“Butters?”
I blink. Anthony is standing in front of me waving a hand through my line of sight.
“What? Oh. Um, yeah?”
He laughs. “Where did you go?”
I rub the back of my neck. “No idea.”
“Sure.” He points toward opposite sides of the ballroom. “I asked if we should put the silent auction on the right side or the left side.”
I glance around the room. The hotel ballroom is already beginning to transform. Tables. Lighting. Decor. Volunteers. In two days, it'll be packed wall-to-wall with people supporting THRIVE. I study the layout we planned. “I think we'll have more room on the right side. My bros in the NFL really came through. We have a lot of signed items to auction.”
Anthony nods. “Right side it is.”
I start bouncing on my feet. Actually bouncing. I can't help it. The more I think about tomorrow night’s event, the more excited I become. “I hope we make so much money for the kids.”
Anthony smiles immediately. “We will. Zero doubt.”
My grin widens. Because I believe him.
Spence doesn't know it yet, but Tyler and I have been conspiring for weeks. The kid is ridiculously talented. Passionate. Driven. And every conversation somehow circles back to Spence. How Spence changed his life.
I knew Spence had taken on a sort of big brother role. I just didn't realize how much he'd done. The endless tab at Tom's Diner so Tyler never went hungry. The apartment he still pays for. The design classes. The supplies. The support. The encouragement. The faith. I might just be tired from all the fucking last night, but it makes me super emotional thinking about it.
Spencer Stark likes people to think he's some kind of cold, heartless viper in a designer suit. He's not fooling me.
When Tyler told me he'd finally completed an entire collection, an idea formed immediately. Fashion shows make incredible fundraisers. THRIVE always needs funding and Tyler deserves an opportunity. Also, Spence deserves to see what happens when someone believes in a person the way he's believed in Tyler.
We can get influential people in the room. Athletes. Investors. Business leaders. People who can open doors. MaybeTyler makes some connections. Maybe he lands opportunities. Maybe he changes his entire future.
And an added bonus—we get to surprise Spence. A thank you. From both of us. For showing us the heart he works so hard to hide.
“Butters?”
Shit. I blink again. “Yeah?”
Anthony laughs. “Lost you a second time.”
“Sorry.”
“You okay?”
A low laugh escapes me as I shake my head. “Yeah.” I look around the ballroom. At everything we're building. At everything that's changed in my life. “I'm actually really good, Anthony.”
His expression softens. “Almost too good?”
“Yeah,” I sigh. “Maybe a little.”
Anthony nods toward the lobby. “I know the feeling. We've got an hour before the sound and video technicians get here.”
“Okay?”
“Let's grab a coffee and talk.”
“Yeah.” I smile, slinging an arm around his shoulders. “I need to talk to my best bro.”
He points toward the lobby again. “Come on.”
