No Ordinary Love (A Modern Vintage Romance #5)

5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Amara

I didn't like going to parties. It wasn't my thing. But I'd acquired enough clothes to go to some since Lucas and I started dating. I wasn't like Patsy, Shelby, or Kath, who never repeated an outfit because, duh , I wasn't independently wealthy—but I had nice enough dresses so I didn't look like a dog.

It was my first time at the Magnolia Ball and I was reluctantly impressed. The Charleston Preservation Society Mansion was lit up like a jewel, its grand facade glowing under the soft, warm light of chandeliers that spilled out from every window. The gardens, lined with ancient magnolia trees, were filled with the scent of blooming flowers and the soft murmur of conversations drifting through the air. Twinkling lights hung from the branches, casting a romantic glow over the cobblestone pathways where elegantly dressed couples strolled, their laughter mingling with the soft strains of a string quartet playing in the background.

I wouldn't have come, considering how heartsick I still was, but when the Dean of Graduate Studies, Bobby Gantz, asked me, I couldn't turn him down. He'd lost his wife to cancer a year ago, and this was the first time he was going to something where she wouldn't be his plus one. So, I said yes. Foolishly! Stupidly! Because as soon as I stepped into the freaking ballroom at the Charleston Preservation Society Mansion, I saw Lucas with Kath. He'd moved on. I suspected he'd already done that though I didn't need to witness it. I remembered the first time we'd gone out as a couple and he'd introduced me to everyone as his girlfriend. It looked like he was doing the same with Kath, announcing her new status in his life publicly to Charleston society.

Objectively, they looked good together. Subjectively, to me, it was soul crushing.

They looked like an excellent match, made in heaven. Lucas, with his dark, rugged face and body that looked like it was made for whatever he wore, including the tuxedo he was in; and Kath with her blonde hair coiffed to perfection, her body draped in fire-engine red silk. Two beautiful, wealthy people bringing together years of pedigree, family money and influence; two famous last names becoming one. Patsy had done that when she became a Covington, and now Kath would do the same.

"Darlin'." Bobby patted my hand, the one clutching his forearm. "You had to see him sometime."

I swallowed and nodded, praying and hoping that I wouldn't start crying. The Magnolia Ball happened every year but Lucas hadn't invited me once to go with him. He'd said he hated such events, but he was here now, with Kath . But then, so was I. My date, however, was more than twice my age at sixty—and thought of me as his protégé and not a love interest. He was a father figure to me, and Lucas knew that, as did everyone else at work. So, I wasn't showing up with a handsome date the first time I saw my ex since we broke up, while he was with a smoldering beauty who he'd always been in love with.

I wasn't a petty person, and I didn't want to become jealous. But that wasn't what I was feeling—not toward Kath. I loved Lucas enough to want him happy with the woman he truly loved. I was just sad that I wasn't that woman, sad that I'd been the rebound, the one he leaned on to feel whole again, the one who'd mended his heart so he could give it back to the person who'd broken it in the first place.

Lucas had told me all about Kath and how devastated he'd been when she left him. I understood that pain now because since he left me, my own heart was so fucking broken it felt like it was barely beating, barely even there.

I looked away, focused instead on the mansion, which was a masterpiece of Southern opulence. The grand ballroom was a vision of understated elegance. Tall windows draped in rich velvet overlooked the gardens, while crystal chandeliers hung from high ceilings, their light reflecting off the polished marble floors. The tables were dressed in crisp white linens, adorned with centerpieces of magnolia blossoms and silver candelabras that sparkled with candlelight.

As I sipped my champagne, the soft bubbles tickling my nose, I decided to enjoy the evening and not mope around. There was a good chance, considering the number of people at the ball, Lucas and I would not cross paths. I deserved to live my life regardless of the state of my emotions, and this was the kind of evening designed to do that. But for my eyes surreptitiously seeking out Lucas and Kath, which was not healthy, the party seemed plucked from a dream—timeless and elegant. For a moment, I allowed myself to get lost in it, letting the ambiance lift my spirits as I moved through the crowd, grateful for the distraction of the people Bobby introduced me to.

