“Brandon will be eating his heart out,” Rachel said. “Is he here?”
“Yes, with his new fiancée. I saw them together and believe me, he’s not thinking about me.”
Rachel winced. “I’m sorry. I realize you called it off but still, it must be hard to see him with someone else.”
Savannah shrugged. “It’s easier now that a few months have passed. We wouldn’t have been happy together. And he’s a nice guy who deserves a good woman.”
“I’ve never met her but I’ve heard Joanie is very nice.”
“That’s what I hear too.” She waved her hand, not about to let Rachel distract her from her purpose. “But enough about that. Come with me.”
“Why?” Rachel asked suspiciously.
“Because I’m going to help you get dressed. I’ll even do your hair and makeup.”
“Oh, Savannah, that’s sweet of you, but—”
Savannah grabbed her friend’s arm and steered her out of the kitchen and toward the stairs. Knowing their friend, Avery and Savannah had set up the “Bride’s Room” to serve as Rachel’s dressing area as well as a place to hold other things they might need. “You can thank me later. And don’t you dare touch me with those hands. Go shower. And don’t dawdle.”
Grumbling, Rachel acquiesced.
Her friend was going to look fabulous. It wouldn’t be hard, Savannah thought, gathering her makeup brushes. Rachel was a very pretty woman, whether she was all decked out or wearing jeans and a sweatshirt. Or her chef’s uniform, which she wore most of the time. Soon, Rachel was dressed, made-up and ready to go. “My work here is done,” Savannah announced. She turned Rachel around to look in the mirror. “You look amazing.”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” Rachel said. “But I look pretty good.”
“You look great and don’t forget it,” Savannah said, leaving her.
Savannah was in charge of operations, so she had been given the task of officially opening the ball. A half-hour after the ball began, Savannah stepped up onto the stage and tapped the microphone to get everyone’s attention.
“Welcome to Felicity’s Ball!
“I wanted to take a moment to talk a little about the history of Felicity’s Ball. Beginning in the early 1900s, the Harwood family hosted an annual Christmas ball. The gala was canceled in 1918 after Drew Harwood’s fiancée, Felicity Blanchard, died the night before the ball. Drew’s new love and later wife, Audra Donaldson, helped the family to revive the annual ball in 1919 in honor of Felicity. The family hosted the event as a Christmas ball for many years.
“Then, after World War II, the Women of Whiskey River Service Organization, or the WOWR as we call it today, took over the event, making it a charity event to raise money for worthy causes. This year’s beneficiary is the Whiskey River Children’s Home, which I’m sure you all know is a very worthwhile organization. We hope you all enjoy yourselves and be sure to bid on the silent auction. We have some wonderful prizes available.”
Breathing a sigh of relief, Savannah stepped down from the stage. The WOWR was a top-rated charitable organization, spending more than ninety percent of its budget on the particular projects it committed to. The Whiskey River Children’s Home was very worthy, and Savannah was proud to be part of an organization committed to supporting worthwhile causes.
Your turn, Avery, she thought, nudging her friend onto the dance floor for the first dance with Logan. They looked awfully cute together.
About an hour into the ball, Savannah was able to catch her breath. Everything was organized as well as she could make it and the people she’d delegated to do various jobs were doing them. Introductions were out of the way, the first dance had taken place, and so far everything was even running on time. That probably wouldn’t last, but maybe they’d come close to being on time for all the events planned for the evening.
Glancing around, her gaze lit on a man standing a few feet away with his back to her. He was tall, with longish, thick dark brown hair reaching just to the collar of a tux that fitted his broad shoulders to perfection. She wondered if he looked as good from the front as he did from the back. He was talking to Elijah Lane, who’d returned to Whiskey River just recently. Rumor held Elijah had bought land in the area and was looking to build a winery on it.
Seeing Eli reminded Savannah of him and his friends: the “bad boys from the Barrels.” Harlan Sullivan, Logan Calloway, and Eli had quite the reputation in high school. Just as she always did, she pushed thoughts of Harlan Sullivan out of her head as soon as she had them. But Christmastime—even years later—always reminded her of Harlan and what might have been.
Savannah moved away, intending to check with Avery about the timing of the silent auction, and saw her boss, Bill Griffith, owner of the Whiskey River Construction company. Just yesterday Bill had told Savannah and their part-time help, Liv Anderson, that the sale of the company had gone through. He’d been trying to sell it for some time now, ever since he decided to retire. So the fact that it had finally sold didn’t come as a shock. But Savannah wasn’t sure about what this meant for her.
“Good news,”her boss had said. “I’ve sold Whiskey River Construction to Phoenix Homes. You’ve likely heard of them.”
Phoenix Homes? Sure, she’d heard the name, but she didn’t know much about them.
“That big company out of Dallas?” she asked.
“That’s the one.”
“I thought they only built houses.”
“According to the owner, they do other things as well. He’s a general contractor and plans to get going with some commercial projects along with building custom homes.”
