Mmm. Maybe they would let me steal a few things off their plates. The sausage had been wonderful.
Cole sat down next to me on the floor and Brent sat down next to him, and they used the coffee table as I had, reminding me of an adult sitting in a kindergartners chair. They shiftedaround, trying to get comfortable, their large frames hunched over the short table for optimal snarfage. I crisscrossed my legs, so they could have more legroom.
I leaned in close to Cole and snuck the largest sausage off his plate, while whispering in his ear, “I think everyone’s sick. It’s made them awful cranky this morning.” A thought occurred. “We ate the same dinner as them last night, so it can’t be food poisoning.”
When he peered up and around at them, I stuffed the sausage in my mouth.
Zane’s voice whispered from right behind me, “For someone who’s so damned insightful, you’re sure missing the mark on this one.”
I jumped and almost choked on my sausage. He had leaned down close and eavesdropped on what I had said. I scowled at him as I chewed my mouthful, my cheeks all puffed out; it probably made me look like a redheaded chipmunk.
His red rimmed eyes and slightly pale face studied mine.
Cole slid an arm around my waist and jerked me closer to him, farther away from Zane, and again, I nearly choked on my pilfered contraband.
Zane’s eyes moved to Cole’s, and he muttered, “You should have taken a break at some point during your…festivities…last night and fed her. If you had, she wouldn’t be stealing your food, and we all might have gotten some damned sleep.”
My eyes bulged, and I gulped, swallowing my large mouthful.
Oh.
My face flamed.
“Earplugs,” Bas mumbled like he was in a daze, staring off into nothing. “I’ll buy us some earplugs.”
Brent, Cole, and I sat silent as we viewed the heated, exhausted stares flaying us.
Ally griped, dropping her head back on her chair, eyes closed. “I know Brent and Ember can be damn vocal.” Opening one eye, she still managed to stare daggers at Cole. “But, you too, Cole?”
“Maybe they have industrial ones at the airport,” Bas whispered, still talking to himself.
Chloe started snoring, her head resting against Peter’s shoulder.
Ally continued, ignoring everyone else, raising a tired hand in Stash’s direction before letting it fall back down. “And there’s something wrong with him. He hasn’t spoken a word all morning.”
The three of us turned our gazes on Stash, who was sitting there pale and kind of wide-eyed – much like he had looked last night – with a mouth that hung slightly open.
Huh.
Brent cleared his throat and scratched his chest. “We weren’t that loud.”
A resounding ring of curses flew at us.
Tough crowd.
***
I wasdressed in my finest, a newly bought black dress, that felt more like a slip, and black stilettos. I had made a purchase from one of the stores in the lobby for the party Mr. Fresby was throwing. I wasn’t going to slip over to the “other side” and wear a cocktail dress or a pencil suit, but I had managed to find an outfit suitable for my tastes and corporate America. Although, I wished we had stopped at the bathroom so I could have brushed my hair with the pilfered brush I had “borrowed” from Cole’s stash of goods when I had noticed that it was drizzling outside and my hair was surely messed up. Other than that I was pretty sure I looked fine and would fit in decently.
The crew was still grumpy and hacked from lack of sleep, but I was in fine spirits. As were Cole and Brent. They stood on either side of me as we entered the ballroom Mr. Fresby had rented for Sensations’ anniversary at the Station Expo Center. The room was large and tastefully decorated in gold and silver. There was a band playing at the end of the room were a few couples were already waltzing on the dance floor. Enormous crystal chandeliers hung overhead and a gold, decorative molding rimmed the ceiling, matching the expensive tablecloths lying over round table and the chairs in front of us. The waiters were wearing those same festive colors, so I was content knowing that I wouldn’t be mistaken for one tonight.
Ally and Sam – she had finally joined us - stood to the left of us. Zane and Stash led our group, leaving Bas, Peter, and Chloe to our right. Cole’s hand rested on the small of my back and Brent was holding my hand. All was peaceful in my world right now – as long as I didn’t think about the choice they expected me to make at some point. I currently tried to keep those thoughts elsewhere and just enjoy the evening.
Mr. Fresby noticed our crew and broke away from his circling entourage, strutting over to us in a spiffy, black tux. It looked much like the ones the men in my group were wearing. He smiled when he saw me and I had to smile back. The man just had that affect when he deigned to bless you with friendly warmth. His deceased wife had been a very lucky woman.
He greeted everyone kindly, not even looking surprised when Ally introduced Sam as her date. It appeared that he had also done some checking on Ally. The man did his homework, that’s for sure. He stood back for a moment and his forehead crinkled, taking us all in.
“Are you all coming down with a cold?” he questioned with honest concern.