My good spirits didn't last long.

"Amara," a voice called out from behind us. Bobby and I turned, and I was ready to tell Bobby the hell with him feeling lonely; I was outta here.

Rena Covington stood like royalty in a peach-colored chiffon dress and a diamond choker that made her look like Audrey Hepburn from the ballroom scene in the end of My Fair Lady , only older. I had to stop myself from curtseying.

"Mrs. Covington," I smiled politely. "How are you?"

She surprised me by hugging me and then blew a kiss in the air next to each cheek. "I'm well, darlin'. Bobby, I'm so glad you could make it."

Bobby hugged her next. They were apparently old friends, as Bobby's wife used to sit on some charity boards with Rena. Bobby was like me, blue collar upbringing while his wife had been a Charleston blueblood. They'd had a great marriage, and he'd told me how her family had never made him feel like he didn't fit in. The Covingtons, he said, were wealthier than his wife's family and way more stuck up, probably because of it. He didn't like Patsy or Shelby or even Lucas, but it appeared he didn't have a problem with Rena.

"I hear you ended your relationship with my grandson," Rena, who was famous for not having a filter and not caring how anyone felt about what she had to say, said loudly enough for several people around us to hear.

Now, if this was Patsy or Shelby, I'd get it. They'd go out of their way to humiliate me. But Rena? Well, maybe her indifference had only masked her dislike, I thought sulkily.

"This is a lovely ball," I pleasantly spoke, ignoring her statement, "I hear that the Covington family supports the Heritage Foundation."

"Yes. And you're sitting at my table," Rena announced, then sighed, "Well, Bobby is, and since you're his plus one, so are you."

I looked at Bobby, aghast. Hell to the no! I wasn't going to spend an evening eating gourmet low-country cuisine with my ex's grandmother, who hated my guts for being too plebeian.

"You're so generous, Rena," Bobby gushed. He looked so happy that I was reluctant to make him feel bad. He'd mourned his wife for a long while, before and after her death, and I was being silly and selfish.

I put on a bright smile. "That sounds lovely, Mrs.—"

"Call me Rena or Grandma; I don't like being called something everyone calls my daughter-in-law."

I licked my lips. Had she just asked me to call her Grandma? I felt like I was in some Tennessee William-esque play and had no clue what my lines were.

Rena insisted on walking with me on her right and Bobby on her left to our table.

Every nerve in my body was on edge, and it only got worse when Rena seated me between her and some man I barely noticed. Unfortunately, directly across the table were Lucas and Kath, deep in conversation with their heads close together. The sight twisted something in my chest.

I forced a smile as Lucas nodded. "Amara, it's nice to see you."

"Hello, Lucas." Okay, that didn't sound pathetic; that sounded fine. Right?

"Amara, how wonderful that you're here." Kath didn't sound like it was wonderful at all. I took some pleasure from that.

Before anyone else could say anything, Rena introduced the table to the man on my left. He looked familiar, but I couldn't place him. He was utterly handsome, and I knew if I'd ever met him, there was no way I'd forget.

"Everyone, I'm so thrilled to have Jaxon Caldwell here. As you all know, and saw our young man from Charleston win the PGA Championship last year, finishing 12 under par with a stunning final round of 65," Rena announced.

A flurry of introductions were made.

I didn't know golf from my ass, so all I heard was winner and championship .

Once everyone settled down and the servers topped off everyone's drink, including mine, because the hell with it, I was going to loosen up a little and have some fun, I decided.

"Amara, Rena speaks very highly of you," Jax informed me.

"Rena does?" I quirked an eyebrow and turned to see Rena speaking with Bobby, not interested in my companion or me.

Jax had broad shoulders, easy charm, and a sexy smile. He leaned close when he spoke so I could smell his cologne—musk and leather, very sensual. And when he grinned, it was nothing short of dazzling. I may have been nursing a broken heart, but I wasn't blind.

"Rena mentioned that you'd be here tonight and that she really wanted me to meet you."

I frowned uneasily. Why on earth would Rena want that?

