Close Your Eyes (16 page)

Ryan
was a good speaker. Crisp, clear
,
and with just the right amount of humor, he had the whole audience in stitches after just a few sentences.
Meg
listened to the positive response and couldn’t help but wonder how
it was that
this handsome, eloquent man belonged to her.
She didn’t think she was special
, nothing to make him pick her over all those other beauties that he had
the
chance to rub shoulders with over the years. But he
had always chosen her
, ever since they were te
enagers
and had shared
their first shy kiss after
her sixteenth birthday party.

‘He’s brilliant, isn’t he?’ Rosemary Twiggs lean
ed
to
wards
Megan. H
er
warm
voice
was
surprisingly proud. ‘
He
reminds me so much of
Rupert
, you know. Not that I would
ever
tell him
that
, of course.’ She laughed quietly, shaking her blond hair with comical despair. ‘Children don’t want to be compared to their parents
.
I know that much. But he has
Rupert
’s kindness and sensitivity.’

I’ll
have to take her word for it
.
Meg
an
cast
a quick glance at Ry
an
’s father. He didn’t strike her as particularly kind or sensitive
. T
he absentminded look on his face always
made
her think
that
he wished
for
nothing more
than
to
disappear
back
into his world of books and travels.

She was glad when
Ryan’s speech
was over
and
the official part of the evening
was
safely out of the way. Awards had been handed out, outstanding businessmen recognized and congratulated. Each year
,
the ceremony followed the same, predictable pattern
,
but
being recognized by the
Harper
s still
carried
a desired flair in the community. Now that
the pleasantries
were
all over, it was time to have some fun, as Ry
an
said at the end of
his short speech.

The huge ballroom provided enough space for dining and dancing
, and the
music replac
ed
speeches and
polite chatter.
Meg
an
breathed
a sigh of relief, realizing only now that her
hands had a tight and sweaty grip on
her
utensils
. The delicious food didn’t really leave any
impression
since
the initiation of a conversation with
Henry
had killed
off her appetite.
He seemed genuinely interested in getting to
know her better, and she wanted
to appear smart and as perfect as possible. Maybe
that
was shallow and childish, given the fact that Ry
an
didn’t really need his grandfather’s blessing to date who
m
ever he chose. Still,
Megan
could tell that
her relationship with
the old patriarch mattered immensely
to
Ry
an
.

She chatted with the old man,
and
Ry
an
’s presence
took
off some of the edge and anxiety that she would have otherwise
struggled with
. To
Megan’s
surprise
,
he proved
to be
exactly how Ry
an
had
described him
. H
is eyes and words
became
kinder as the evening progressed. Slowly but steadily,
the haze of worry
that she would
commit
a faux pas dissipated,
and
her usual vivacity and good humor
livened
the stilted conversation.

‘I think I will leave you young people alone now
,
for a moment
.
’
H
is slightly raspy voice carried a note of amusement as he nodded towards the dance floor. ‘
Everyone
else seems to
be having
a grand time over there.’

He was right
,
of course. Even though the evening
had
started out rather slow and cautious,
with
Henry’s presence putting a slight damper on the cheerful crowd
, the party was in full swing.
Megan
caught a glimpse of Amelia and a serious young man with glasses waltzing by dreamily
. Amelia’s
black
-
lined
eyes barely register
ed
her impressive grandfather.

And then there was
Matt
and Sonia.
They were impossible
to overlook, if only because of
Sonia’s
silver dress
that
sparkl
ed
with all the colors of the rainbow
in the light of the crystal
chandeliers
. Actually, she reminded
Megan
of a fish with glittery scales, her fluid
,
glittery body as nimble and elusive as that of
an angelfish
.
She and Matt
seemed to be having a grand time, laughing and visibly en
joying the evening.
Matt
’s pristine white
shirt and
smartly cut Italian black
pants brought out the golden hues in his strawberry
-
blond hair
. His jacket had been discarded over his chair, forgotten as they swirled around the floor. M
ore than a few pairs of eyes around
the room
noticed his good looks
.

Meg
could tell that
Matt
’s family wasn’t too happy with the way the things were progressing
. R
upert
’s eyes
followed
his younger son each time Sonia’s silvery laughter reached
his
table. Obviously
,
he was hoping for some eye contact
, his
slim, serious face
becom
ing
increasingly uneasy. Still,
Matt
seemed blissfully oblivious of his family’s tension.
He
seemed to have eyes only for Sonia
, w
hich was excellent.

Meg
bit her lower lip, exasperated with her own twisted thoughts.
Who care
s
if
Matt
decide
s
to make a very public display of emotions
as he swirl
s
his partner around the floor until they resembled a silvery tornado
?
She heard them laugh
,
and her
mood
darkened
when Sonia pulled Matt closer and kissed
him on his mouth in full view
of the guests and
his
family members
.

They could
make
love
right there
on the floor for all she cared
.
She felt
a wave of resentment rising inside her as she watched the blond girl twirl seductively around Matt
.
She could have walked up to her and dragged her away, her fingers already itching to dig into the platinum blond hair.
But that’s understandable, isn’t it?
She is extremely
crass and disrespectful, especially since
she
can’t be
totally
daft and not figure out by now, she isn’t really welcome.

Ry
an
would
n’t
express such unrestricted affection for her
in a million years
. H
is proper behavior
was never to
be compromised. He had told her how much his grandfather disapproved of public displays of emotions,
and
he
believed in keeping
certain things to the privacy of
his
four walls.

Ry
an
apologized to her briefly as he rose to his feet and joined his grandfather, promising to return in a moment. There was
really
nothing to do but smile and nod
.
Meg was almost envious when
Rupert
rose
to his feet and pull
ed
Rosemary to the dance floor. She watched the older couple, amazed a
t the
ir
tenderness and camaraderie
that was impossible to ignore
.
Rupert
didn’t seem so serious or detached. Rosemary said something, her golden
hair
shaking
vigorously
,
and
when Rupert
laughed,
his face transformed
completely
.
Meg
knew she should have looked away,
that it was
improper
to ogle
their private moment.