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"Hey, good news always spreads quickly. I'm happy for you." She didn't sound happy at all. In fact, she was glancing at me as if trying to figure out what he'd seen in me.
She raised a brow. "Funny! Neither of you mentioned anything when I made the seating arrangements. I actually thought the first time you met was at the party."
My jaw ticked, and Dom took my hand, intertwining our fingers and squeezing in assurance. The contact electrified me.
"No, that was a happy coincidence," I said, trying to sound nonchalant.
"Well, I'm glad to hear the good news." She turned abruptly and walked away without a backward glance.
When dinnertime rolled around, I changed into an evening dress. Nothing too flashy, just a classic little black dress paired with my favorite turquoise Manolos. When I stepped out of the room, I hesitated in front of Dom's door. We should have coordinated this—it would make a better impression to arrive together. Or was I overthinking this? Even real couples didn't spend their whole time glued to each other. Mind made up, I headed to the main restaurant and bar area on my own.
There were quite a few people gathered at the bar, including Dominic. He stood at the counter, his gaze moving down my body and then slowly back up. Was he doing that on purpose, or was it just his reaction to me? I walked straight toward him.
"What can I get you?" he asked once I reached him.
"A Negroni, please."
He narrowed his eyes. "I'll have the same," he told the bartender, and I watched him intently as he mixed the drinks.
He added a lime, which I hadn't seen before. I didn't know it was part of the recipe.
"It's my favorite cocktail," I told Dom.
"I haven't had it before."
"I think it's the perfect way to unwind after a long day. And maybe listen to jazz music.”
He wrinkled his nose.
"You don't like jazz music?" I asked.
"Can't say I've listened to it too much."
"It's one of my guilty pleasures, along with fries and dessert, but I don't order those too often. Usually when I go out with my sister, she's the one who orders them, and I just steal from her plate.”
Monika came up to us. "There you are. Reese, you look stunning as usual."
"Thank you. You as well, Monika."
"Would you like to say a few words to the crowd? You always rally everyone to open their wallets."
I rolled my shoulders back, standing straight. "Of course."
I didn't like to be the center of attention, but this was for a good cause. I was the type of person who liked to organize things behind the scenes. Kimberly and I loved to plan family events for our cousins, birthdays and the like, but I never wanted to be the focus of anything. It wasn’t my thing.
"I don't think you need a microphone, right?" she asked.
"No, the room isn’t that big.”
Monika turned, speaking to the attendees. "All right, everybody. Before we begin, Reese Maxwell would like to say a few words."
The group clapped as I looked around the room, happy that Malcolm and Francesca weren't here yet.
"Welcome, everyone," I said. "Thank you all for giving your best today. I’m pleased to announce the De Monet charity is now $300,000 richer. But I’m sure we can get that number higher before the weekend ends." Monika had messaged me with the total sum as I was getting ready.
I spoke more about what the funds would be used for, and then a few people asked some questions about donations.
Then a guy asked, "What happened to winning at archery all the time, Reese?"
