Page 29 of Hale Yes (Highway to Hale #1)

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Rah-rah, motherfucker

Nicolette

I slide a coat of gloss over my ruby lips and pop them, checking my reflection in the mirror. All my makeup is from Hale Cosmetics, of course, and I look pretty fantastic, if I do say so myself. I pulled my hair up on one side with a small clip, and my curls look especially bouncy tonight.

Running my hands down the classic black Bouvier cocktail dress, I swivel to look at the back. It plunges daringly low, and a white satin bow rests just above my butt. I pull my black-and-white Bouvier heels from my suitcase and slip them on, giving me another four inches of height.

Helix got ready in our shared room and then headed downstairs while I was in the shower to give me some privacy. Holding onto the railing so I don’t bust my ass, I head down to the first floor.

“Okay, I’m ready,” I say, and Helix looks up from his position on the couch where he’d been scrolling through his phone. His eyes widen, and I can’t say I dislike the appreciation in his hot gaze.

“Whoa, damn,” he says, rising to his feet. “Nicolette, you look amazing.”

My eyes roam down his big body encased in solid black, from his pants to his jacket to the pressed shirt underneath. The only diversion from all the black is a pair of glasses I’ve never seen him wear before, these with tortoiseshell frames. It’s a smart look. And extremely sexy.

“You too. I like those glasses.”

His focus drags up my body like the touch of a feather before he focuses on my face. “Where are yours?”

“I have contact lenses I wear sometimes,” I explain, gesturing toward my spectacle-less face.

His bright blue eyes darken as he stares at me, and I wonder if Lehra was correct. Does Helix have a crush on me? Then he holds out his arm and smiles.

“Ready to go, girlfriend?”

I loop my hand in his elbow. The expensive fabric is like butter against my skin. “I’m ready, boyfriend.”

That really shouldn’t feel so good to say .

“Well, this place is swanky,” Helix says as we walk around the large open space.

“Very,” I say, my voice tight. Bridgewater Hall is part of the uber-exclusive Bridgewater Country Club.

“Are your parents members here?”

“No, they’d never be able to afford the membership fees here,” I tell him, worry creasing my forehead. “Pop said he had to take out a loan for this party. Can you even imagine what the wedding will be like?”

“I’m sorry. It sounds like your father is in a hard spot with…” He waves his hand around. “All this.”

I blow out a frustrated gust of air as Helix guides me to the open bar. “If I ever get married, I’m paying for it all myself so I don’t put my family in debt.”

“Yeah, it’s ridiculous. Phoenix’s wedding was insane, but then again, so was his fiancée.”

We place our order, a whiskey and Coke for Helix and an appletini for me. “Phoenix is married?” I query. “I knew he had a daughter because you’ve mentioned her a couple times, but I was under the impression he was single.”

“Oh, he definitely is.” He takes a sip of his drink. “The wedding was called off at the last minute, but the week before was filled with events every day and night. It was way over the top. They even had a pre-wedding gala.”

My face pinches into a grimace. “That sounds miserable.”

Helix laughs. “It was. Were you one of those little girls who dreamed of her wedding day?”

A smile teases my lips. “I was. I always wanted a big wedding with a fancy dress where I was the most important person for just one day.”

The gap between his dark eyebrows narrows. “You deserve to be the most important person to someone, Nicolette. And not just for a day.”

I squirm a little under his intense gaze. So I put on my best smile and shift the conversation, looking around the high-ceilinged hall.

“I came to a quinceanera here once for my friend Muriel. Of course, I was only thirteen at the time since I went to high school early.”

“Was that weird? Being so young in high school, I mean.”

I take a sip of my drink, the flavors bursting on my tongue with a mixture of tanginess and sweetness.

“It was at first, but then a group of older girls took me under their wing. Muriel was one of them.” I laugh.

“I met her when she needed a tutor for advanced placement chemistry. After that, she and her friends invited me to sit with them at lunch every day. I couldn’t hang out with them on the weekends because of my age, but Pop did agree to let me come to her quinceanera. ”

“Do you still talk to her?”

“Just on social media. She lives in France now with her husband.”

“I’m glad you had someone,” Helix says. “High school is hard enough without being the odd man out.”

Lowering my voice, I lean forward, catching a whiff of his cologne, something with dark notes. Maybe bergamot? It’s extremely appealing.

“It helped that none of those girls liked my sister. When they learned she was… you know, like she is to me, they decided I was their new buddy.”

