“Where’s Isaacs?” I search the room. “This evening can’t end soon enough. We need to make contact then leave.”
“We can’t just leave—there’s an auction.”
“Are you kidding me? I already gave them half a million dollars. I’m not buying anything, and I’m not staying if Isaacs isn’t here.”
“Don’t worry—he’ll show up.” Mandy is annoyingly chipper.
“I haven’t seen him. You said he was going to be here and he’s not,” I spit, disgusted at the waste of time and money. “The evening is shot. I can already tell.”
“You need to manifest.” Mandy jabs a finger in my side.
I slap her hand away.
“I what?”
Mandy leans in to whisper to me. “You need to think positive and visualize the outcome you want.”
I catch a whiff of her hair—inexplicably, it smells like cookies.
“You need a drink and a snack,” she says. “You’re cranky. I should have fed you before we left the house.”
“I’m a grown man,” I snarl at her as she makes her way to the back of the ballroom where there’s a spread of refreshments. “I don’t need you to feed me.”
“Oh look! There’s mini pretzel dogs that look like little dachshunds.” She picks one off the platter and holds it upin the palm of her hand. “It’s so adorable. Look, it even has a little tail!”
“It’s not—”
She stuffs the appetizer in my mouth.
“How is it? Is there garlic in it? Pepper needs a pick-me-up.”
I chew, hating that she was right. I am actually hungry. “I think so.”
“Sorry, Pepper.” Mandy strokes the dog’s head.
There’s a puddle of drool on my suit. Disgusted, I dump the dog onto the marble floor.
“Sorry about that.” Mandy makes a face and dabs at my suit. “Here, have more snacks. Pepper, remember what I said, please! Let’s keep it together.”
“You know they have a whole table full of dog snacks,” gushes a young woman next to us with an enormous corgi in her arms. “They’re like the most adorable thing ever!”
“Ooh, Pepper! A whole table just for you!” Mandy’s voice has taken on that annoying pitch people use when talking to small children or puppies. “You want a snack, Pepper?”
The dog sits down on my foot.
“Maybe she needs a to-go box,” I hint at Mandy.
“I’ll have my doggie sitter look after her.” Mandy laughs to the younger woman and pats my arm. “They’ve both had a rough evening. It was a trial and a half to get out of the house.”
Ignoring them and the dog on my foot, I resume scanning the room for Isaacs. I don’t even see the woman Mandy said he was dating.
Meanwhile, Mandy and her new best friend—it’s crazy how women could do that—are cooing and squealing over the table of animal-friendly food.
I wonder if she’ll bring me more snacks.
I would get it myself, but Pepper, now curled up on my foot, is trembling slightly now that Mandy’s gone, and I’m afraid if I try to relocate the animal, it would completely lose its shit. Maybe even literally, which really would cut the evening off at the knees.
“What a beautiful creature,” a man remarks beside me.
