Landlord Wars(65)

I gestured to my ex, who was looking Jack up and down. “Jack, this is Paul.”

They shook hands, and Jack said, “I’ve seen you at a few events, haven’t I? Park family, right?”

Paul’s expression lightened. “That’s right. And this is my fiancée.” He introduced the woman beside him, even though he’d never bothered to introduce me to her. Not that it mattered. I was well past caring what Paul was up to, and more concerned about Max.

I glanced over the crowd, hoping to finally catch sight of him.

Jack and Paul talked for a few minutes, while Paul’s fiancée held his arm and looked anywhere but at me.

After a little while, their conversation wound down, and Paul said, “Good to see you again, Jack.” He tipped his chin up at me. “Sophia.”

He walked away, dragging his fiancée, who in her five-inch heels scurried precariously beside him.

Jack glanced over. “I sensed tension. You know him?”

“Unfortunately.”

He rubbed his clean-shaven jaw. “His family attends these events occasionally. Don’t know much about the guy, though.”

“He’s not terrible. But he’s heavily influenced by his family.” Was this becoming a theme in my life? Did other people struggle with pleasing the parents of their significant others?

It never occurred to me I might run into my ex tonight. It should have. Paul’s family was filthy rich. It made sense that his parents mingled with San Francisco’s most influential.

Jack raised his hand, smiling at someone I couldn’t see above the crowd, even in my heels.

A rush of excitement filled me, and I rose on my tippy toes to see if it was Max. I caught a flash of blonde, and my heart sank. Gwen was making her way over.

Jack probably knew Gwen well, since Max and Gwen had dated for a while. They might even be friends.

She walked up in an off-the-shoulder fuchsia gown that dusted the floor, her light hair parted down the middle and straightened. Large diamond ball earrings swung above her shoulders as she held a champagne flute. The woman beside her had short black hair and a midnight silk dress. The two of them together looked like Hollywood celebrities, and I shifted uncomfortably.

Gwen gave Jack a side hug. “You know Sloane.”

Jack greeted the other woman and introduced me.

Gwen tilted her head to the side like a curious bird. “How charming your purse is, Sophia.” Leave it to Gwen to find the one thing in my ensemble not worth a penny.

“Is it vintage?” the other woman asked. “The Haight has incredible vintage couture.”

“It was my grandmother’s.”

Gwen’s friend smiled kindly, but Gwen sent me a sad little look. “How nice,” she said, which was the San Francisco equivalent of the Southern “Bless your heart.”

Jack’s chest puffed up, and he straightened his tuxedo tie. “Sophia looks incredible, if I do say so myself.”

I grinned, thankful for my roommate’s presence. “Jack helped me pick out the dress.”

Come to think of it, Jack had helped me choose a blouse for my date with Victor’s son’s friend too. Living with a man had its perks.

“Nothing but the best for Max’s girl,” Jack said, and my back stiffened.

After Paul and his fiancée’s reaction to my dating Max—or disbelief, rather—I was less confident about sharing the information. Particularly with Gwen.

Sloane’s eyes widened, and Gwen’s placid smile dropped.

“Really?” Gwen said, though her tone was flat. “Did he buy that dress for you?” She looked at my sparkly shoes. They were the fancy kind, with red bottoms. Louboutin, the brand was called. I didn’t want to think about how much they cost, but I knew it was far above my pay grade. The entire ball was above my pay grade.

I gave a shaky smile, and Jack grabbed an appetizer off a tray by a passing server, oblivious to the tension.

“He’s always doing charities,” Gwen said, and I swallowed, my throat suddenly dry.

Gwen was trying to ruin the Pretty Woman shopping spree Max had gifted me, and I wouldn’t let her. That said, Max had better show up soon, or I was going to kick his butt. I wasn’t built for this kind of criticism.

“Jack,” Gwen said, her face pulling into a brilliant smile. “Come with me a moment? I want to introduce you to one of my good friends.”

Jack glanced at me. “Can it hold off? I’m waiting for Max to show up.”

Gwen pouted. “It’ll be quick. Promise.” She looked over at me. “You’re okay, right, Sophia?”

If I said no, I looked unsophisticated and childish, unable to socialize on my own. But if I said yes, I was in what felt like a shark tank of beautiful people who came across more foe than friend.

I would kill Max later, but right now, I’d hold on to my dignity and show I was competent. “I’m fine. I’ll be”—I looked around, uncertain—“in this general vicinity.”

Jack knew these people better than I did, though I suspected most of their pettiness went over his head. After a moment, he nodded and said, “I won’t be long.”

I smiled in return, and Jack moved to walk off with Gwen and her friend.

But not before Gwen’s foot caught on “something” and her glass of champagne tipped, spilling liquid down the lower half of my silk gown.