For Auld Lang Syne (Navy Book 1)

Chapter 1

Devon Tatum kept the smile pasted on her face as she raised a glass to the happy couple. Just one more hour and she could make her escape. She watched Hal Reilly as he kissed her sister dramatically after the announcement of their engagement.

Devon dutifully took a sip of champagne, allowing the bubbles to mask the cloying scent of the overdressed ladies and their aromatic perfumes. The large main hall of the house had never seen so many people, and that was due to the groom-to-be's famous parents. Hal was tall dark and handsome, and his parents were Hollywood royalty with a handful of Oscars between them. Glancing over at her parents, she noticed the famous Ford Reilly and Annabell Paxton standing in a corner with Pamela and Alex Tatum and they were all smiles. Behind them were Jenny and James McIntire, who had been the Tatum's best friends for over twenty-five years.

Devon's gaze moved from the bright colored crowd back to her sister Bree, who looked like a little china doll next to Hal's large frame. Bree's blond hair, blue eyes, and petite stature always made people assume that she was as sweet as she looked, making most people automatically feel the urge to protect her. But Devon knew the real Bree. She loved her sister and she would never speak publicly against her, but Devon knew her to be a little bit of devious with a lot of conceit, enough to make her dangerous, which is how she had landed Hal.

Luckily, or unluckily depending on how you looked at it, Hal hadn't figured it out yet.

"That's it, just a little bit longer then you can get rid of that horrible excuse of a smile." Devon heard the deep soft voice in her ear and felt his warm breath on her bare shoulder. She didn't have to turn around to know it was Josh McIntire, everything about him was her sixth sense.

She didn't want to turn and see him. It had been ten years, and she wondered if he would live up to her memories of him. She kept the fake smile in place, wondering if now, like when they had both been younger, she had an ally.

Taking a deep breath, she turned and looked at him. Lord help her he was even better than she remembered. Looking away quickly, before her glance turned into a stare, she said the first thing that popped into her head. "And your smile looks super realistic."

Someone pushed in behind them, sending them forward and he grabbed her arm as he steadied them both.

Feeling her heartbeat jump erratically at his touch, she took a sip of the champagne. "When did you get here?"

"Just in time for the announcement. Is she really going to go through with it?" He was still talking softly in her ear. She may not have seen Josh for ten years, but it would seem that he had been kept up-to-date on Bree, at least enough to be able to comment on the subject of her past boyfriends. Devon would bet he didn't know a thing about what she had been up to for the past ten years.

"Who knows, his parents are famous so that's something, and he did manage to get a ring on her finger, that's more than any other man has been able to do." Devon didn't have to worry about hiding her true feelings from Josh in regards to her sister. She didn't think he knew just how bad it had been between them, but if anyone could guess at it, it would be him. Josh had picked up her bruised ego more than once after Bree had finished beating it thoroughly.

"Let's get out of here. Your parents are putting me up in the guest house, you?" he asked.

"I'm there too, I think your parents wanted to be close to all of the action so they're here, in the house, but I promised myself another hour just to keep the peace." She took another long sip of champagne as the couple descended the stairs and made straight for them. "Incoming." Devon moved to step aside but Josh grabbed her arm, keeping her close to his side.