He chuckles. “I could totally see Angelica being a mean girl in school.”

Speaking of the mean girl, she approaches in a pearl-white dress and matching heels. She’s followed by Annette, one of the bitchy girls my sister has known since high school. Angelica roves an assessing gaze up and down my body, the fakest smile ever on her lips.

“You know it’s against wedding etiquette to wear white, right? Only the bride is supposed to wear white,” she says through clenched teeth.

I feel Helix’s hand on my exposed back, and the warmth and strength seem to seep through my skin and into my bones.

“Um, yes, I’m aware,” I say. “Have you suddenly gone color blind, Angelica? My dress is black. And as far as I know, this isn’t your wedding.”

Her nose pops up in the air in that superior expression she’s perfected so well. “The bow on the back is white, and you have white on your shoes. I don’t like it. You’re committing a fashion faux pas at my engagement party.”

Annette doesn’t say anything, but her wildly darting gaze tells me maybe she thinks my sister is overreacting.

“Would you like for me to rip the bow off and hide it somewhere?” I take a slow drink of my martini and smile sweetly. “Because I have some ideas of where I can stick it.”

Angelica’s blue eyes widen in shock. I haven’t talked back to her in years because I was always reprimanded or grounded by our mother when I did. But now I’m a grown-ass woman.

No, screw that. I’m a fucking elephant .

Angelica’s lips tighten, and I can practically hear her teeth grinding. “Fine, I’ll allow it for now but just remember who’s the bride here and who’s not.”

And with a sniff, she stomps off, her friend in tow.

Helix’s grin is the picture of gleeful pride. “Well done, Dr. Bell.” Then he taps the tip of my nose. “You’re the fiercest elephant I’ve ever seen.”

Holy shit! Swoon city, anyone?

We mingle with the crowd, and I introduce Helix to some of my extended family, mostly aunts, uncles, and cousins I haven’t seen in years.

The food is served by roaming waiters in matching suits and is obviously expensive.

I worry how much debt this party is putting my father into and what my bridezilla sister will demand for her wedding.

Again, I remind myself that it’s not my problem. Pop has to learn to put his foot down and say the word no to Angelica and Ma. I glance over at him. He’s handsome in his gray suit, but the man looks tired and browbeaten.

Clarity hits me that that’s probably how I used to look when I was around my family.

I know I kick ass at my job. It’s where I’m the strongest. I can run a lab, supervise employees, and develop new products like a boss bitch.

My weak spot has always been with my family.

Ma had all the authority over me, and through the years, I’ve let myself be pushed down and down until I was trained to be nothing more than an insignificant place at the table.

But no more. I feel so much freer now, and I realize all it took was some separation. And a man who told me I was strong and encouraged me to stand up for myself.

Helix.

Damn, I really like him.

He’s chatting with one of my male cousins, and I nudge his arm and tilt my head to indicate that I’m going to the restroom.

“I’ll walk with you,” he says immediately before turning to shake my cousin’s hand. “Austin, it was good to meet you, man.”

“Same,” Austin replies before smiling at me. “Nicolette, nice to see you again. Helix was just telling me how lucky he feels to have you at Hale.”

I’ve always liked Austin. He’s a year younger than me, but we played together at family get-togethers when we were young.

“Oh, I think he’s a bit biased,” I say modestly. “If you ever come to Houston, make sure to give me a call.”

“Sure will,” he replies with a nod.

Helix’s hand lands on my back, and the gesture seems so natural, like that spot was made for him to touch.

I’ve got to stop thinking shit like that. He’s my boss. My hot-as-hell boss, but whatever.

We walk together down a corridor and then turn right down another short hallway to the restrooms. “I’ll wait right here for you,” Helix says, leaning back against the wall across from the ladies’ room with his hands in his pockets.

Going inside, I do my business and then wash my hands before exiting. As soon as I do, Helix holds his index finger to his lips and jerks his head to the left. Pausing, I hear my sister and Annette. It sounds like they're standing right around the corner.

“Can you even believe she wore that dress with white on it?”

Annette sounds unsure. She’s always been one of Angelica’s minions, but her voice is tentative. “I really don’t think it’s considered rude to wear something with just a tiny bit of white on it. The dress your mother is wearing tonight has a white collar.”

My sister snorts a derisive sound. “Well that doesn’t bother me. Just when my sister does it. I know she still wants Rory back.”

I make a gagging motion at Helix, and he covers his mouth with his hand to hold in a laugh.