by Carsen Taite
“That’s kind of brilliant,” Tanner said.
“You act surprised. I might appear to be nothing more than a flighty socialite, but I actually graduated in the top five percent of my class at Richards.”
Tanner held up her hands, truly sorry for the implication. “I didn’t mean to assume anything. This is not my scene, in case you hadn’t guessed.”
“Oh, I guessed, but you’re adapting quite well.” Virginia leaned in and kissed her cheek. “You look great, and these people may be curious about you, but I promise none of them think you don’t belong.” She paused and deepened her smile. “Maybe we can get to know each other better when this whole mess is over.”
Tanner swore she heard an exasperated sigh through her earpiece, but she resisted the urge to assure Syd nothing was going on between her and Virginia. Besides, why should she? She was a free, single woman, and Sydney wasn’t her keeper. Why should she care what Sydney thought about who she dated or was attracted to?
But she did. The brush of heat they’d shared earlier at Peyton’s had been undeniable, and a large part of her had wanted to follow through on their connection and see where it would lead. She closed her eyes and imagined Syd’s voice, soft and silky in her ear. I miss those times.
She missed them too. As chaotic and stressful as law school had been, she’d loved every minute of sharing the experience with someone she loved. Both of them had witnessed the breakups their colleagues endured when it became clear to them and their loved ones that law school required absolute devotion. Even the ones who’d left the busy corporate world to enter school were surprised to find the classroom was all-consuming. She and Syd had offered condolences in public, but in private they took comfort in the knowledge they were immune from the ravages of study since they were enduring its rigors as a team. Which is likely why when they reached their breaking point, it was so unexpected. Tanner didn’t miss anything about how their relationship had ended.
“There’s Herschel,” Virginia said, subtly inclining her head toward the left side of the room. “What’s the plan?”
Tanner snapped back to the present. She had a job to do and it was time to switch her focus from what might have been to what was going on now. “As much as I’d like to avoid him altogether, it’s probably best to go ahead and get the pleasantries over with.”
“Good plan,” Dale chimed in through her ear. “And you’re coming in loud and clear. Syd, can you say something so we can check the sound?”
Tanner stopped moving and waited. One, two, three beats passed and finally Syd said, “Why yes, I think I will have another glass of champagne. Thank you for asking.”
Tanner looked around at the passing waiters, hoping to catch a glimpse of Syd reaching for a tall flute of bubbly. Tanner had never liked the stuff, but Syd lived for it.
The first thing Tanner spotted when she walked in the door was the bottle of champagne Syd had been saving for a special occasion, precariously balanced on a bed of ice in their big melamine salad bowl.
She caught Syd’s eye and pointed at the bowl. “Nice improvisation on the ice bucket.”
“Thanks. It was all I could come up with on the spur of the moment.”
“Are we celebrating something?”
“I’m not sure yet.” Syd pointed to the table where a pile of envelopes leaned against the bowl.
“Ah, judgment day.”
“That sounds so ominous.”
“Well, I suppose it’s up to you how ominous it is.”
Tanner followed Syd’s gaze and spotted the familiar FBI seal on the envelope at the top of the heap. Damn. She’d been meaning all week to talk to Syd about the possibility of an offer, but when they’d managed to snag a moment here and there, it was never the right time. She knew deep in her gut it would never be the right time, and she’d been gambling that the letter would arrive on one of the days when she got home first. But it was too late now. She looked at the champagne and then back up into Syd’s questioning eyes, wishing she had the answers her lover wanted to hear.
“Are you ready?” Virginia asked.
Tanner nodded and followed her through the growing crowd of festival partygoers, nodding at the familiar faces she’d seen earlier in the evening. When Virginia reached back and grabbed her hand, it felt almost natural, like they were on a second or third date instead of strangers on a mission to spy on the host, and she relaxed into her role. Gellar’s house was impeccably decorated on the inside; keeping with the red and white theme, red bows and white snowflakes were everywhere. For a last-minute addition to the tour, Gellar and his wife had gone all out to display their holiday spirit.
