Ted was tall and good-looking. Madeline had always thought he was swoon-worthy. But somehow his star seemed to burn a little less bright this year. She knew she had Jonny to thank for that. Marigold was also tall and willowy. A beautiful redhead with pale skin and wide, brown eyes.
Next to her, Madeline always felt dowdy. Not tonight, she told herself. In her borrowed finery, she was a princess for sure. Or, at the very least, a successful businesswoman out for an evening.
“Madeline,” Ted said, glancing from her to Jonny. “You brought a date.”
The tone of surprise was a tiny bit insulting, but she overlooked that. Because she didn’t just have a date. She had a killer date.
“I thought a foursome would be more fun,” she said easily. “Hello, Ted.” She leaned in and they hugged. “Marigold.” She turned and smiled at Jonny. “I’d like you to meet friends of mine. Jonny, this is Ted and Marigold.”
Jonny shook hands with both of them. “The old flame. I appreciate the chance to size up what used to be the competition.”
Madeline knew it was probably wrong, but she’d deliberately not used any last names. She wanted Ted and Marigold to stare, to wonder. She wanted to see the exact moment they—
“Jonny Blaze?” Marigold asked, her voice a squeak. “Ohmygod! You’re Jonny Blaze.” Marigold lunged for him, stopping inches before engulfing him. She cleared her throat and stepped back. “I can’t believe it. What are you doing here?”
Jonny reached for Madeline’s hand and brought it to his mouth where he lightly kissed her knuckles. “I’m with the beautiful blonde.”
“I don’t understand.”
Marigold’s look of confusion was as funny as it was insulting. Madeline told herself to enjoy the moment and not worry that Marigold couldn’t grasp that she and Jonny were a couple. It wasn’t as if Madeline would have believed it, either.
“You’re dating Jonny Blaze?” Ted asked, sounding as perplexed as his wife.
“So it seems,” Madeline said, then turned to the hostess. “Would you please show us to our table?”
* * *
It took nearly a half hour for the evening to return to something like normal. The four of them were seated and ordered cocktails. Marigold kept staring at Jonny with a combination of disbelief and hunger. Madeline understood both emotions but she found the other woman’s wide-eyed stare a little off-putting.
For his part, Jonny took the weirdness in stride. He kept the conversation flowing and made sure to touch Madeline’s arm or hand, just like an attentive date would. It was nice. Tempting. The fact that it wasn’t real didn’t bother her in the least.
“How’s work?” Ted asked Madeline. “You’re still in retail, right?” He turned to Jonny. “I’m the local weather guy up in Washington state.”
“Seattle?” Jonny asked, even though Madeline was pretty sure he already knew the answer.
“Ah, no. Yakima. It’s a small town, east of the Cascade mountains.”
“I see.”
Marigold leaned toward him. “I was a model,” she said eagerly.
“Yes. Madeline told me.”
The words were simple enough, but there was something in his tone that implied being a model wasn’t all that. Marigold frowned, as if not sure what had gone wrong.
Jonny laced his fingers with Madeline. “My girl here is part-owner of Paper Moon. They sell wedding gowns. I think what I like best about what she does is how she makes dreams come true. Women go in with an idea of how their wedding day should be and Madeline makes that happen. People remember their weddings for the rest of their lives.”
Ted and Marigold exchanged a look.
“Ah, right,” Ted said awkwardly. “It’s good you found something you liked.” His voice became confidential. “Madeline had a little trouble figuring out what she wanted to do. College, culinary school. I know I’m forgetting a few disasters.”
Madeline thought about pointing out he would fall firmly in the disaster category, but knew there was no way to say that without sounding bitchy and she was still determined to come out of the evening as the victor.
“I admire people who don’t settle,” Jonny told him. “People who aren’t afraid to keep trying. Most of us take what we can get. A smaller job because it’s safe. But a brave few keep searching for what’s right, and when they find it, they hang on.”
It took Madeline a second to realize he was talking about her. She stared at him.