KAT: You know Tom?
BAILEY: Well, I don’t but my cousin Ella in Blackstone Falls does. She recognized his name right away.
BAILEY: He helped her fiancé with something a while back—he gets my stamp of approval
KAT: Wow, what a small world.
BAILEY: The smallest
BAILEY: Don’t think you’re getting off the hook—you ghosted me for an entire week, Kat—I was worried sick
BAILEY: So was Colt
KAT: I know and I will. I just can’t yet.
KAT: You talked to my brother?
BAILEY: When I couldn’t find you and some random guy I’ve never heard of messaged me to say you were fine but unavailable? Yeah, I texted your brother
KAT: Huh…I didn’t know you had his number
BAILEY: Girlfriend, it was either that or send out a search party
KAT: Well can you tell him I’m okay and I’ll talk to him after the gala? I don’t have the energy for him right now.
BAILEY: I will but I’m not making any promises he won’t still call
KAT: He can leave a voicemail
BAILEY: Yeah I’m sure that will go over well…
I chuckleas Tom comes back into the kitchen and drops an armful of stuff on the table.
“Everything okay?” he asks, putting everything into neat piles as he looks at me over his shoulder.
“Bailey was going to send out a search party.”
“Royce said he contacted her.”
“She didn’t believe him, thought it might have been a hoax.”
His lips twitch as he shakes his head and returns to whatever is in front of him, but my heart is a little lighter at the thought of Bailey kicking in doors to find me. I guess it’s not always the hero that will go to the end of the earth for the heroine.
Sometimes it’s her friends too.
“Well, I hope she never meets Emerson because she was pissed no one told her either.” He cringes and I can only imagine the earful she gave everyone for that oversight.
“I’ll text her now.”
“She made you guys appointments for tomorrow.”
“She did?” I ask, surprised and confused because as far as I know, she has no connection to the Chicago Children’s Outreach program.
“She’s Emerson Andrews,” he says as if that answers everything. “She made a donation and they graciously offered her seats at a table.” Smirking, he adds, “She’s also bringing Jace as her date so I can have him mingling instead of on the periphery.”
“I’m going to have to hunt through my closet for a dress,” I announce, my shoulders slumping because things had been so different the day the award was announced.
Maybe Emerson has something that could fit me.
