Me:Hell yeah. I could use the break. It’s been a tough week.
Ryan:You’ll have to tell me all about it tonight. 9:00 ok?
Me:Sounds good. Is it ok to bring Jeremy?
Ryan:Of course. Isaiah will probably fanboy all over him. He was practically vibrating after you two left the other day.
Me:LOL. I’ll warn Jeremy. See you later.
After I put down my phone, it occurred to me that I should probably ask Jeremy if he even wanted to go. I mean, it was a piano bar. I remember Greg being a decent piano player, but there was decent, there was good, and then there was Jeremy Fitzgerald. A knock on my office door interrupted my thoughts. “Come in.”
Jeremy poked his head in and asked, “Do you have a few minutes to talk?”
I pushed my chair away from my desk and closed the lid of my laptop. “Sure.” I studied his face as I motioned for him to sit in the chair in front of my desk. He didn’t look upset or sad. In fact, he looked kind of excited. “What’s up?”
Jeremy leaned forward in his chair. He was definitely excited about something. “You know I went to see the shelter today with Caitlin?”
I nodded. “Yeah. What did you think?”
“I was impressed by how much they do besides offering shelter for homeless families. Mentoring programs, case management, paying for school—it’s a fantastic program.”
I nodded my head in agreement. “Liam and I have been volunteering with them for a few years now.”
Jeremy shifted in his seat, looking a little nervous. “I know. Caitlin told me.” He paused and took a breath. “So, I have this idea I want to run by you.”
I was seriously curious about what was making him so nervous. “Okay, lay it on me.”
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I want to have a fundraiser for the shelter. Here.”
It took me a second to process what he said. “Here? As in the hotel? When?”
He pulled on his lower lip with his teeth, and I wanted to run my thumb over it to rescue it. “Yes, and next week.”
“Next week.” I stared at him in stunned silence for a long moment. Probably too long because the color rose to his cheeks and he looked embarrassed. He looked away from me. “I guess that’s not…”
I held up my hand to stop him. “Hold on. I’m not saying no. I was just surprised. But I’m willing to listen. From what I’ve seen of you, when you get an idea, you come up with a plan—so what’s the plan?”
Jeremy’s body relaxed, and he smiled. God, he was gorgeous. He spoke all in a rush. “I want to host a concert with an exclusive guest list in your restaurant, and I think next Thursday would be the perfect day to have it.”
“That’s the day before Memorial Day weekend starts.”
“That’s what makes it perfect,” he said enthusiastically. “You’re having problems with reservations. You could offer the guests a discounted rate if they booked the whole weekend. I know it’s short notice,” he said, “But I believe we can get it done and kill two birds—well, three actually—with one stone.”
I tilted my head slightly. “What’s the third bird?”
A cute little furrow appeared between his brows. “What?”
“You said you would kill three birds with one stone. Raising money for Family Promise is one. Helping Moonlight is two. What’s the third bird?”
“Oh.” His Adam’s apple bobbed when he swallowed hard, and I wanted to lick it. “That would be me.”
“How so?” I asked.
“Evan’s wedding is less than a month away. I need to be able to play in front of more than a handful of people.” He folded his hands together in his lap. His eyes were downcast, and he looked lost for a moment. Then he raised his eyes and met my gaze. “I’ve been doing really well since I got here. Far better than I ever imagined. I don’t know if it’s this place or just timing or…you, but I have to keep the momentum going.” His eyes glistened a bit. “I miss it, Sean. I miss playing for an audience. I didn’t realize how much until that night when the bartender opened the doors to the dining room.”
Right there, right then, I wanted to fix everything for him. I wanted to give him everything he needed. Only the businessman in me kept me from leaping up and doing what he asked without thinking. “Okay,” I began, “Suppose I agree to this. Who’s going to put it together? Neither Caitlin nor I will have the time.”
Jeremy nodded in agreement. “I figured that. I have someone I’ve worked with before on other fundraisers. I’m fairly certain I can get her to help with this. She’ll have it all planned and the invitations out by tomorrow morning.”
