Blair took the ring from the box and slid it onto her finger. She took a deep breath, but then smiled. "Okay. Let's do it."
Walker leaned over and kissed the woman. While the two whispered to each other, Smith studied Grace. She was staring into the flame of a candle, a soft smile on her face.
A little while later, the small party broke up and everyone headed to their rooms. Smith was walking behind Grace when she got to her door.
"May I come in," he said.
"Of course."
As he followed her inside, she went over to the bureau and started taking off her earrings.
"I really jumped to the wrong conclusion about you and Walker, didn't I?"
She turned around, fingers twisting the back of a diamond solitaire. Her voice was tired. "What made you finally believe me?"
"The way you looked at him tonight. You would have to have ice in your veins to be so genuinely happy at his engagement. Especially considering it happened in front of you."
Grace nodded and went to work on the other ear. In the dim light, her skin was translucent. He wanted to touch her.
After she put the other earring down, she sat on the edge of the bed and began to take off her shoes. "Well, thank you for saying something."
He nodded, watching her kick off a high heel and start to unbuckle the ankle strap of the other one. He lingered on the graceful curve of her calf and the arch of her foot.
"And you're right," she murmured. "I am thrilled for Jack. I hope everything works out for them. Marriage, even under the best of circumstances, is a challenge. Except for my parents, of course. Who were perfect together."
"You sure about that?" he said quietly. "Perfection's pretty damn hard to find in this world."
"True," she said, "but my parents came close. He was the business and philanthropy star. She was his social publicist. Real 1950s stuff but they were so right for each other."
"Is that what you thought you were getting with the count?"
Her eyes registered surprise but then she shook her head. "No. I never wanted to be a cheerleader for someone. I wanted to be on the field. I thought Ranulf understood that and to some degree he did. He was happy enough to spend both the money I had as well as the money I made."
He had a vision of her at her office, working those long hours, being a rock to so many people.
"You deserve better." Smith's words were low and intense.
She looked up at him and nodded. "I'm just starting to figure that out."
Even though he knew he shouldn't, he went over to her.
Reaching out, he ran a finger down the silky skin of her cheek.
"Good for you," he said softly. "See you in the morning, Grace."
chapter
18
After John left, Grace changed out of her dress and went over to a window. As she stared out at the ocean, she was sorry she'd just let him walk out of her room. When he'd touched her face, she should have taken his hand and pulled him down to her.
As a matter of fact, she should just walk across the hall and kiss him.
After all, the striptease had worked better than she'd originally assumed, Grace thought. Maybe she had some vamp in her, after all.
Shoring up her courage, she stuck her head out of her door and listened for sounds that anyone was moving around in the house. Silence seemed to stretch in all directions so she figured Jack and Blair were likely celebrating their engagement privately. Her mother wasn't home yet, either.
Rapping on John's door softly, she waited with her breath held. There was no answer.
Frowning, she knocked a little louder.
When there was still ho response, she stuck her head inside.
"John?” she said into the darkness.
She went through the door. As her eyes adjusted, she could see shapes inside the room. The bed, the highboy some of his things like his bag and his windbreaker. The door to the bathroom was open and she saw, in the glow of the night-light, a towel bunched up on the marble counted and another hanging off the shower door. There was a razor and a can of shaving cream next to the sink.
Feeling like an intruder, she returned to her bedroom and left the door open so she'd hear him come back. When he hadn't returned twenty minutes later, she began to get worried. She went over and picked up the panic button.
Holding it in her hand, she wondered whether she should use it. With a curse, she put the thing down on the bureau next to her. She wasn't in any danger, after all. She just wanted to know where he was.
A half hour later, she was getting antsy and worried, wondering if something had happened to him. It was hard to imagine what could take down a man like John, but things happened.
She thought of Cuppie, Suzanna, and Mimi.
Awful things most certainly happened.
And he'd made it clear that the kind of people who might want to hurt him wouldn't do it with cruel words or threatening innuendos.