Page 54 of A Heart of Little Faith

“Yeah, there are benefits to our arrangement.” When another waitress passed by, he put his empty glass on her tray. Lily did the same. “Shall we mingle?”

“Lead on, McDuff,” she said and followed him.

“Do you even know where that’s from?”

“Of course not. Why, do you?”

Gideon pushed up his glasses. “You’re unbelievable,” he said as he led her over to some acquaintances. Lily patted his shoulder and followed him.

They spent the rest of the cocktail hour mingling. When it was time for dinner, they returned to the ballroom, where a huge buffet table sat in front of the wall of mirrors and the aroma of filet mignon made Lily’s mouth water. People stood in line, helped themselves to food and sat at one of the many tables situated around the dance floor. The band played dinner music against the south wall. Lily followed Gideon to the buffet table. Helping themselves to food—he to filet mignon and stir-fried vegetables, she to salmon and wild rice—they finished by going over to a table already occupied by a couple they knew. They joined them, and all of them joked over dinner. Soon they were joined by three other couples. The meal passed pleasantly, and Lily stole frequent glances at Gideon. She stroked his leg, rubbed the nape of his neck and smiled at the desire that mirrored her own feelings.

“Do you want to dance?” They both jumped at the sound of the voice next to them as Dave leaned over and reached for his wife, Liane. With a smile, she excused herself and they walked onto the dance floor. Other couples followed, and soon Gideon and Lily sat alone. Lily commented quietly on the gracefulness of some, and the clumsiness of others. Gideon laughed at her comments, and took her hand under the table. He caressed her fingers as they watched the dancers and listened to the music. As one of the songs ended, Liane left and Dave returned to the table.

“Liane went to the ladies’ room,” he said. “Gideon, do you mind if I borrow Lily?”

Before he could answer, Lily piped up. “Oh, thanks Dave, but these new shoes are killing my feet. I’m afraid I wouldn’t be any good out there at all. I appreciate the offer though.”

“Okay, I’m going to get a drink from the bar. Can I get either of you anything?” Gideon and Lily shook their heads, and watched as Dave headed to the bar.

Alone once again, Gideon cleared his throat. “You could have danced with him if you wanted. I wouldn’t mind.”

Liar.The throbbing tendon in his neck showed her how much he would mind, but she refrained from pointing it out. Instead, Lily took a sip of her water, swallowed, and faced him. “I appreciate your consideration, but my feet do hurt.” At his raised eyebrow, she hurried to add, “Oh, not enough to prevent me from dancing with someone Ireallywanted to dance with, but other than you, there’s no one here I’d risk blisters for.” She played with the stem of her water glass and met his gaze. “Besides, we didn’t discuss my dancing with other men in advance, and I’d never do it without knowing exactly how you felt about it.”

Gideon swallowed and let his gaze wander. “Thank you,” he murmured. “But I want you to have fun. You shouldn’t miss out on dancing because of me.”

Lily reached over and rested her hand on top of his. It was warm beneath hers, solid. Like him. She drew imaginary circles around his knuckles, until he flipped his palm over and grabbed her fingers. “I’m not missing out on anything. It’s not like I expected you to pull a Fred Astaire on me.” He met her gaze and grinned ruefully. “I’m thrilled to be here with you. Besides, this is my chance to have you all to myself without worrying Claire is going to pull you away for a game of Trouble or something.” Gideon laughed. She leaned against his shoulder and they listened to the music together.

Tony came over. “Hey guys, enjoying yourselves?”

“It’s wonderful, Tony.” Lily answered. Gideon nodded in agreement. Tony tapped Gideon’s shoulder.

“Mind if I ask this sexy lady to dance?” As Lily began to protest, Gideon interrupted and pulled away from her.

“Go ahead, Lily.”

With another backward glance, she followed Tony onto the dance floor. She turned into his arms. He said something, and Lily tipped her head and laughed. He expertly maneuvered her from one end of the dance floor to the other in a series of intricate steps. As she caught her breath, she glanced over his shoulder and saw an empty place where Gideon had been. Her pulse increased.

When the music ended, Tony led Lily to her seat. “Did you see where Gideon went?” she asked.

Tony shook his head and wiped perspiration from his forehead. “He’s around somewhere,” he said.

Lily scanned the room, but didn’t see him. “I’m going to the restroom. If you see Gideon, tell him I was looking for him, okay?” She left the ballroom. As she neared the ladies’ room, Gideon was at the opposite end of the hallway, heading toward the exit. She hurried toward him. “Hey you,” she called out. She saw his flash of anger and braced herself for an outburst. Her chest tightened. She’d hoped he’d changed. When none came, she frowned. “Are you angry with me? You’re the one who told me to dance with him,” she chided. His face lost all expression and her heart plummeted into her stomach.

“Of course not. Did you have fun?” he asked, his tone flat. His eyes couldn’t hide his jealousy.

“Yeah, I did.” She sat on the bench next to him. “I haven’t danced like that in years. Tony’s a great dancer. What are you doing out here?”

“Weddings always make me think of the future.” His tone was bitter.

“Really?” Her stomach dropped.

“Yeah. It’s why I avoided them after my accident.”

His entire body reminded her of a taught violin string—every muscle pulled so tightly, she expected him to start making music on his own. The vein in his neck—the one that always betrayed—throbbed and he held his head at a particular angle that spoke louder than any words. He was nothing if not predictable. She’d expected him to be uncomfortable, despite how he’d practically forced her to dance with Tony. She knew it would come to the forefront at some point, and that “point” appeared to be now.

“You don’t discussed your accident, and I haven’t wanted to pry. But if you want to, I’m here.” She stretched her hand out to him, but he remained out of her reach. She longed to touch him.

He swallowed and his Adam’s apple jumped in his throat. “I never thought I had a future, not as far as relationships were concerned.”