Page 66 of She's Like the Wind

I was anxious about the runway show, but I was even more freaked out about the man who was somewhere in this place, trying to win me over.

What the hell did that mean?

I needed Aurelie to explain herself and also spill the tea on whatever it was that Gage had told her that convinced her to try and force my hand into giving him a chance, which wasn’t happening.

Thankfully, I didn’t have to answer Jonah because the house lights dimmed, the crowd buzzed with champagne and anticipation, and the first note of a violin cover of Madonna’sLike a Prayerfilled the air.

The announcer, Tabitha, who was also a voice actor, declared the show open. They had a deep husky voice, perfectly suited to talk about who was wearing what.

Models stepped out one by one, their bodies draped in lace, feathers, and fantasy.

One wore a chartreuse corset with fringe like falling rain and strutted like she owned the saints and sinners alike. She probably did.

Another wore only a high-waisted garter, heart-shaped sequin pasties, and a veil of sheer black tulle that made everyone in the audience suck in a breath.

The drag queens stole the show. One came out in a floor-length gold robe that flared like a preacher’s, then ripped it off to reveal hot-pink lamé panties and a rhinestone bra as the music switched to a slowed-down, sax-heavy remix of Amy Winehouse’sYou Know I’m No Good.

The audience lost it. Shouting. Cheering. Fanning themselves with the printed programs we’d left on the pews.

Jonah leaned close and whispered, “That one in the leather harness is going to give me heart palpitations.”

“Down, boy,” I muttered, amused.

When Aurelie walked the stage…or rather swaggered on the runway, I held my breath.

“She looks amazing,” Jonah stated.

She did, I thought happily, aware…too aware that somewhere in the shadows, just beyond the spill of the stage light, Gage was…watchingme?

Did he see me with Jonah? Did it hurt him the way it hurt me to see him with other women?

Probably not!

But if he’d asked Aurelie to help him get back with me…then, maybe he was hurting?

God, this was confusing—not just because I didn’t know what he wanted, but because I wasn’t even sure I didn’t want to give it to him, if what he wanted was me.

Aurelie did a spin that nearly toppled her off her heels to wild applause and then blew a kiss in my direction.

“Your turn next time, Naomi,” she shouted, loud enough for the whole church to hear.

A smattering of laughter ran through.

Jonah pressed a hand to his chest. “If you ever decide to take the stage, give me a heads-up. I’ll need CPR.”

I rolled my eyes, but my pulse was already spiking.

I’d worn lingerie for Gage. Modeled it. Teased him with it.

The memory came fast and hot—his voice low, his hands rough, impatient. My cheeks flushed, and then, like a cue from the universe, the final model swept down the aisle in a cloud of violet tulle and rhinestones, glitter catching in the cathedral lights like sparks.

I turned my head slightly…and caught Gage’s eyes.

He wasn’t clapping.

He wasn’t smiling.

He was looking at me likeIwas the show.