Chapter 30: Ryan’s Big Mistake
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.
Her heart did a little somersault, and she immediately scolded herself. She wasn’t supposed to care what Ryan thought. He was a cynic, a critic, the guy who always had something snarky to say about her work.
But tonight, a small, ridiculous part of her wanted his approval.
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Ryan wasn’t supposed to be here.
He’d told himself that repeatedly as he’d begrudgingly tied his tie earlier that evening. This was Ava’s matchmaking circus, not his. He didn’t need to see another parade of hopeful singles trying to impress each other with awkward icebreakers and questionable cocktail choices. He certainly didn’t need to watch Ava in her element, dazzling everyone with that magnetic mix of charisma and confidence that somehow always left him feeling both impressed and completely out of his depth.