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“Have you seen Bash?”
“You’re back! Are you home for good?” She cocked an eyebrow at him. “Does Dad know you’re here?” Gus was supposed to steer clear of company events for a while as part of the whole laying low thing, yet here he was at the biggest event of the year.
“There’s no time to worry about that now. Is Sebastian here?” There was an urgency in his voice.
“Not yet. Why? What’s going on?”
“I’ll tell you later.” He rushed off before Skylar could get an answer out of him, kicking her level of concern up a notch. She wanted to rush after him and find out what was happening, but it was almost time for her to present awards to the winners of the regatta.
“Wow!”
She spun around just as Franky let out a slow whistle, clearly admiring her ensemble. Her eyes traveled from his slicked-back hair, over his dark grey pinstripe suit with white tie, down to his two-tone black and white shoes.
“Were you going for the twenties gangster look?” she asked.
He smirked. “Want to be the Bonnie to my Clyde?”
Skylar laughed. She wanted to tell him she’d be anything he wanted her to, but instead, she said, “I’d rather not if we meet the same fate they did.”
“I think we could pull it off. What a life that would be.”
“You’re so unhappy that you’d rather turn to a life of crime?”
“My job is like the worst chore in the world, so … maybe the gangster life is for me.”
She gave him an amused look, and he held out his hand.
“Dance with me, Bonnie?”
Butterflies awoke in her stomach. “Sure, Clyde. I thought you’d never ask.”
Skylar followed him onto the dance floor, and he took her hands in his, stepping side to side then back, guiding them to the rhythm of the music. She tried to imitate what he was doing, and just as she got the hang of it, he extended one arm across between them, moving to spin her around and under. She stumbled a little as she turned, bumping into his arm and laughing as she came back to face him again.
“That was pretty good,” he told her. “I think you’re a natural.”
“What is this dance?”
“It’s the jitterbug.”
“And how do you know the jitterbug?”
“YouTube, of course.”
Skylar laughed. “You really committed to the twenties theme, didn’t you?”
“Darn right, I did. Want me to teach you the Charleston next?”
She cracked up, still trying to figure out their current dance without tumbling face-first onto the floor, but before she could answer, he brought her closer and slid one of his arms around her back. If he messed up the dance steps or accidentally stomped on her toes, she wouldn’t have noticed. All she could focus on was the feeling of his strong arms around her and their bodies pressed together.
“This is fun, don’t you think?” His smile made her weak in the knees. It was one of her favorite things about him. When Franky smiled, it was genuine. Not fake or forced or manipulative, like some people she knew. Milton.
“It is,” she replied, trying to act as normal as possible amidst her rapidly beating heart and fluttering stomach. “I didn’t think you were going to show tonight. I’m glad you made it.”
“This look takes time.” He glanced down at his suit, which made her laugh. “You know I wouldn’t miss the gala.” He loosened his grip and spun her out before bringing her back to him again. “But this one tops them all.”
“You think?”
“Yeah, I’ve never had this much fun at one of these things before.”