She spotted Gellar standing with a group of men she didn’t recognize. He was animated, waving his arms to punctuate whatever story he was telling, but then his eyes widened as he spotted someone in the crowd to his left and waved for whoever it was to join them. Tanner watched as the crowd parted for the favored guest, and Syd walked over to join Gellar’s throng. They shared a laugh and Tanner emitted a low growl when Gellar placed his arm around Syd and squeezed as he introduced her to the men in his circle.
“Watch it, tiger,” Virginia said. “Your envy is showing.”
Tanner took a deep breath. “It’s not envy. He’s just such a sleaze.”
“Right.” Virginia pursed her lips and shook her head. “Shall we join them?”
“It’s a bit crowded, don’t you think? Maybe this would be a good opportunity to take a look around after all.” Tanner swiveled her head to take in the rest of the room, and when she turned back, she caught Gellar staring at her with an expression that was mostly curious but slightly annoyed. “Uh-oh,” she said under her breath. “Looks like I’ve been spotted.” She took Virginia’s arm. “Let’s get this over with.”
Every step toward Gellar was a step toward Syd, and Tanner wished she could shed her jacket to cool the rising heat inside her. Syd was easily the most beautiful woman in the room, and in a sea of well-coiffed socialites, that was saying a lot. But it was more than her natural beauty, it was the ease and grace with which she carried herself. She always made everything look so easy, but Tanner knew Syd worked hard to project the confidence she exuded but didn’t always feel. Tanner couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride at the woman Syd had become even as a blaze of trepidation burned through her.
“Agent Cohen,” Gellar bellowed, casting a quick glance at the dark-haired man directly to his left. “I didn’t take you for a holiday home tour kind of person.”
Before Tanner could respond, Virginia jumped in. “Oh, she’s not, but she’s a dear and agreed to accompany me.” She tugged Tanner close. “Next week, we’re doing her favorite thing and going on a hayride out in the country.” Virginia leaned her head back and stared into Tanner’s eyes with a dreamy look. “Compromise is the secret to a long-lasting relationship.” She shifted her gaze back to Gellar. “Wouldn’t you agree?”
Tanner watched him squint for a second as if trying to figure out if her question was serious, and then he broke out into a lazy smile and laughed. “Of course it is. Dearest Virginia, let me introduce you to my friends.” He waved at the men and Syd and said, “Friends, this is Virginia Taylor, the sweet siren who talked me into hosting this soiree. If she tries to get you alone, run, or next thing you know, you’ll be the headline sponsor of the next big benefit she has on her radar.”
The men laughed, and Syd smiled a tight smile that Tanner was certain was hiding a grimace. “Sounds like you all need a short course in resistance,” Syd said with a laugh. “And on that note, I think I’ll get another drink. Would anyone else like one?” She nodded to Gellar and the other men and edged away from the crowd. Tanner resisted the impulse to reach out to her, but only barely.
“I’d give up my entire trust fund to have a woman look at me the way you look at her.”
Tanner felt the hot whisper of Virginia’s breath on her neck, but it did nothing for her. She started to deny her assumption, but the words woul
d be a lie, so she settled for a simple “I need to get to work.”
She tore her gaze from Syd and back to Virginia, who introduced her to the rest of the group around Gellar. She needed to focus on something other than her growing desire for Syd if she was going to get through this night.
* * *
Syd stalked off to the bar, offering pleasant but fake smiles to the other partygoers she passed along the way. On a purely intellectual level, she knew Virginia’s flirting was all part of the act they’d planned, but her remark about Tanner and a hayride hit a little close to home since that was exactly the kind of thing Tanner would rather be doing right now.
When it was her turn at the bar, she ordered a martini and silently promised to nurse it for the rest of the night. What she really wanted to do was slug it back and let the heat of the alcohol burn away her frustration, but a buzz wouldn’t bridge the uneasy distance between her and Tanner. She’d been silly to imagine they could be friends again. Friends didn’t feel jealousy. Not like this.
