Loving the Ice Queen

Chapter 32

Ryan

"Hey, where can I get a glass of wine?" I asked the staff member behind the front desk. She smiled and showed me the way to the resort bar. Five minutes later and armed with a glass of wine, I got back to the hall where my target fortunately still lingered, still in her white dress.

The audacity of some people. Wearing a white gown to a wedding? Unbelievable.

I made my way straight to the woman and the small group of people around her.

"Excuse me," I said, approaching with a charming smile.

The group turned towards me. I frowned. "Oh, excuse me. I thought you were Eleanor," I told the woman. Someone in the group snorted.

The woman's smile tightened. "No problem." She narrowed her eyes. "You're... Ryan Owens, aren't you?"

"Oh, do we know each other?" I asked pleasantly, stepping closer.

"He's her sister's boyfriend," a girl next to her said. "Right? You're Barbara Owens' boyfriend."

I just smiled. How I wished I could say yes.

The ex's eyes widened. "What? Eleanor's sister is Barbara Owens?"

"Yeah. We just found out today too."

The ex turned to me with a brighter smile. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Harriet."

She held out a hand. I shook her hand, smiled, then emptied the wine on her white dress.

She screeched and scrambled back, holding her arms away from her dress. "What the hell?!"

A lovely bright red stain covered the front of the dress.

"Oh dear," I said evenly, flinging some wine off my fingers. "My hand slipped. I apologize."

She gaped at me. Everyone was staring. I offered my arm. "Would you like me to escort you to the restroom? A friend of mine owns a dress shop on Fifth avenue. I'll be happy to replace your dress."

She frowned, clearly suspicious, and rightfully so. Pushing her hair back, she raised her chin and said, "fine."

She looped her hand through my arm. I put the glass of wine on a nearby table and pulled out my phone, texting my friend.

I would get her a dress, because she could be crazy enough to attend the ceremony with a stained white dress, and I didn't want Eleanor to catch sight of it. That would ruin her day, which would ruin Barbara's. And I couldn't have that.

I escorted her to the restroom. The dress would arrive in an hour. Meanwhile, I managed to get her some generic pajamas from the resort SPA. She wasn't very happy, but the promised dress mollified her. I made sure the dress was in a neutral color that wouldn't attract attention.

The courier would deliver the dress right to her hands, so we parted ways on pseudo friendly terms and I made my way back to the reception area.

More guests had arrived. I spotted a familiar old man in the seating area away from the crowd and headed his way.

"Max."

"Ah, Ryan. A pleasure to see you here," Max Sydney said, shaking my hand, his other gripping his cane. He was dressed in a three piece brown suit, his trademark beret atop his head.

I sat down next to him. "I didn't know you'd be here."

"Eleanor is Barbara's sister," he said. "So this is a big day for Barbara as well. She was kind enough to invite me."

"You're very fond of her," I said.

"Who wouldn't be?" He glanced at me, his eyes assessing. "I must admit, when your mother asked me to set up a dinner date with a young lady of my choice, I knew she meant one of my granddaughters."