CHARLOTTE
The Voodoo “Stick with Kids” Gala is the kind of event I could run in my sleep.
Elegant venue? Check.
The Riverside Manor ballroom is dripping in crystal chandeliers, with floor-to-ceiling windows that show off the Mississippi River like part of the décor.
Impeccable catering? Check.
The shrimp remoulade is perfection, and the vegetarian option is actually vegetarian, not a sad pile of wilted lettuce pretending to be a meal.
Well-dressed attendees mingling with the right amount of enthusiasm for providing underprivileged kids with hockey gear?
Check and bless their good hearts.
I’m in my element.
Or, I should be.
But honestly, it’s strange being on the “civilian” side of an event like this. I can’t remember the last time I attended a high-profile ball or gala without a headset and clipboard. I’m usually running the show or too tired to get dressed up and socialize.
The last few times I was invited to attend a society function, I made a donation and pretended to have a scheduling conflict.
I’m turning into a homebody in my old age…
I would certainly rather be “home” with Nix than watching him work the room, that’s for sure. After a week apart, I selfishly—stupidly—want him all to myself.
I really have to stop falling for this man, but he makes it so damned hard. Thank God he had to go on the road for nearly a week after our night at the pizza parlor, or I’m pretty sure the “sex isn’t on the table until after Teddy’s wedding” clause would have been ripped to pieces and scattered on the floor.
And we’d probably have banged on top of it…
“Your man is such a sweetheart,” a silky voice murmurs beside me.
I turn to see Frederica, one of the “Makena approved” WAGs she introduced me to earlier, before she and Parker headed home to “catch up on housework,” aka “bone all night.” In an emerald dress that makes her golden skin glow, Frederica is as gorgeous as she is warm and approachable.
She beams as she adds, “He just went out of his way to introduce Dean to the commercial agent he’s been circling for months.”
“Oh, good. I’m so happy to hear that. He really is a great guy.” Heis. Too good. I really should have found someone more obnoxious to fake it with.
It’s going to be hard to say goodbye in a few weeks. Or even a couple months.
All the more reason not to get in any deeper once our deal is done.
But there’s no reason to think about that now. I’ve had enough stress the past few days, dealing with fussy indie musicians for the film festival gala, and as my grandmother always says, “sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”
I smile, leaning back against the now-empty auction table beside Frederica as I ask, “How about you? Having a good time?”
She laughs and gives a little roll of her eyes. “Sure. I mean, I’m not going to complain about a night out with free gourmet food and champagne, but…” She trails off with a shrug of one bare shoulder. “It’s hard when they’re away for the longer trips. The girls miss Dean so much. They’re still too little to understand why Daddy has to go away.”
I furrow my brow sympathetically. “That sounds hard. And hard managing two toddlers on your own, too, I bet. How old are your girls again?”
A smile splits her face. “Two and three. Irish twins, because youcanget pregnant while breastfeeding. Just FYI. The TikTok moms told me otherwise, but… Well, I sure did prove them wrong.”
I laugh. “Good to know. I never trust social media. Not since the time that yoga woman with the perfect skin tricked me into ordering salmon sperm lotion.”
“Oh my God, me too!” Frederica gasps, reaching out to give my arm a quick squeeze. “By the time I realized the molecules were too big to penetrate the skin barrier, I was out two hundred dollars, plus shipping from Korea. Dean was so pissed. I had to promise not to whip my credit card out while doomscrolling for at least a month. But at least it was good for a laugh. He teased me about having fishy sperm face for weeks.” She pauses, lowering her voice before she adds, “Speaking of a good laugh, I loved the way you handled the beer thing. That shirt was perfection. And what a way to launch a personal account!”
I grin. “Thanks.”
