“Magic. Who couldn’t use some of that?” Clay was an easy man to like. He didn’t care at all about trying to impress any of them. He was who he was—no apologies.
He gave Joanna a long look. “Do you have your heart set on someone who requires a little nudge?”
Joanna flushed. The tequila shots were setting in, but not enough for her to claim Dylan publicly. “N-no.”
Lexi hugged Clay. “I see what you’re doing, Clay; don’t think I don’t. You want to find another couple you can bring together. Don’t give him a name, Joanna, unless you’re ready for the pumpkin coach and ball. Clay can be a little over-the-top at times.” She hugged him. “It’s one of the many things I love about him.”
Clay waved a hand in the air. “What is a fairy godfather without a charge? Just a sad man with a magical wand.”
“Poor baby,” Lexi said. “We’ll find you someone to help.”
Joanna looked across to Aly for guidance, but she didn’t offer any. No. I can’t say anything. It’s one thing to dream and joke about marrying Dylan, it’s another to set a plan into motion. One is harmless, the other could make things awkward for Dylan as well as Angelina, and I don’t want that.
Her eyes locked with Bradford’s. Behind his seemingly practiced stare, she sensed a profound sadness that made her wish she knew him well enough to hug him and tell him everything would be okay. He could use a little of Clay’s magic. She almost said that, but at the last minute she decided to keep that thought to herself as well.
The noise level in the ballroom had risen as the room filled, but when it suddenly lowered people turned to see who had arrived. Phones raised to photograph the Sutton brothers as they entered—tall, muscular, and insanely good-looking. Their huge social media following was no big mystery . . . a woman would have to be dead not to be moved a little by those two.
Angelina was holding Connor’s hand. He bent to ask her something then smiled, looking so much in love with her Joanna gasped. “I want that someday,” she whispered to herself.
“A Sutton?” Bradford asked in a low tone.
Joanna’s gaze went to Dylan. He was certainly handsome and polished. Universally attractive. Her heart didn’t race the way she’d expected it to, though. Would she feel something for him again if they spent time together? “Maybe.”
Bradford walked away.
Clay looked at Lexi. “I told you tonight was worth flying in for.”
She shook her head. “Clay Landon, whatever you’re thinking—no.”
He raised her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. “Aly. Joanna. Daphne. We look forward to sharing a table with you, but there’s something Lexi and I must do first.”
“Oh, Lord,” Lexi said. “See you in a few, ladies.”
Joanna and the others said they looked forward to it then watched Clay and Lexi make their way across the room in the direction Bradford had gone.
Claire arrived with Ian, and Daphne scurried away to greet her.
“I’m not going to say it,” Aly said.
“Good,” Joanna said lightly, “because I probably don’t want to hear it.”
Aly laughed. “Tequila gives you some sass.”
Joanna smiled. “I suppose it does.”
After a short pause, Aly said, “Drinking with Bradford; how did that happen?”
“First, we weren’t ‘drinking’ together, we had two shots to unwind. Second, it really bothers me that you’ve decided you don’t like him but you’ve never taken the time to get to know him. You’re better than that, Aly.”
“Whoa, let’s unpack some of that. You and I tell each other everything, so asking how you and Bradford ended up downing tequila shots is not crossing any boundaries. And I never said I don’t like him. I said you need to be careful with him. I’ve been asking around about him and no one will tell me what he does. It’s concerning.”
“To you. Not to me. He’s been nothing but nice to me, so I don’t really care what he does for a living. If it was illegal, I don’t think he’d be here. Did you see how Clay Landon just fawned over him? That’s enough of a reference for me. If I even required a reference before liking a person—which I don’t—and nor should you.”
“I hate it when you’re right.” Aly sighed. “I am judging him based on very little evidence, but I get this vibe from him . . .”
“What kind of vibe?”
“I shouldn’t say it.”
“Well you might as well now that you’ve brought it up.”
“Like I wouldn’t be surprised if I heard he’d killed someone.”
“Oh, my God.” Joanna scoffed. “You’ve watched too many crime shows. Even in those though, it’s never the obvious choice who did it, so it wouldn’t be him anyway.”
Aly clasped her small purse in front of her. “Laugh it off, but there’s something about him . . .”
“You could say that about every person in this room. Ease up.” Joanna nudged her friend with her hip. “When it comes to reading people, I’m the one with the good instincts. Remember that neurosurgeon you tried to date. I told you he liked himself more than he could ever like you.”
“You did call that one correctly.”
“And the astrophysicist with the foot fetish. Come on, you thought he liked you barefoot just because he preferred shorter women. No way. I saw the way he checked out my tootsies when I wore sandals.”
Aly laughed. “You win. You are definitely a better reader of men. Maybe I’m wrong about Bradford. I hope I am.”
“You are.” Joanna searched the room until she spotted Bradford. Their eyes met and held. “He’s not dangerous, Aly, just sad. I see that expression in the eyes of throw-away horses all the time. He’s shut down. Someone hurt him, maybe threw him away too. He looks angry because he’s probably learned it’s safer to keep people at a distance, but if you look past that you see something else. He’s here to support the Barringtons and they adore him. That says all I need to know about who he is on the inside.”
“You almost sound interested in him. Have you given up on Dylan?”
“Bradford and I are just friends.” Reluctantly, she dragged her gaze away from Bradford and sought out Dylan in the crowd. He was surrounded by a circle of adoring women. It was fun for Joanna to fantasize about being with him, having him choose her above all those beautiful women, but it was becoming more difficult to imagine being with him. “Do you think he’s as nice as Connor or has his celebrity status gone to his head?”
One of the women with him said something that made Dylan laugh. He appeared to love all the attention he was receiving. Aly sighed. “I’m sure even a humble person has a difficult time remaining that way when all they hear is how wonderful they are. Unending praise is not good for anyone.”
“So I definitely shouldn’t flatter him.”
Without looking away from Dylan, Aly said, “Not unless you want to become part of that herd.”
“I don’t.” Joanna looked around the room. It was quickly filling with the rich and famous. When Sophie Barrington threw a charity ball anyone who was anyone showed up.