Page 80 of Only You

Kayla gave Gillian a tight smile and strode off toward the ballroom.

Dammit! There went his escape. “I spilled my drink, and I need to dry my shirt,” Jack said to Gillian.

“Mmm. Do you need help to take your shirt off?” Gillian wiggled her eyebrows at him.

“I have to go.” Jack turned away and went into the men’s bathroom. “What is it with everyone tonight?” he muttered under his breath. Jack removed his jacket, shirt, and tie, and held them under the hand dryer until they were dry. He was about to put his shirt back on, when one of the accountants, Todd, entered the bathroom.

Todd’s gaze roamed over Jack’s bare chest, and his cheeks flushed.

What? No way! “I spilled my drink all over my shirt,” Jack explained.

“When you look that good, don’t apologize,” Todd said, grinning widely.

Flustered, Jack turned away, and quickly redressed while Todd went into a stall. A few minutes later, Jack reentered the ballroom, and looked around for Kayla. He couldn’t take another minute of this madness and was dying to escape.

He spotted Kayla near the bar, and sure enough, Grayson was with her. The two of them were conversing with their heads bent over their phones. Were they exchanging phone numbers? Did Grayson ask her out? Did she say yes?

Jack stalked across the ballroom, his gaze pinned on Kayla, wanting her to notice him. Finally, she looked up and met his gaze. He tugged on his earlobe, sending the message they’d agreed upon. Instead of leaving Grayson, she eyed Jack quizzically.

Then, his coworker, Matt, approached him. “Something wrong with your ear?”

“It itches,” Jack said dismissively.

“You know what that means. Somebody’s talking about you.”

Ignoring him, Jack continued moving toward Kayla, and pulled on his ear again. Why wasn’t she getting the message? Suddenly, he realized he’d been tugging on his right ear, and quickly switched to his left ear while gazing at her intently. Kayla gave him a brief nod, and said something to Grayson, which Jack assumed was goodbye. Mission accomplished, Jack turned and strode toward the exit. He avoided making eye contact with anyone, lest he get waylaid again, but nobody stopped him. Not even Gillian, who he spotted conversing with Tom in a quiet corner. Outside, Jack took deep gulps of the cold, night air. He went to his car, climbed inside, and started it up. Then he pulled up to the walkway in front of the hotel and waited for Kayla.

A few minutes later, she emerged. Kayla paused and glanced around, before rushing over to Jack’s car and slipping inside. As if they were Bonnie and Clyde fleeing a crime scene, Kayla ducked down in the seat, and Jack sped off.