Despite her promise, she took a healthy drink from her glass and settled into a space between a couple of bookcases where she could catch a glimpse of Tanner and Virginia talking to Gellar and his pals. The feed in her ear told her Gellar was doing most of the talking, which didn’t surprise her. Most of the men were sycophants, laughing a little too hard in all the right places, bowing and scraping to one of the most powerful men in Texas, who with his ability to put people in jail topped them no matter how much money they had. But Syd noticed the man just to Gellar’s right didn’t seem to be playing along. He was tall and slender, very cosmopolitan. Dark hair and dark eyes, but not obviously Hispanic. She listened carefully to the conversation, but the stranger didn’t say a word. She raised her glass to her lips to cover and said, “The guy next to Gellar is being awfully quiet.”
She heard Dale’s voice in her ear. “Tanner?”
Syd watched Tanner lean toward Virginia and whisper something in her ear. The conversation continued a bit longer, and then Virginia reached a hand across to the man and introduced herself.
“I’m always looking to meet new donors for our holiday drive,” Virginia said in her smooth silky voice. “I don’t believe we’ve met.”
The man leaned forward and took her hand, drawing it toward him as he bent and kissed her knuckles. “We haven’t. I would have remembered meeting such a beautiful woman.” Before he let go, he looked up at Tanner and smirked. Tanner met his gaze, her expression steely. If Syd didn’t know better, she’d believe Tanner was actually jealous of the stranger. She took another drink of her martini to wash away her distaste and strode back to the group. As she approached the fringe, Gellar waved at her.
“Sydney, join us. I didn’t have an opportunity to introduce you to one of my most important guests.” He pulled her closer and motioned to the stranger. “Sydney Braswell, meet Carlos Aguilar. Carlos is visiting Dallas for the week to scope out some new locations for Paladar, his successful chain of restaurants. Sydney is visiting as well.”
She looked down at their joined hands and braced for the kiss, but Carlos didn’t bend forward, instead fixing her with a steamy stare. “Ms. Braswell, I’m very pleased to make your acquaintance. Mr. Gellar didn’t tell me there would be so many beautiful women attending this event.”
“You flatter me, sir,” Syd said with her best imitation of a flirty girl, taking some pleasure in the frown Tanner wore as she watched the exchange. “How opportune that you were able to be here for this splendid event.”
“And you. Where do you call home?”
“Sydney’s from DC,” Gellar interjected. “She’s here to help me on a case I’m working.” Gellar winked. “A very important case.”
Sydney nodded but quickly added. “It may be important, but it doesn’t sound as interesting as the restaurant business.” She held up her glass. “I could use a refill. Would you like to accompany me and tell me all about it?” She caught Carlos’s eyes and held them, hoping he would rise to the bait while Dale’s voice whispered in her ear. “Careful, Sydney. You’re going to need to be near Gellar when Tanner takes off to have a look around.”
Carlos flicked a glance at her glass, which was still half full. “The lady is here to have a good time. Who am I to deny her what she desires?”
Sydney ignored the voice in her ear and the stinging looks Tanner was shooting her way. “I’ll lead the way, Carlos. Come with me.”
In line at the bar, Carlos rambled on about the weather, and Syd focused on concentrating, which was hard because Tanner was rambling in her ear, echoing Dale’s words.
“You’re only here to distract Gellar and keep a lookout. How do you expect to do that when you’re off courting some random guy?”
Syd smiled through the tirade, unable to acknowledge Tanner’s admonitions while Carlos was so entirely focused on flirting with her. Part of her experienced a twinge of satisfaction that Tanner had to witness her being the object of someone else’s desire the way she’d had to witness Virginia pouring it on. Petty, but true.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tanner peel away from the group and wander off. Gellar didn’t seem to notice, and Virginia stuck around to keep him and his cronies occupied. Syd’s first instinct was to follow Tanner, but that wasn’t the plan. The best thing she could do was talk to Carlos to cover up the fact she was keeping an eye on Gellar to make sure he didn’t wander off.
