Josh stiffened a little, and Heather gave Brooke an eyes-wide seriously?! look, which Brooke either missed or pretended not to see, linking her arm in Heather’s and pulling her away.
“Josh, you mind if I steal her for just a sec? My best friend’s visiting from California, and I want to introduce her to this one. Seth is hiding out in the kitchen, if you’re interested in a bromance.”
He waved them off. “Go. But you bring her back to me,” he called after Brooke.
His tone was joking, as it usually was, but Heather felt a distinct little thrill at the slight possessiveness in his voice. Maybe she’d imagined the way he’d freaked out when Brooke suggested he was taken.
“Do I even need to tell you how right you guys look together?” Brooke said loudly into Heather’s ear, raising her voice to be heard over the music.
Heather shook her head and sipped her wine. “I can’t even deal with that right now. Neither can he. That’s next year’s problem.”
“Got it,” Brooke said, squeezing her hand. “Tomorrow we’ll scheme, tonight you celebrate the fact that you’re gorgeous and here with a delicious man.”
“Speaking of gorgeous, can we please talk about this dress,” Heather said, stepping back and giving her friend a once-over.
“What, this old thing?” Brooke said on a laugh, running a hand over the short, shimmery silver dress. “Is it too slutty?”
“It’s fabulous. Where the heck have you been hiding those legs?”
“Under three layers of leggings and pants, trying to survive this monstrosity you guys call winter. Oh look, Alexis is here. With Logan,” she added in a sing-song voice.
Sure enough, their boss and Logan had arrived at the same time, although Heather wasn’t entirely sure that Alexis was even aware of it. Alexis was dressed to kill in a short white dress, her dark hair down around her shoulders instead of wrapped up in its usual chignon.
No doubt about it. Her boss looked hot.
As did Logan. No sign of tweed or elbow patches tonight, just a light gray suit and a skinny black tie. He’d opted for contacts, apparently, which made his brown eyes even more piercing than when they were hidden behind his glasses.
Yummy.
Alexis, as usual, hadn’t seemed to notice that Logan was nearby, much less that he looked like an even sexier version of James Bond.
Poor Logan.
Or maybe not, Heather thought, as a striking black-haired woman walked up and wound an arm around Logan’s neck and pulled his head down for a kiss that lasted just a bit longer than the standard greeting smooch.
Heather’s gaze flicked back to Alexis, and her boss didn’t look quite so oblivious now. Nor did she look happy as the curvy dark-haired woman led Logan away by the hand.
“Speaking of New Year’s resolutions, you think those two will get their act together?” Brooke said.
“Beats me.” Heather took a sip of champagne. “I can barely figure out my own love life, much less theirs.”
Brooke grinned. “Aha, so you do admit you have a love life.”
“Sex life,” Heather quickly amended.
“Riiiiight,” Brooke said, raising one perfectly arched eyebrow.
Luckily, Heather didn’t have time to dwell on her accidental use of the L word. Soon she was swept up in introductions with Brooke’s California friend, then a couple of people from Seth’s work. She was especially delighted to run into Maya Tyler, Seth’s younger sister, the one who’d actually been a client of the Belles last year, up until she’d learned her fiancé was planning to use her inheritance to settle a gambling debt. It was hard to feel too bad for the pretty blonde though, given the fact that she’d found what seemed to be a very happily ever after with a longtime family friend.
Heather lost count of how much time had passed or how many times she refilled her champagne. Instead she let herself have fun, catching up with friends she hadn’t made nearly enough time for this fall, even connecting with a handful of old clients who had become friends of the Belles one way or another. There was nothing quite like seeing the bride and groom whose wedding you’d killed yourself over as a happy, content husband and wife.