Chapter 19
Vanessa pov
I stood beside Cole near the registration table, smiling at every guest who passed, saying all the right things in all the right tones. This was easy. I'd been doing this since I was twelve years old, the polished daughter making polished conversation at events exactly like this one.
Cole went quiet beside me.
I noticed it the way I noticed everything about him now, a small shift in attention, his gaze drifting past the crowd toward something else entirely.
I followed it.
Kayla stood near the entrance, one arm braced on a crutch, laughing at something Rhys had whispered close to her ear. Even on crutches, even underdressed compared to half the room, she looked luminous in a way that made something twist painfully in my chest.
I didn't think so. I reached up,