Once she and Carlos had their drinks, she steered him to a couple of chairs across the room. After a few moments of pleasantries about the holiday decorations and the unseasonably warm weather in Dallas, Syd dove in. “Tell me about this business of yours.”
“Right,” he said. “I haven’t yet opened any of my restaurants in DC. Paladar is a chain offering homemade Mexican food, but in a fast casual setting. Nothing special.”
“Well, that’s not true,” Syd replied, hoping she sounded sincere. “I’ve seen a couple since I’ve been here and everyone says it’s the hottest new concept in town. Paladar means palate, yes?” At his nod, she said, “Clever. I admire someone who can build an empire from the ground up. For someone like me who has nothing concrete to show for her work, it’s an amazing accomplishment.”
“A man can do anything when he works hard enough and is focused on his goals.”
There it was, the steely eyes again. Syd resisted the urge to shift in her chair. A quick glance across the room told her Gellar was still in place. She started to formulate another question, but Carlos beat her to it.
“What is this case you are working on with Herschel?”
She took note of the fact Carlos had used Gellar’s first name for the first time since they’d met and filed it away, while she sifted through various potential responses to his question. She shrugged and settled on what she hoped would be the perfect bait. “Some agents seem to have gotten off track. I’m here to make sure things get back to running smoothly again.”
Carlos raised his eyebrows. “You’re here to help Herschel.”
“Absolutely. That’s my only purpose.”
He tilted his glass toward her. “That’s excellent news. Any friend of Herschel Gellar is a friend of mine. Fortune always favors my friends.”
Syd toasted the remark and took a drink. She knew she’d just crossed a line, but she wasn’t sure whose side she’d wound up on. While she sipped her martini, she subtly glanced over at Gellar, who was standing all by himself, with his head swiveling around like he was looking for someone. Tanner and Virginia were nowhere in sight. Shit.
She smiled at Carlos and handed her drink toward him. “Do you mind holding on to this for me? I need to make a trip to the ladies’ room.” At his nod, she added, “I’ll be right back.”
She didn’t have a clue where she was headed, but she took a chance that the bathroom was near the kitchen and headed that way just long enough to get out of sight. She’d been so focused on listening to Carlos, if Tanner had announced where she was off to, she’d missed it.
“Tanner, where are you?”
Instead of Tanner’s voice, she heard Dale, “I’ve been trying to roust her for a bit now, but she’s not responding.”
Syd looked around, but there was still no sign of Tanner or her date in the teeming crowd. She saw a lot of new faces, likely fresh visitors from the tour. Surely if Virginia and Tanner had decided to move on to the next house, they would have found a way to let her or Dale and Mary know. And what would have been the point of that since Tanner hadn’t had a chance to look around here, which was the sole purpose of this crazy outing? “I don’t see her, but I’m on my own for a few, so I’ll have a look around.”
In case anyone was watching, Syd made a show of asking one of the waitstaff where she could find the restroom and walked in the direction the waiter said he thought was the right one. The corridor was long and surprisingly empty considering the crowd in the front of the house. Syd walked slowly, taking time to note the number of doors and any other details that might prove to be important if they ever had grounds to search the property. Legally.
A flash of guilt stopped her. She could hear the echo of Tanner’s voice, telling her things weren’t always black and white. Funny since those weren’t words she’d ever expected to hear Tanner say since everything to her had always seemed to fall on one side or the other without room in the middle for doubt. Guess they’d both changed quite a bit in the years since they’d naively planned happily ever after together.
With a quick glance over her shoulder to make sure no one was watching, Syd pushed on one of the partly opened doors. The interior of the room was pitch-black, and she took that as a sign no one would be inside to catch her doing a mild Nancy Drew bit of snooping around. She stepped in and pushed the door back into its original position. Using the light of her phone as a guide, she surveyed her surroundings. Desk, chair, bookshelves, and filing cabinets. Score. This had to be Gellar’s home office, but she was surprised it hadn’t been locked down for the party. Of course Gellar would have to be an idiot to leave anything important lying around.
