His little Blaire? He wished. There was no comparison between him and Daniel, and she wanted him to see that. “My husband is the real superstar.” She pulled out her phone and found a picture of Daniel and her in Florence and showed it to Carter—the two of them on the Ponte Vecchio, Daniel with his thick black hair and killer blue eyes and Blaire smiling, tucked against his side.

“He looks like he could be in movies,” Carter said. “Both of you do.” The last part was clearly supposed to bring the conversation back to her, but she wasn’t letting him off that easily.

Blaire smiled. “And he’s as talented as he is good-looking. Looks like we both got what we deserved.” She wondered if he really loved Selby, or if his was a marriage of convenience.

“Do you have kids?” he asked.

Blaire forced a smile. “Not yet.”

From the corner of her eye, she saw Selby glaring at them. Giving Carter a warm smile, she leaned in and grabbed his hand. “I think it’s time for me to welcome everyone here. Shall we go?”

“Um, yes,” he answered, gripping her hand tighter in his and leading her to the front of the room, where they’d set up a platform and microphone.

“May I have your attention, please?”

The room began to quiet.

“I have the pleasure of introducing Blaire Barrington, international best-selling author and good friend.” His voice became somber. “As you know, Dr. English has had a death in the family and was unable to attend. Ms. Barrington has graciously agreed to speak tonight in her stead.”

Blaire thanked him and took the mic. “It’s an honor to be here tonight. Kate asked me to convey her deepest appreciation to all of you for your generous support.” Blaire went through the acknowledgments Kate had given her, and then finished her speech with some stories praising Kate and her work on behalf of sick children. Twenty minutes later, she took her seat next to Elise, an old Mayfield chum who sent all four of her daughters to the school now. She could still pull off her preppy look because of her charm and youthful appearance, Blaire thought, smiling at her.

“Enjoying yourself?” Blaire asked.

“Yes, it’s a lovely affair. So sad that Kate had to miss it. Are you planning to bid on anything?”

Picking up the brochure, Blaire looked it over. “Not sure yet. I’ll see what catches my eye after the auction starts. You?”

“Maybe the Alaskan cruise. Whit and I could use a little getaway.”