I was conscious of Lucas watching me, his expression unreadable, while Kath leaned across him to speak to a woman sitting on his other side. There was a physical ease between them, and I just knew that they'd already had sex. How long did it take for him to stop thinking about me and start fucking her? A week? Two? Or maybe right after I told him I'd moved out?

"Am I making you uneasy?" Jax's voice was warm and teasing, and I smiled, grateful for the distraction from the tension simmering just across the table.

"No, of course not." I gathered my reserves and pulled on my mask of calm and cool, the one I had to in front of students and when I presented. "I'm just surprised that Rena would mention me. I don't know her very well."

"She knows me very well." He leaned in a little closer, his eyes locked on mine. "And she was right when she said I'd enjoy meeting you."

I felt a blush creeping up my cheeks. It was flattering, and I found myself relaxing, the tension from Lucas and Kath's presence fading into the background. Jax was easy to talk to, his charm effortless and disarming.

"Jax, I hear you're moving out of your place at Myrtle Beach," Lucas interrupted, his voice cold, and I saw Kath all but jump, her focus on him and then on Jax and me.

"I'm moving to Charleston," Jax declared. "How long have you lived in Charleston, Amara?"

I felt caught between the two men, and I didn't like it one bit. Lucas had no business inserting himself into my conversation with Jax. He had dumped me for his new girlfriend, who was sitting next to him.

"About four years. I came here to do my post doc and then stayed."

Rena noticed the exchange and smiled, clearly amused. "You should ask Amara to show you around, Jax. She recently was in the market for a place, so she's done her research." She turned to Lucas then, "You know, now that I think of it, Jax, Lucas might be selling his townhouse; maybe you'd be interested. I know Amara loved the place."

I felt the heat of embarrassment rise, and my ears burned. Lucas was selling our home? Of course, he was. Why wouldn't he? He never wanted to live in South of Broad. He wanted something fancy and big in Battery close to the Covington Estate, if not on the estate.

"Where is it?" Jax wanted to know.

"South of Broad on Church Street," I said at the same time Lucas barked, "Not selling nothin' right now, Grandma."

Kath stiffened. "I thought you were done with it ." She looked at me, unflinchingly. "You know, fresh start and all."

I wanted to ask her not to talk to me. She'd stolen my man, and now she thought she could have a polite conversation in society about her new boyfriend selling the house that he and I shared? Christ! Just put me on Jerry Springer already!

Jax chuckled a deep, warm sound that made me feel even more at ease. "Are you sure, Lucas? I am looking for a place on South of Broad. I find the rest of Charleston either too modern or too stuffy." He flashed me another one of his killer smiles. "Maybe you could help me find a home, Amara; Rena says you have excellent taste."

Rena was up to something because I had no clue why she'd say these things to Jax. I didn't like being used but I had a feeling I was by the Covington matriarch. But I wasn't going to give her or Lucas the pleasure of seeing me fumble or falter.

"Certainly, Jax." I tilted my head. I was a twenty-eight-year-old woman. I wasn't an ingenue. I knew how to flirt. "Maybe we could spend some time over a weekend, and I'll show you around."

"I'd love it," Jax replied. "Now, I have another question. How's your golf handicap?"

I quirked an eyebrow. "Darlin', I've never played golf."

"Now, sugar, you've got to let me teach you," Jax flirted right back. "You find me a home, and I'll show you how to get a hole-in-one."

It was suggestive as hell and a welcome relief. I found myself laughing, genuinely enjoying Jax's attention. His admiration was obvious, and while part of me knew that sitting at this table was its own kind of torment, another part of me was grateful for the chance to be seen, to be appreciated—especially with Lucas sitting right there, watching it all unfold.

Jax leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "What are you doin' tomorrow, sugar?"

The offer was tempting, and his words were wrapped in an easy confidence that seemed to come naturally to him. I glanced over at Lucas, just in time to see him look away, his attention snapping back to Kath, who was saying something heated to him.

Trouble in lover's paradise? I thought petulantly.

I turned back to Jax, feeling a sudden surge of resolve. "I'm at the gym in the morning, but usually free late afternoon." My smile was wide and genuine.

If I had to have a rebound, why not the golf darling of Charleston and the world? I could do worse.