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“Good morning,” she said.
Austin shook his head. “What a nightmare way for you to start the day. I’m sorry. You don’t have to put up with that.”
Felicity shrugged. “I couldn’t very well hang up on her.”
“Oh, I don’t know. I hear the phone lines in this office can be temperamental. Sometimes people get disconnected. Especially when they act like jackasses. What set her off?”
“She wanted me to give her your personal cell phone number. I figured if you hadn’t already given it to her, you might not want her to have it.”
“Good call,” Austin said. “I don’t want her to have it, especially after hearing that much of the conversation. Forget her.”
There had never been two words that made Felicity happier. “Aren’t you taking her to the gala?”
Austin grimaced. “No. I never got around to asking her.” He looked at her in a way that made Felicity’s pulse kick up. “Now I’m glad I didn’t. But speaking of the gala, do you have moment?”
“Of course.”
“Good. Grab your coffee and come into my office. Our conversation last night made me realize something.”
In the back of Felicity’s mind, a wild daydream played out. Austin was asking her to be his date to the ball. But before she could close the distance between her desk and his office, she had grounded herself with the absurdity of the thought and reminded herself that it was a good thing that he couldn’t read her thoughts.
“Talking about my family’s wedding dilemma last night made me realize that our gala might be at risk, too. I think we need to hire security to make sure Charlotte Prendergast Robinson doesn’t try to pull anything. She’s been too quiet for too long. I don’t know if it’s because she’s lying low, knowing she’s being watched... After all, Savannah says the authorities are on to her. Then again, it’s possible that they have the wrong person and Charlotte isn’t the perpetrator. What if someone else has been targeting the Fortunes all this time and the authorities have been after the wrong person? It’s all a big question mark. I know it’s a lot to ask this close to the event, but I think we need to make sure we have a strong but discreet security presence at the charity ball. Because the reality is at a gathering like this, we could be in serious trouble.”
Chapter Ten
Felicity did a twirl in front of the mirror in her suite at the Roosevelt. The fitted red ball gown hugged her curves like it was made for her. The strapless corset top nipped in her waist, making it look tiny, before it flared into a chiffon, A-line skirt that made her feel like a princess.
Maia had come by and had done her makeup and hair, leaving it to fall in soft curls around her shoulders.
Felicity did one more twirl, wistfully taking it all in, before she grabbed her clutch purse that contained her hotel room key, lipstick and compact for touch-up. There wouldn’t be time to run up to the room once the ball got started. But she could if she needed to. That’s part of the reason why the suite was such a nice gift from Austin.
Austin had surprised her with the key card yesterday. He’d arranged for early check-in. She’d arrived with her dress, shoes and accessories for the gala and a suitcase for the night. That had made it possible for her to spend the morning supervising the transformation of the ballroom from ordinary beautiful to gala extraordinary. Then she’d taken the elevator back up to her room, showered and let Maia help her get ready for the big event.
The other part of why it was so wonderful was tonight, when all was said and done, all she had to do was ride the elevator back to the tenth floor and she was home for the night. She’d worked hard this week, verifying last-minute details and lining up the security that would unobtrusively blend into the background. It had been a good call on Austin’s part. Due to all the disturbances that had been swirling around the Fortunes, both near and far, it was better to be safe than sorry. However, it had taken some doing on her part to find the security personnel at this late date. She’d been forced to jump through several hoops to pull it off, but she had.
As she walked into the ballroom, she looked around at the gold-and-white wonderland. Stunning arrangements of white flowers displayed in towering gold vases offset by pearlescent linens and gold Chiavari chairs. Flickering white-and-gold candles rested atop mirrored bases that reflected the light. Elegant china, crystal and fine flatware set the stage for the sumptuous meal to come, which was detailed on the engraved gold-and-white menu cards placed atop the plates. The silent auction items were lined up on tables around the perimeter of the room. The band was doing a final sound check.
