“At leastI’llbe having fun tonight.” Tristan chuckles and walks away, headed for his one-night stand.
I shake my head. “I thought he’d never leave.”
“You sure you don’t want me to play wingman for you tonight?” Jack asks.
I lean back in my seat. “I’m content as is. How about you?”
“Same. I’ll be busy enough in Charleston. The last thing I need is to get involved with anyone, even for one night.” Jack gestures to Sophie, who always serves on this floor, calling her over.
“Hello, gentleman. What can I get you?” she asks.
“Whiskey on the rocks. You know my brand,” I tell her.
“Bourbon,” Jack says.
She smiles. “Be right back.”
Ordering alcohol has me thinking back to Rainey and the specialty drinks Mak made for her. “So you know I met with Rainey about specialty drinks for the anniversary, right?”
Jack nods. “How’d it go?”
“Mak nailed three unique blends in one shot. Pun intended.” I chuckle at my lame joke. “But your sister loved her creations. She also enjoyed the presentation.” And I enjoyed the lunch we grabbed and the time we spent together afterward.
Her hair blew around her face from the breeze off the ocean, and I loved how she ate without caring what I thought. Her attitude was refreshing and only made me like her more.
“Perfect. Sorry to pass off the job on you, but Rainey’s easy enough to work with,” Jack says. “You’ll have no problems.”
Oh, I have problems, I think to myself. Problems keeping my hands to myself.
The issue would be the phone call I received from Rainey earlier today. She needs me to handle the exhibit at the museum and gave me the rundown of all I needed to know. The man in charge of the museum’s role in the exhibit is her ex, Adam Roberts. Though she didn’t tell me outright, I get the feeling she’s afraid of him on some level. And she begged me not to tell anyone in her family, including Jack.
Which means I feel like I’m betraying my friend on two different levels.
***
Monday evening, theclub is closed and I’m alone with Rainey at her office. Her company is in charge of the upcoming FosterFundraiser Charity Gala coming up soon, and her partner is running point, so Kaylee is busy tonight with the client. Rainey’s family always attends, as does mine. Foster kids are important to the Dares and to the Carras family for similar reasons. Madison and Alex Dare fostered many children over the years, adopting the ones who didn’t end up going home. Like me.
Rainey’s receptionist is gone for the day. We’ve ordered Chinese food and are waiting for the delivery to arrive so we can eat while we talk.
We sit beside each other at the same table we shared the first time I came here, discussing the opening anniversary party for the team family, as she calls the invitees. Through the windows lining the wall, the sun begins to lower on the horizon, but the overheads give us plenty of light.
We’ve already talked about the hors d’oeuvres. Since, by law, Midnight has to serve food, we agreed to have the dinner part of the night catered by a company of Rainey’s choice. Weather permitting, we’d serve food on the rooftop, using chafing dishes while hors d’oeuvres are passed around by servers. If it rains, we’ll move the food inside to the lower level.
“I thought we’d hang tapestries of the current first-string players around the main room,” Rainey says. “Will that work for you?”
I realize I’ve been lost in thought, but I heard what she said. “That’s fine.”
She glances up at the lights, her brow crinkled in thought. “What if we change the white string lights on the rooftop bar to the team colors?”
“We can do the lights on the roof in black and gold,” I say at the same time she offers up the same idea.
The tinkling sound of her laughter echoes in the empty space. “We can check that off the list,” she says with a cheeky smile.“Apparently, we’re in agreement. Kaylee and I call it mind-melding.”
I like that we’re on the same page with things, both vibing well. It’s a pleasure planning with her, discovering how her mind works and how good she is at her job.
“Is it always like this when you meet with clients?” I ask. “Because this has been amazingly easy compared to some of the people I’ve dealt with who rented out the rooftop for a party.” Some human beings can be a royal pain in the ass.
“Well, most people aren’t as fun and easy to be around as you are.”
