Poppy had never been so embarrassed in her life. She felt like a little kid who had just been sent to the principal's office for being naughty.
With her head down, Poppy mumbled thanks to Bennett for the dance and quickly scurried off the dance floor and back to the front door. That was where she stayed for the rest of the party. Most of the guests were gone by midnight. The catering staff had already cleaned up food and were loading their vans when Mrs. Blaibe reappeared.
"Poppy, if you can, we still need to pack all of the gifts we received tonight in Mr. Carrington's vehicle. Are you still good to help us with that?"
Nodding yes, Poppy asked, "Can I run upstairs and grab my tennis shoes? My feet are killing me."
Mrs. Blaine gave Poppy her first genuine smile of the night. Chuckling, she said, "Of course. Go now and be back in five. I will have you some help."
As Poppy hobbled back to their apartment, she thought perhaps the party lady was not so scary after all.
Poppy quickly changed her shoes. Her feet rejoiced as she mourned the extra height the heels had given her. Racing back to the sleigh, Poppy realized she had forgotten her jacket. Not wanting to upset the caterer, Poppy decided she could brave the cold and get through it.
When she got to the front of the house, Bennett's red Jeep was parked in front of the sleigh. He had already put down all his seats and was loading his car with the bikes and larger toys first.
Poppy had been so busy inside she had not had a chance to see how many toys had been donated. It was actually shocking. Several hundred toys had been collected.
Turning to Bennett as he finished putting a bike in the back, Poppy asked, "What should I do first?"
"I'd start by putting on a coat. Aren't you freezing?"
"Not yet. I forgot it and did not want Mrs. Blaine to be mad if I took too long getting back."
Shaking his head, Bennett immediately removed his coat jacket and handed it to her.
"No, I can't," replied Poppy, shaking her head.
"You will freeze otherwise. Put it on. We have a ton of toys to load before they come for the sleigh. The guy should be here any minute. They don't like to leave it out if rain is in the forecast."
Poppy knew that rain was predicted to begin around 6:00 the next morning. Seeing she had no other option, she put on his jacket that hung on her like a curtain. But it was warm, and it smelled like him and his sheets. For the next half hour, they worked together,loading the toys. They had just finished when the sleigh folks showed up.
To Poppy, it was crazy. It was the middle of the night, but when rich people wanted something, money spoke. It was after one in the morning, but you would have thought it was one in the afternoon for all the people cleaning up and running in and out of the house. Poppy knew the next day would be more of the same as they broke down the tent, dance floor, and tables. She was not looking forward to that and was so tired that she wanted to lie down and sleep.
She was just about to return Bennett his jacket when he asked, "I need to run these toys over to a warehouse where they are going to sort them beginning early in the morning. Any chance you would want to come and help me?"
It was as if someone had reignited her; Poppy was suddenly wide awake and full of energy at the thought of getting in Bennett's Jeep and going anywhere with him. Turning to the caterer, standing on the front steps looking like a movie director directing a complex movie, Poppy called out, "Mrs. Blaine, will you tell Gran that I am going to help deliver the toys and will be back shortly." The caterer gave her a look that said she did not think that was a great idea. But to her credit, she said nothing. Just nodded and gave Poppy a thumbs-up.
Once they were in the car, Poppy asked, "Now, where exactly are we going?" She was so excited she could feel every nerve ending in her body. She felt like she was buzzing.
Turning to look at her as he drove, Bennett said, "My dad owns the warehouse where the toys are stored. Tomorrow, a group of community volunteers will come to organize the toys and distribute them. As late as it is, I would much rather bring the toys over now than have to get up at the crack of dawn and do it. I appreciate your help. It will make it go so much quicker."
Poppy just nodded. She had no idea what to say. She had never been in a car with a boy. And Bennett was so much more than a boy. He was a man. A man she could not stop picturing naked. After all, she had drawn him enough to be able to do it very accurately.
Trying to make conversation, Bennett asked, "Why so quiet? What are you thinking about so deeply over there? I can almost see the wheels in your head spinning."
She wondered what he would say if she told him the truth about what she was thinking. She'd bet he would be the one shocked and left speechless. Turning to him and giving her a sweet smile, she said, "I think it is really great your family does this toy drive for the kids. I was shocked at how many toys were collected. I can't believe you got them all in the car."
Laughing, Bennett replied, "Years of practice. If you get the big items loaded first, you can fit most of the smaller items around them. Just know that my dad gets a lot of political mileage from that party. It is not all for charity."
"What do you mean?" asked Poppy.
"You may not know this, but I will graduate from law school in May. My dad is already laying the groundwork for my future political career."
"You want to go into politics?"
"I want to make a difference in the world. My parents have been grooming me for it my whole life. Did you know I spent part of my junior year in DC as a page? I only came home when it was time to start baseball. The only thing I love more than politics is baseball. I was a good player, but not great."
"What position did you play?" asked Poppy.
