Would she ever be enough?
Her answer scared her because she wasn’t sure that would ever happen. And to make matters worse, she caught a flash of the bluest eyes she’d ever seen.
East.
He walked in like he didn’t have a care in the world and was instantly flooded by back-slaps and handshakes. How was he so effortlessly sociable? How was it so easy for him to blend in, be liked? To be enough?
Because there’s a lot to like about East.
“Well, good luck on your date, sis. I still think you should talk to Gary, though.” Matt chucked her under the chin like she was frickin’ twelve-years-old and took off across the room to talk to East. Her friends were in conversations with the men in their lives, but Chloe waved and Natalie gave a wave back. Someone had to hold up the corner of the room and Natalie decided that would be her job.
“I hear you’re the one responsible for these amazing cupcakes,” a woman’s voice said. Natalie turned to see a sophisticated middle-aged woman in a pantsuit staring her down and devouring her cupcake.
“Yes, ma’am, I am the baker.”
The woman nodded. Her graying hair was fastened back in a French braid and the crow’s-feet by her eyes wrinkled a bit with a kind smile. “They are delicious! I’m Leslie McMann, and I have a gourmet catering company in Connecticut. We’re doing the wedding here in Beaufort for Matt St. Clair, and these are just fabulous.”
“Thank you,” Natalie said. “Matt is my brother.”
“Oh, how wonderful! Tell me, have you ever considered selling your recipes? I’d be happy to talk business with you. Adding these to my menu would be amazing.”
“I just have my shop and have never considered outsourcing…” Natalie said slowly. Because honestly, she never had.
“Well, think about it and let me know. I’d even be happy to steal away the baker herself.” With a wink and another hefty bite, the woman wandered back into the crowd and left Natalie with more questions than answers. Natalie could expand? Move to Connecticut, maybe, and be a part of a bigger company? Her first thought was no way. She loved her town and her shop. But as she stared over the crowd of people who didn’t even seem to know she was alive, she wondered if maybe getting out of Beaufort was a sound idea.
Maybe…
She looked over the room again. There were so many people that she didn’t see East anymore. Not that she was staring. But he’d obviously gotten swallowed by the gaggle of tipsy women flicking their hair and flirting with him.
“Concentrating on something pretty hard over here, darlin’,” East said. He sidled up to her and handed her a champagne flute. She glanced at him, but she really wanted to stare. She let a smile slip. He’d brought her a drink, which she happily took. Of course, he hadn’t bothered with champagne for himself. From the smell of it, his cocktail glass held pure whiskey.
“Just looking at the crowd,” she said.
He nodded. “Yeah, it’s exhausting.”
She scoffed. “I’m sure you get really tired, with all the women hanging on your every move.”
He faced her full on and laughed. “Now, darlin’, you’re gonna sound jealous if you aren’t careful. And anyway, I am in the presence of the finest woman in here.”
Natalie rolled her eyes and took a drink of her champagne. “Nice line.”
“Not a line, baby,” he whispered. “You look beautiful. I love your dress.”
That made her bite the inside of her cheek and glance down at herself for the millionth time. It wasn’t skin-tight and sexy. And on her short frame she probably looked more adorable than hot. But the way East was looking at her, the way he said what he did, made her feel his words…
“Thank you,” she said. His eyes stayed on hers. “For everything,” she finished.
He nodded once. “I saw you kept the vanilla cupcakes.”
She lifted an eyebrow and shrugged. “I can’t go tossing aside perfection.”
“My thoughts exactly,” he said.
When she looked back at him, there was a calm seriousness washing over his entire body. She didn’t think she’d ever seen East so…real.
The music switched to something with a strong beat but a bit slower rhythm. He took her glass and set it down on the nearby table with his.
“Dance with me, baby,” he said quietly.
And there it was. Not a question—it was a demand. And he’d called her baby. She knew where his mind was, and hers was right there with him. This was a bad idea. But she couldn’t say no. Couldn’t fight. She just wanted to be…twirled.
She nodded and he smiled.
When he led her to the center of the floor where several people were talking, swaying and dancing, he didn’t look at her twice until he spun her to face him and clutched her close.
She glanced over his shoulder, then over hers. She caught sight of her brother chatting with people, not noticing she was dancing with Easton. Not that he’d have cared if he had. No reason he should think anything was off. It was crazy to assume it was anything more than a dance between old friends.
Close friends.