It takes a bit of juggling with my water bottle, but together, we’re able to slide off my dark green trench coat.

“I’ll go hang this up for you.” Jasper gives my exposed side a light pinch before disappearing with my jacket.

I’m left with a quiet Ben and Annabelle.

“Yeah. So, I wasn’t given a real detailed dress code. And I don’t frequent parties too often, so this is what I ended up with. I’ll make sure to keep the bending over to a minimum.”

“You look fantastic, Holly.” Ben keeps dragging his gaze over me, which results in waves of goose bumps running and skittering over the skin his eyes touch.

“Yeah. It’s a cute dress.” Annabelle surprises me with that compliment. I expected to be ignored by her. “I’m sure more people who show up will be dressed like you.”

Was that a slightly snide undertone I heard?

Best thing to do is ignore it and rock my look. I’ve never actually gotten to wear this dress before; the tags were still on it as of an hour ago. Time to make the money I spent worth it.

“I look forward to the arrival of my fellow scantily clad women.”

Ben snorts, Annabelle pouts, and I crack open my water bottle. Obviously done with the polite small-talk requirement, Annabelle turns to face Ben, completely cutting me out of their conversation circle.

“I have my new pieces hanging upstairs. Let me show you. I want to hear what you think.”

Even though she’s clearly only inviting Ben, he leans to the side, so he can include me. “Wanna check out some art, Holly?”

Honestly? No.

I’d like to be the bigger person in this situation, take a look at his ex’s work, compliment it if I like it, and simply nod politely if I don’t. But, after spending a few minutes around her, I’m good on my Annabelle quota. Maybe, to the average person, she’s genuinely pleasant, but my friendship with Ben is obviously setting off little jealousy bombs in her brain. Classic case of girl not over guy. My place in that drama is not comfortable. Instead of getting combative, I prefer to disengage.

My mouth opens before I’ve fully thought through my answer. Luckily, my savior appears.

“Sorry, you two. Holly promised to try dancing to this music with me.” Jasper grabs my hand in his and tows me to the front room where there is literally no one dancing.

When I glance over my shoulder, I find Ben watching us with a frown while Annabelle tugs on his hand and talks animatedly. I give a mental shrug and return my attention to Jasper.

Would I rather it be Ben pulling me with him, so we can dance together? Duh.

But he has no obligation to do so and the same ability as Jasper to ask me.

Just because I find myself lusting after Ben doesn’t mean I need to silently follow along behind him as he revels over his ex’s art. I am perfectly capable of having fun with other people who want to spend time with me. Ben and I are friends. Jasper and I are friends. So, I let myself relax and even let out a laugh as I’m spun in an expert move before coming to a stop in the perfect position. Our hands are clasped together while my free one rests on Jasper’s shoulder, and his grips my hip.