8
“Ibelieve you’ll find a familiar face waiting for you,” Luka said as he led me through the campus grounds.
I was gaining my footing when it came to memorizing where everything was, but I didn’t think I had been in this building before. Even though it was similar to some of the other buildings, I felt as though I would never get used to these halls and their stately decor.
There was something nice about the VIP Lit Club offices being so unique from everywhere else that I’d seen so far. It was like a nice bubble from the outside world sometimes, where all I had to think about was writing my words down and making sure they resonated.
“What kind of familiar face?” I asked him. “Don’t tell me one of the other two guys are on this committee, too. Do you three ever sleep?”
“Don’t you worry about me,” Luka said. “I sleep like a baby.”
I bet he did, that beautiful face no doubt resting on a pillow so fine it felt like a cloud. Though every time I looked in his direction, I wanted to do more than sleep when it came to thoughts of his bed.
“Here we a—”
The door flew open just as Luka reached out to open it for me.
“Aubrey?” Tiffany said as she pulled open the doors. A huge smile broke out over her face as she grabbed me in a huge hug. “I’m so happy you were the one Luka picked.”
“Was I in some sort of betting pool?” I asked, though it was muffled by the fabric of her blouse.
“Nothing like that.” Tiffany released me and grinned from ear to ear. “We knew we needed one more person, and Luka told me he’d take care of it.”
"Anything I can do to help,” Luka said. “The importance of this event cannot be overstated. I serve at your pleasure, Madam President.”
“Madam President?” I asked, flicking my eyes to Tiffany.
“I’m the president of the gala committee,” she explained.
“I had no idea you had a flair for event planning,” I said.
“My mom is thinking about jumping into the Presidential race, so there’s a real possibility I might end up being the First Daughter.” Her smile turned rueful. “With no official First Lady, a lot of the duties might fall to me, so I better get some experience.”
“That’s amazing news,” I said, even though a part of me was taken aback that I could be good friends with someone who might live in the White House.
“But I also don’t want that to be all I do,” she said. “I have a life, and I have my own dreams.”
“Don’t we all,” Luka said.
There was a note of melancholy in the statement. It uncharacteristic of him. I eyed Luka, but Tiffany continued speaking.
“I’ve always helped my mom with her political rallies and fundraising dinners and she’s done this well so far,” she said.
“Do you enjoy it, though?” I asked.
She nodded. “I’m good at it, I enjoy it, and now I just need more experience so that I don’t have a resume loaded with only recommendations from my mother. I want to make it on my terms.”
“I hate to interrupt,” Luka began. “But I believe everyone has gathered, and we can begin.”
“Fantastic,” Tiffany said, turning around on her heels and striding into the conference room. “Follow me!”
* * *
The planning meeting ran smoothly. It was a joy to watch Tiffany in her element. Not that I didn’t love listening to her go on and on about the things she wanted to see in my books, but it was nice to see a side of her I hadn’t seen before. She commanded the room elegantly, but without losing her personality, listening to her fellow committee members and taking their feelings and thoughts into account.
But I couldn’t focus entirely on the meeting, or on Tiffany.
Two of the members at the far end of the table had been whispering about me. I knew it was about me; they kept looking my way with pointed fingers. They either believed they were subtle, or they didn’t care whether or not I saw them do it.
