Since the party was already in full swing, I was able to slip through the crowd without her seeing me. But along the way, I was stopped several times by party guests I hadn’t seen since last year. Almost all of them asked me where Renee was, and their awkward I’m sorrys—or worse, the dead silences—when I told them we were now divorced were nearly enough to make me regret coming. Finally, I made it to the bar, where I ordered a High West Double Rye, neat. I was planning to take my drink and hide out in a dark corner for a while when I felt a tap on my shoulder.

“Hey, you.”

I turned around, feeling like the wind had been knocked out of me. She looked like an angel—albeit one who might be tempted to do bad things with those ruby lips. “Hey,” I said, my voice cracking. I cleared my throat.

Sylvia smiled seductively, her eyes traveling over my suit and tie. “You look fantastic.”

“Thanks. So do you.” But fantastic wasn’t even close to how delectable she looked—I wanted to lick her like a candy cane—but I tried to tamp down the thought. “Can I get you something to drink?”

“Sure. I’d love a glass of wine. Maybe the sparkling white?”

“You got it.” I ordered it for her, and when it arrived, she picked it up and tapped her glass against mine. “Merry Christmas, Henry.”

“Merry Christmas.” I took a sip of whiskey and watched her lift the wine to those sexy red lips. My dick stirred, fully prepared to deck her halls.

“So many people out there,” she said, setting her glass down on the bar and sliding onto a stool.

“Yeah.” I could smell her perfume. Jasmine. Almond. Cocoa. I nearly drooled. There were times having a sensitive nose didn’t make life easy.

“I didn’t even see you come in. My mom told me you were in here. Are you hiding out?”

“Kind of.”

She toyed with the edge of a cocktail napkin. “Are people asking about Renee?”

I nodded and took another drink. “What about you? People asking about Brett?”

“Yes.” She sighed. “But we were expecting it, right?”

“Right. How are the kids doing?”

“Pretty good, although they tried to call their dad earlier, and he didn’t answer and never returned their call. I think they were bummed about that.”

I drank again. It wasn’t fair that a fucking asshole like that got to have kids when he didn’t deserve them. And they were great kids too. Polite and friendly and good-natured, especially considering what they’d been through. It was a testament to Sylvia’s parenting that they were so well-adjusted.