“Thank you, Doctor. Have a good evening.”
I hung up the phone and released the hold on my emotions, allowing the floodgates to open. On one hand, it was a relief to finally have a diagnosis and to know that I wasn’t simply a “hysterical woman.” On the other, I was left with questions that even Dr. Bonafonte probably couldn’t answer.
For as long as I could remember, I had wanted two things: to be a teacher and to be a mother. While the first dream was finally a reality, it seemed now like the latter might only ever be a dream. Infertility was one of the most common complications of PCOS, and there was no real way to know if my body could ever get pregnant, much less carry to term.
I thought about all the years of being so careful with taking my birth control at the same time every day and snorted through my tears. The irony of trying so hard not to get accidentally pregnant, only to find out that that was probably never a possibility anyway, sent me into hysterical laughter. If anyone had walked in right then, they wouldhave certainly been more than a bit concerned to find me with tears and snot rolling down my face as I hiccupped a strange combination of laughter and sobs.
Shadow emerged from my bedroom and hopped up beside me, letting me cry into his fur. I finally calmed down and thought about calling Dash but found I didn’t have the energy to talk about it. Instead, I quietly organized the materials for tomorrow’s event into a tote, closed it up, and climbed into bed. I expected to be awake for hours, thoughts racing, but emotional exhaustion overtook me and I was asleep within minutes.
“Adelaide, I’ve got two more silent auction items to display, but the tables are getting full. Do you want me to squeeze them in? Or do we have an extra table we can use?” my colleague Liam asked. He was one of our third-year teachers and one of my favorite volunteers.
I turned from where I was conferring with the caterer and quickly took in the silent auction display. “Let’s pull over one of the bistro tables. We can move a couple of the smaller items there and set it up between the two longer tables so it doesn’t get missed.” Liam flashed me a thumbs up and set off to finish the setup.
I glanced at the time on my phone. We had just under thirty minutes until guests would start arriving. “Liam, I’m going to go get changed. Are you good here?” He nodded and made a shoo-ing motion over his shoulder. I laughed. “Make sure you take a few minutes to rest and regroup before everyone arrives, too. You deserve it!” I called to him as I grabbed my bag and hurried off to the restroom.
Fifteen minutes later, my makeup was done and I wasdressed in a flowing pink chiffon dress that I had rented from one of those online stores. After the first gala, I had decided that instead of buying new dresses every year just for them to be worn once and then sit in my closet, I would rent one and save the money. I really loved this year’s dress, though, and wished I had a reason to keep it. The bodice gave me the hourglass figure I had always dreamed of having, while the color made my eyes pop and accentuated the golden highlights in my hair.
I slipped on my thrifted cream Louis Vuitton stilettos. I could barely believe it when I saw them on the shelf at my favorite secondhand store. The owner knew my love of shoes and had called and told me to hurry in. I snatched them up at lightning speed, grateful to whoever had donated them for either not understanding their beauty or for deciding to pass them along for a new life.
I stowed my bag in my classroom and headed back toward the entrance where guests were starting to arrive.
As I walked down the corridor, I was met with frenzied whispering.
“Is that the royal caravan?” someone asked.
“That’s the royal flag on the front of that car. Did you know the royal family was coming?” their companion replied.
And here we go.
For security purposes, we had kept the king and queen’s RSVPs under wraps, with only myself and a handful of the administrators aware that they were coming. If any of our volunteers had wondered about the increased security personnel during setup today, they had kept their questions to themselves.
I made eye contact with our headteacher at the entrance, who confirmed with a nod that she had thingsunder control, and slipped out into the courtyard, hoping to make myself scarce in case Oliver did indeed decide to come.
I made a mental note to scold Dad later for being a busybody, then crossed it out. My parents had no idea about my history with Oliver; Dad was just trying to do something nice.
But still…ugh.
I took in the courtyard and smiled, proud of the transformation. Round tables topped with cream linens were arranged around the space, with centerpieces featuring sprigs of Wexstone’s signature pine placed in the center of each one. The silent auction was set up at one end of the yard, while the caterers had arranged a stunning display of hors d’oeuvres at the other. A handful of heaters were spaced along the stone walls, ensuring that everyone remained comfortable even as the temperature dipped later in the evening.
Twinkle lights were strung over our heads, but the true pièce de résistance was a stunning antique chandelier I had found last spring at a reuse store. I spent a chunk of my summer holiday restoring it, and the head of maintenance had managed to hang it in the center of the courtyard where it was now lit with flickering LED candles. I smiled to myself as I heard a group of guests admiring the effect.
I moved to the silent auction tables and pretended to rearrange one of the items simply to give my hands something to do.
“How does everything look?” Liam asked from my right.
I turned to him and placed a hand on his arm, smiling warmly. “It’s great. I think this will be the best year yet. Thank you so much for your help.”
Liam’s eyes widened as he looked over my shoulder. “Oh my God. Adelaide, you’ll never believe who just walked in.”
I turned as King Leroy and Queen Isobel stepped into the courtyard, everyone bowing and curtsying as they passed. The breathwhooshedfrom my lungs as I spotted Oliver just a few paces behind them.
He was, unfortunately for me, as handsome as ever. The black tailored tux fit around his muscles in the most infuriatingly perfect way. In the seven and a half years since we had been together, he had gained muscle in places that before had only been toned. His black pants hugged his rear and my core tensed. Why did he have such a nice ass?
I took a deep breath and plastered on a smile.Just go greet them and then you can hide.
I approached the king and queen, dipping into a low curtsy. “Your Majesties,” I greeted, “thank you so much for attending our fundraiser tonight. It is an honor to have you here.”
Queen Isobel took my hands in hers as I straightened, and she placed a soft kiss on one of my cheeks. “Adelaide, darling, it is so wonderful to see you again. We were so pleased when Nixon extended the invitation. Congratulations, dear; the space looks amazing.”
