evening ladies. You both look lovely tonight. Thank you so much for coming.”
They both blush to the roots of their hair as they introduce themselves and shake his hand with wide eyes. Yep, I don’t blame them a bit for being awed. Remi can be the suavest man in the room when he wants to be.
He returns his attention to me and drags the backs of his knuckles along my jawline. “Sorry, beautiful, but the mayor is signaling me it’s time to take our seats.”
I nod as his eyes soften for me. He really does love me so much, and sometimes that fact makes it hard for me to breathe.
Remi turns back to the group and nods at Rose and Blakely. “Ladies, it was a delight to meet you,” he says, purposely snubbing Twatface and leading me across the room with his arm firmly around my waist.
“You are so bad, and I love it,” I whisper.
He shakes his head. “He’s lucky I’m in a nice mood tonight because my date is so beautiful.” His hand squeezes my side. “I’m glad you’re rid of him. He looks like a fucking thumb.”
I snort in a most unladylike fashion as my man pulls out the chair beside the mayor and holds it for me.
I exit the restroom stall, my shoes tapping across the tan and black patterned tile. As I’m washing my hands someone exits the stall beside mine, and she freezes when she sees my reflection in the mirror.
“Hi, Blakely,” I say, keeping my tone friendly. “Did you enjoythe dinner?”
She nods. “It was very good, and your boyfriend’s speech was great.”
“He is a good speaker,” I agree. In fact, he was freaking amazing. Every eye in the room was on him like they were mesmerized. “Your dress is really pretty.” She’s wearing a black halter dress with tiny beads on the bodice.
“Thank you.” Blakely drops her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “I borrowed it from my sister.”
I laugh. “I never had a sister, but my friend Caroline and I swapped clothes all the time.”
We each grab a towel to dry our hands, and I feel the woman’s eyes on the side of my face. “Can I ask you a kind of personal question, Mindy?” she asks.
“Uh, sure, I guess,” I reply.
“What happened between you and Roger? I mean, he seems great on paper, so why did you get divorced? All he told me was everything seemed fine and you left him out of the blue.”
I feel uncomfortable answering this question, so I do my best to remain vague. “Roger looks excellent on paper. It’s a reality that isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”
Blakely nods, looking thoughtful. “This is only our second date. The first one was great, and then he asked me out again for this dinner, and I felt so special because this is a black-tie thing, you know? I’ve never been to a formal event in my life other than senior prom, and I’m not sure that counts.”
