She swallowed the lump in her throat and chased it with a sip of bubbly alcohol. She caught sight of Sam on the other side of the dance floor. He was talking to some other ridiculously hot guys. Amanda knew men like that flocked together. It only made logical sense. But it didn’t matter, she reminded herself. Men like that were not for her. She didn’t mean that in a low self-esteem-y way. She was a catch, dammit. But the world of A-list celebrities was silly and over the top, and sometimes it hurt to look at it. She could be a friend on the periphery, she could watch from the sidelines, but she couldn’t participate. Not in any real way. Amanda glanced down at the now-empty glass in her hand.

She needed to stop drinking.

When she looked up again, at first she’d lost sight of Sam. Not that she was looking for him. A mixed bag of emotions rushed through her when she saw him making his way from the DJ’s table to her general direction. She figured there was some other famous or photo-ready person somewhere between them, and there was. She spotted at least four, but that didn’t stop him. He was coming right for her. Amanda’s palms were suddenly warm, her fingers unsure. She set down the glass on the dessert table behind her, then straightened her shoulders as she slowly released a deep breath.

Just as Sam reached her the opening notes of “I Only Have Eyes for You” came through the speakers. The DJ took to the mic. “Just want to slow it down again, just one more time. This one is for all the lovers out there, young and old. And the bride and groom.”

The sentiment echoed around the room as Sam reached for her hand. “Care to join me on the dance floor?”

She fixed him with a stern glare and whispered, “Keep clean and above the belt.”

“Ma’am. I’m a gentleman. Everything about me is nice and clean.”

“Uh-huh.” Amanda rolled her eyes, but that didn’t stop her from following him out to the dance floor. Also didn’t stop her from hearing some comments from the peanut gallery.

“Oh, that’s so nice,” one of Ignacio’s guests said in what would never have been mistaken for a whisper. “She’s been alone all night.”

“Who is she?” her companion said. Seriously, had no one ever learned to whisper? Sam had heard them too.

“I think it’s one of Helene’s cousins.”

Amanda bit her lips and forced herself not to laugh. Of course Sam’s attention was all about pity when it came to her.