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She’d only met Charlie’s mother and brother once, but they’d both seemed nice and Jake only said good things about them. “Garret’s her first grandchild, right?”
“Yeah, but I don’t think she’ll have to wait long for another. My brother is getting married this summer and his fiancée is anxious to start a family.” A cry came from the bassinet and Charlie reached in for her son. “Since Ma a
nd Sean will be here tonight, I’m trying to convince Jake to at least stop in the fundraiser and make an appearance.”
“And I told you’d I’d think about it.” Jake entered the room carrying a tray of food. “If I’m not there, Allison will be. She can give my speech. She helped me write it anyway.” After putting down the tray, he hugged her before he looked at Charlie. “They didn’t have any French fries, so I got you onion rings.”
Allison’s heart melted as she watched her cousin first kiss his wife’s cheek and then place a kiss on his son’s head. “And just about everything else in the cafeteria,” Allison joked, eyeing the tray Jake carried in.
“Only about half of what’s in the cafeteria is edible, and you never know which items that’ll be. It’s safer to grab a little of everything and save yourself a trip back.”
Interesting logic, but if it worked for him, who was she to argue?
“I heard Rock’s accompanying you tonight.” Jake took his coffee off the tray before anything else and took a sip.
Charlie looked up at her as she covered her shoulder and chest so Garret could nurse. “Addie’s brother at the restaurant Friday night? How did that happen?”
Trent had a big mouth. Her sister-in-law wouldn’t have told Jake that little bit of news. “Not long after you two left, Charles walked in and saw us. I lied and said Rock was my boyfriend. Now he expects to see us together at the fundraiser.”
“Why did you tell him that?” Jake asked, releasing his coffee long enough to rip open a bag of potato chips.
“I didn’t want him asking me out again. I’ve told him a bunch of times I’m not interested, but he doesn’t get the message. I thought, if he believed I had a boyfriend, he’d leave me alone. If I’d known he bought a ticket to the fundraiser, I wouldn’t have said anything.” Allison grabbed a potato chip from the bag her cousin held toward her. “And it’s not like I can skip it. Rock was nice enough to agree to go when I asked him.”
“How long ago did you and Charles break up?” Charlie asked.
“Some time before Halloween, so five or six months ago. And he’s been pestering me ever since.” She wondered why she’d dated him for so long in the first place.
Jake paused between bites of his sandwich to speak. “And he’s still bugging you? Most guys would’ve gotten the hint by now.”
If the tables were reversed, she would’ve gotten the hint a long time ago. Then again, Charles was unique. “Maybe seeing me with someone else will be that final push he needs to get it through his thick head.”
***
After slipping on the new gown she’d purchased for the fundraiser, Allison stepped in front of the mirror. With the exception of the frown reflecting back at her, she liked what she saw. Prior to two nights ago, she’d been looking forward to the evening. In general, she loved parties and fundraisers. She enjoyed the interaction with people and simply found it fun to slip on a gorgeous dress and go out. Unfortunately, Charles’s announcement Friday killed her enthusiasm for tonight’s event. She’d even tried to come up with a good excuse, which her conscious would accept to get her out of it. Plenty of other Sherbrookes would be in attendance. In the end though, she’d known she couldn’t skip this one. When she’d left the hospital, Jake had still been up in the air about attending, even though Charlie kept insisting he should go. Allison knew he didn’t want to leave his wife and new son’s side, even if only for a short time. If Jake didn’t attend, she more or less became the foundation’s official representative tonight.
On the bright side, at least she wouldn’t be showing up alone, which meant Charles wouldn’t pester her all night like he had at the Brown’s Christmas party. That night he’d hung around her so much, several people asked her later if they’d gotten back together. Tonight though, with Addie’s brother by her side, Charles would keep his distance. Charles was an intelligent, power-driven man, but more or less a wimp. He wouldn’t risk making Rock angry by hitting on his girlfriend.
At the thought of Rock, Allison’s reflection smiled back at her. In the past, she’d dated sophisticated, professional men. Men who had attended Ivy League Universities and who now spent their days putting more money in their already impressive bank accounts, not that there was anything wrong with that. The same description more or less fit her brothers too. However, since she’d started work with the Falmouth Foundation, she found herself bored with those types of men. Perhaps that explained why she was eager to see Rock again tonight. She didn’t know much about him, but she looked forward to learning more.
Allison added all she could fit into her matching clutch before she headed downstairs. She’d offered to meet Rock at his apartment, but he’d insisted he’d pick her up. He’d claimed it made more sense because her townhouse in Alexandria was closer to the Keystone Hotel in DC than his apartment in Dumfries. She suspected there was more to it than simple proximity. Rock didn’t strike her as the type of guy to let a woman pick him up for an evening out. In the long run, it didn’t matter as long as she reached the fundraiser on time.
Door chimes echoed through the house as she came down the front stairs into the foyer. Glancing out the window before she opened the door, her belly did a little shimmy when she spotted Rock outside.
Holy moly. She forgotten just how panty-melting gorgeous he looked in his full Marine dress uniform. Without a doubt, tonight he’d catch the eye of more than one female in attendance.
“Please come in,” she said after opening the door.
“Sorry for being late.”
Late? She’d told him six and the wall clock read six now. “You’re right on time.”
Rock pointed to the large watch on his left wrist. “It’s five minutes past.”
Allison pressed her lips together. The only other alternative was to laugh. He appeared dead serious, and she suspected he’d find laughter an insult. “We still have plenty of time anyway. Let me grab my keys and wrap, and then we can go.”
Rock gave her a stiff nod, and she turned away before he caught her smile. Friday night he hadn’t come across as quite so serious. Was that because then his sister had been around and he’d been more relaxed or did it have something to do with the uniform? Either way, she hoped he loosened up a little as the night went on. The main goal of the fundraiser was to raise money; however, it was still a party. Parties were for having fun.
As always, several cars lined the street out front. The only downside to living where she did, most of the residents had to park on the street. Only a few of the historic townhomes had driveways and even those that did could only fit one car. Even with the flaw, she hadn’t been able to pass up the historic three-bedroom townhouse built in 1850 when she’d gone house hunting in January.
