Essie leaned in close, her Joy perfume heavy in the air, and lowered her voice. “It’s an invitation to the Spring Fling Gala. Seems criminal not to invite the hottest bachelor in town. And you know how I love me some silver fox.”

Renee studied Essie’s pretty face, her perfectly arched eyebrows, her clear skin, and her full, red-painted lips. She had a vintage Hermès scarf tied around her neck and wore her signature diamond studs.

Next to her, Renee felt like the definition of frumpy.

“Oh. Okay.” What was the alternative? She couldn’t say Dan was hers. For all she knew she was a rebound, an appetizer as he got back in the game. Maybe he regretted their night. She didn’t have a claim here. “Do you want to wait out here while I give it to him?”

Essie gave a sly smile. “I actually wrote on the invitation that he should give me a call.”

“I see.” How long could she plaster this stupid fake smile across her face before her cheeks shattered?

“Thanks, girlfriend. You’re the best.” Essie secured her hat back on her head as well as a pair of Chanel sunglasses. “Call me later this week. We can grab coffees and stroll around the mill grounds.”

“Yes. Great.” Renee gave a robotic nod. “Goodbye.”

“Talk soon!”

With a deep breath, she trudged back toward Dan’s office. This time he was seated at his desk at least. The picture of Meggie back up on the bookshelf.

“You’ve got mail.”

He slid off his thick-rimmed reading glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. God, she loved when he did that. And adored how his office smelled like eucalyptus thanks to a diffuser he kept in the corner.

He leaned forward. “What’s that?”

She set the posh invitation on his desk and took two steps back. “A personal invitation to the Spring Fling Gala from Essie Park.”

“Oh.” He frowned, staring at the envelope but not picking it up.

Tell me you don’t want to go with her. Tell me you were going to ask me.

“Oh. Right,” was all he said.

Awkward. This silence was so freaking awkward.

“Guess I’ll be seeing you guys there,” she found herself saying.

“You’re going?” Did he look crestfallen or was that wishful thinking?

“Uh-huh. Yep, it’s been lined up for weeks.”

Totally not true. But the last thing Renee wanted to be was a charity case. If a boy likes you, you’ll know it, her mother used to tell them. Don’t waste a second playing silly games.

Renee still held the sentiments close. She wasn’t going to throw herself at Dan. If he wanted to go to the dance with Essie Park, then he should go right ahead. This was a free country and all that jazz.