Page 84 of Mistletoe Mistake
“Time to put your money where your mouth is, Cole,” she challenged, offering one to me.
I didn't say anything as I took it from her and placed it on my head while she tucked hers over her beautiful red hair.
Meanwhile, Jackson stared at me in utter shock. “I need a picture,” he cried out, reaching for his coat again. “This is the end of the world. I have to document it.”
Gemma laughed and grabbed his arm before he could retrieve his phone. “Come on, let's go inside.”
The sounds of people chatting and music playing got louder as we walked down the hall towards a beautiful, large ballroom. A small orchestra played jazz-infused versions of Christmas songs while trays of food and champagne were circulated among the very well-dressed guests. I had been to a lot of parties in my life, and even I had to admit to being impressed. The Earl had clearly spared no expense.
“How long are we staying?” I asked Gemma under my breath. I had more than one reason for asking: I didn't want to give her father or anyone else a chance to bother her, and I also wanted to get her back to the suite for our last night before I flew out the next day. However long it would be until I saw her again would be too long.
“Just long enough for people to know we're here,” she assured me, leading us into the room. "No more than an hour, tops."
The next half hour was filled with the usual inane small talk that typically made up those kinds of events. I found Gemma's father in the crowd shortly after we arrived, so I'd been doing my best to keep us away from him. He wouldn't be pleased that I came, but I doubted he would make a scene in public at his own party. Even so, it seemed prudent to avoid him anyway.
Holly and Jackson had gone to the dance floor while Gemma finished making polite conversation with another older couple. Just as I was about to ask her if she wanted to dance, someone else appeared in front of us; someone that I recognized.
“Gemma and Cole.” A smile graced Annabel's face, but her eyes gleamed with something far less appealing. Gemma stiffened next to me and I put my arm around her waist to try to reassure her. “I was hoping to run into you here.”
“This is my father's party,” Gemma pointed out. “It's not a stretch that I would be here, but we don't have anything to talk about, Annabel.”
“Oh, of course we do.” Annabel's laugh was as fake as her hair colour. “I'd heard that you might not make it, or at least that Cole might not. I'm glad that wasn't true. It would have spoiled the surprise.”
Obviously, she knew that Gemma had been told not to bring me. How would she know that? My guess was that it came through Edwin’s father.
"What surprise?" Gemma asked through gritted teeth.
Annabel tutted at her. "I'm afraid it's not for you. It's for Cole." She turned to me with a look of gleeful anticipation. "Someone special who flew in to see you."
Someone to seeme? What the hell was she talking about?
Before I could ask, she turned around and pulled the woman behind her over into my line of view, and my stomach dropped to the floor.
“Hello, Cole,” Samantha said.
~Gemma~
I had no idea who the woman with Annabel was. Elegantly dressed and beautiful, with long, dark hair, her bright blue eyes were fixed on Cole as she spoke to him.
Clearly,heknew who she was. His face turned deathly pale as he caught sight of her and he took a step back, almost losing his balance, as if someone had shoved him. I quickly put my arm around him to steady him.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, his voice betraying his surprise. It almost shook, not sounding anything like his usual confident self.
Whatever effect she had on Cole, it looked like the woman felt almost equally anxious to be seeing him. She glanced over at Annabel, who wore a smug smile, obviously enjoying the drama she had caused. “Annabel invited me,” the woman replied, which even I could tell wasn’t much of an answer. He wanted to knowwhyshe’d been invited.
Cole's gaze moved between Annabel and the mystery woman, his eyes narrowing as he tried to make sense of it. “How do you two know each other? Is there some secret club you both belong to? A place where pathetic, manipulative women get together for fun?”
Annabel's smile widened, making me even more confused. Why did she look so pleased? There had to be something else at play, and as my eyes darted around, trying to figure it out, I noticed the phone in her hand.
“Annabel's recording this,” I whispered in Cole's ear, turning my head so that my lips couldn't be seen. “She wants you to lose your temper.”
I didn't know what she planned to do with the recording, but I could only guess it involved buying herself another thirty seconds of fame somehow. Cole’s grip on my waist tightened in acknowledgement, letting me know he saw it too. “We've got nothing to say to either of you,” he told the two women. “Gemma, I'm ready to leave if you are.”
“Cole, wait.” The woman I didn't know spoke up again. “I need to talk to you. That's why I came. I knew you wouldn't agree to see me otherwise.”
“You're right about that, at least,” he agreed. “And I won't talk to you now either.”
He turned to go, but she stepped forward, taking hold of his other arm, the one that wasn't around me, and whispered something in his ear. Any colour that had come back to his face immediately drained again as he heard whatever she had to say.
