Page 88 of Julian

“Do they?” Kiara asked the tall man.

Cole grinned. “Actually, they kind of do. I much prefer my basketball shoes. These types of shoes pinch my toes. And this bowtie is choking me.”

“We didn’t have to come,” Annie told him with a little nudge in his ribs.

“It was important that we did,” Cole said as he slipped his arm around her. “But I think we should all vote to stay home the next time an event like this comes up.”

“I can agree to that,” Annie said with a nod. “What about you, Kiara?”

“I doubt I’ll be invited to any similar events in the future.”

“Why?”

“I’ll have a baby to take care of.” Plus, she’d be Julian’sex-wife by then, and he wouldn’t be inviting her to anything.

“I suppose that’s a good enough reason,” Cole said.

“Maybe we need that reason,” Annie told him as she gave her husband a coy smile.

Kiara felt a pang of longing as she watched their interaction. It was more lighthearted than Angie and Jude’s relationship, but no less affectionate and loving.

She looked away from the couple, and her gaze landed on Julian. He stood talking to a couple of men about his age, all dressed similarly to him, but to Kiara’s eyes, he was the most handsome. As she watched, a beautiful Asian woman joined the group and greeted Julian with a friendly smile.

When Julian kissed the woman’s cheek, Kiara turned her back to them, not wanting to watch any more of their interactions. She tucked away the hurt she felt, knowing she couldn’t deal with it right then.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for coming to this special evening,” Elizabeth said from behind a podium on a small stage. “I would ask that you find your seats.”

There was a low murmur of conversation as people moved toward the tables and sat down. Annie pulled Kiara along to thetable Elizabeth had said was theirs. Cole held a chair for Kiara and then the one next to her for Annie. He sat down on his wife’s other side.

Julian approached the table with the woman and one of the men he’d been talking to. They also took seats at the table, with Julian between Kiara and the man, while the woman sat on the man’s other side.

“Sean and Ava, this is Kiara, Annie, and her husband Cole,” Julian said. “Sean and Ava are from our Singapore division of Burke Neurotech. They’re here for meetings this coming week.”

Kiara had heard the names before when Julian had spoken about the work in Singapore. It was clear that Julian considered the two more than just employees. And it made her wonder if Ava was part of the draw Julian felt to Singapore.

The table was large enough for ten people, and soon Duncan and Elizabeth joined them, as did a couple Duncan introduced as the chairman of the board for Burke Pharmaceuticals.

As the meal was being served, Annie leaned close to her and spoke in a soft voice. “If you get confused about which fork to use, just poke my leg, and I’ll help you out.”

Kiara appreciated Annie’s sensitivity to her situation. It helped to calm some of her nerves. Some… but definitely not all.

While they ate a delicious meal, a string orchestra played in the background. After the dessert was served, they were treated to stories about the people who had benefited from the fundraising efforts in years past.

Kiara found it all fascinating because she hadn’t had a clear understanding of what the Burke Foundation actually did. The stories definitely helped clarify that for her.

Through it all, Kiara sensed that Julian remained on edge. Though he continued to speak with the people at their table, he shifted frequently and didn’t eat all the food they’d been served. Which, to her mind, hadn’t been a lot to begin with.

“Cole is going to make us order room service after this,” Annie muttered.

Annie’s words made Kiara give a soft huff of laughter. “I’m eating for two. I might need room service as well.”

Once the meal was over, two women went up on the stage with Elizabeth. One gave a personal report of what the foundation had done for her, and then the other shared what they hoped to accomplish in the coming year.

When they were done speaking, Elizabeth announced that the dance floor was open. Kiara knew she wouldn’t be dancing, and she was actually fine with that. Dancing was something she’d never learned how to do, so she didn’t want to embarrass herself by pretending she could.

Julian, Sean, and Ava had gotten up and gone to speak with someone at another table. Duncan and Elizabeth were circulating throughout the room, and the other couple at the table had gone to the bar.

“Would you like to dance, babe?” Cole asked Annie.