Ava wasn't used to feeling nervous before an event. She'd planned hundreds of matchmaking mixers, from quirky book-club pairings to elaborate masquerade dinners, and she knew how to pull them off without breaking a sweat.
But tonight felt different.
It wasn't just that the Moonlit Mixer was her most ambitious event to date, held on the rooftop garden of the luxurious Blue Star Hotel. It wasn't even the fact that the budget had ballooned dangerously close to catastrophic if things didn't go perfectly.
No. Tonight felt different because Ryan was here.
Ava caught herself glancing toward the bar for what had to be the fifth time in ten minutes. There he was, leaning against the counter with his usual air of nonchalance, his dark suit somehow managing to look both effortless and annoyingly perfect. He wasn't mingling or making his usual sarcastic comments—just watching.
Watching her.
