“I was beginning to think he was a myth,” Grace told her with a forced smile.
“Oh, you’re so silly. He’s running late, so enjoy the party. After all, you’re throwing it.” Kitty threw back her head and laughed at her own stellar wit.
“Thank you, Kitty. Is there anything else you need right now?”
Kitty tilted her head as if she really had to think about that for a few moments. Grace wanted to grit her teeth. Of course there wasn’t anything the spoiled heiress needed, because Grace was excellent at her job and she’d made sure the party was planned down to the last detail.
“I’m good for now. I’m going to go talk to my parents.”
She didn’t give Grace a chance to respond, just turned around and fluttered away. Why Kitty had insisted that Grace attend the party as a guest instead of just sitting in the background, running the event, Grace didn’t know, but what her clients wanted, her clients got.
“Let me guess,” Cam whispered in her ear, making her jump. “Your bride-to-be?”
“Yes, my bride-to-be,” she said, wanting to kiss him when he handed her a glass of wine. “I will need about ten more of these to make it through the night. I’ve had some difficult clients before, but she has got to be the most spoiled one I’ve ever had to deal with.”
“Weren’t the two of you friends at one point?”
“No, just acquaintances,” Grace said. “I only agreed to do this wedding because her parents are powerful figures in the community and if I make their princess happy, it will lead to other lucrative jobs.”
“Why do this to yourself? Why not do something less stressful?” Cam asked as he led her to a corner of the room where they could talk more privately.
“Because I love planning parties and making someone’s special day even more special. It’s the career I’ve chosen.”
“Then be choosier with your clients, Grace. You can afford not to take every person who walks through your doors.”
“That would demonstrate a poor work ethic, Cam, and as it is, I live in Sterling, Montana, where there don’t happen to be a lot of parties going on.”
“My dad throws a few,” he reminded her.
“And I love that I get to plan those from now on, but still, that’s not enough. I need to stay busy or I’ll go insane, especially with this embezzlement case up in the air.”
“We will get to the bottom of this, Grace. I promise you.”
“I have no doubt about it, Cam. You’re a miracle worker, and at this moment that’s exactly what I need. Now that I’ve decided to pull my head out of . . . the sand, I can see that I’ve been foolish to wait as long as I have. It’s a good thing I have a dynamite attorney on my side.”
“And a world-class lover,” he said, leaning down and kissing her.
“Aren’t you the one who kept wanting me to talk about the case endlessly?” she asked him. “And now you’re trying to change the subject.”
“I can’t discuss a case with you while you’re wearing that dress. There’s a time for business and a time for pleasure,” he said, kissing her briefly. “And tonight is most certainly a time for pleasure.”
Although Cam would have liked nothing more than to hide away in the corner with Grace for the rest of the evening, he couldn’t do that to her. This was her event, one that she had been working hard on, and he wanted to see her shine.
“If we don’t sneak out from behind these strategically placed potted trees, I may have to find the nearest balcony,” Cam told her after giving her what he promised himself would be the last kiss of the party.
“Now that you got me back here, though, I really like it,” she said, making his knees a little weak.
Since she’d stopped fighting him during the last few days, they’d made love enough times to begin appeasing the ache he’d built up after not having her for years on end—but he still wanted her, still needed more. And when she was in seductress mode, his powers of resistance were minimal.
“I need alcohol,” he growled, and pulled her away from the corner before he changed his mind.
“Stop,” she said, and the panic in her tone made him do what she asked immediately.
“What’s wrong, Grace?”
“My parents are here. Of course they’re here, but I . . . I just don’t want to see them,” she said as she looked around her, searching for the nearest exit.
“Do you want to leave?”
“Yes,” she said with a nod, then shook her head. “No. I’m not going to run from them, and I’m not going to be chased out of my own event.”
“Good. Because you are strong and beautiful, and no one should ever chase you away from anything. You are so much better than either of your parents could ever be. Don’t forget that, and don’t let them alter how you feel. Sure, an engagement party for people you don’t really like isn’t an ideal way to spend an evening, but I’ve had worse dates.”
Cam hid the smile he was feeling when Grace turned to glare at him. “Not the worst date? Definitely damned with faint praise,” she growled. “Is my company not so pleasant this evening, Cam?”
“Hey! I know a loaded question when I hear one. Uh-oh . . .” Cam had made eye contact with her father. “We’ve been spotted.”
Cam felt the tension vibrating through Grace’s body, but he was impressed with how well she was holding herself together. She’d picked up her poise from years of living in a house with no affection, no genuine emotion. How sad that she’d had to put on an act for so very long.