The venue is as gorgeous as it always is.
The decorations range in shades of deep green and gold, and the Christmas tree is in the corner, right next to the band that’s playing some soft music while the guests are arriving. Mom and Dad are at thebottom of the stairs, greeting everyone with warm smiles.
Their outfits match in the smallest details. Mom’s jewelry is all sapphire, and Dad’s cufflinks are sapphires, too. It’s such a cute look to them, and even from a mile away, I can tell just how much they love each other.
Sawyer’s a little bit behind them, chatting with a couple of young men his age. Avalon grabs my wrist, glancing around in awe. The chandeliers on the ceiling cost more than I’d like to admit.
“Wow,” she breathes out. “This is absolutely stunning.”
“I know,” I smile. “Let’s go find Grace. Lila should be somewhere near, too.”
“Are you going to talk to her about the… thing?”
I shake my head as we descend the stairs. “Not tonight. Let’s enjoy this, and I’ll have a sleepover with both of them tomorrow night. So, we’ll see how it goes. Grace will be able to tell if Lila’s lying.”
Avalon lifts a brow. “You’re putting a lot of trust in her ability to spot a liar.”
“That’s because she hasn’t been wrong even once. I trust her judgment and value her opinion a lot, even though she’s the way she is.”
“What, a little reckless and rebellious?”
“I was going to say insane,” I laugh. “But those two works, too.”
The venue is extremely big, with a lot of round tables, an open bar, and a lot of space for dancing. Even the staff is dressed to perfection, and their professionalism is why I’ll let my mother choose the staff for my events, too. She has such a keen eye for good, hard-working people, and she’s very generous with her payments, too.
“Let’s go to the bar, I need a drink for courage.”
Avalon’s still holding my wrist, dragging me behind her. I stopby every now and then to chat with people, smiling widely and being as polite as possible. No matter how much I love these events, networking and socializing do drain me quite a lot if I overdo it.
“What do you need courage for?” I ask, taking a seat at the bar. Avalon follows suit, and we both order a glass of martini. It’s in front of us in record time, and when she finally takes a bigger sip of the drink, her shoulders finally relax.
“Well, this,” she motions to the entire venue with her palm. “I really do feel like I stick out like a sore thumb.”
“Don’t be silly. You’re with me.”
She rolls her eyes. “Well, yes, that’s the only way I am actually able to get in.”
“Yes, because it’s a private event, of course, you’d need an invitation. But most of these people aren’t like those wealthy geezers from movies. No one will throw a drink over your head just for existing. They have more class than that.”
Avalon chuckles, then starts glancing around, sipping lightly on the martini. She has a soft smile on her face, her posture straight and proper, and she seems to be slowly easing into the situation. She can deny it all she wants, but free food and drinks? Who in their right mind would say no to that?
I flick my eyes to the wall where a big, round clock is. It’s past seven in the evening, and almost everyone’s here. There are a handful of families yet to arrive, and the one I’m most worried about is the Ford family.
“You’re looking for him,” Avalon lowers her voice.
“No,” I scoff, taking a mouthful of the martini. “But he’s not here yet. Why isn’t he here yet?”
Avalon frowns. “Why would you care? If the goal is to avoid him, wouldn’t it be better to just not see him at all?”
“Given the history between us, I feel better having him within eye sight.”
“Or you can always just spike his drink and tattoo him again if you think he’ll attempt something.”
Unfortunately, Avalon doesn’t lower her voice enough, and a couple of heads snap in our direction, giving me a curious glance. I laugh it off, then glare at her, keeping my mouth shut for a moment, until people eventually go back to what they were doing.
“Hush,” I hiss. “If I wanted that to be widely known, I would’ve spread the word myself.”
“Sorry,” she smiles sheepishly, ordering us another round of the drinks.
