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He kisses me again. “I’ll see you later.”
I don’t watch him walk out. I’ve got too much to do for that.
I see Jack and Jessica on my way through the room, and quickly stop them. “Thank you for being the best emcee of ever,” I say to Jack. He did a fantastic job.
He blasts that million-dollar smile of his my way. “We had a wonderful night.”
Jessica also gives me a smile. “Any time you want a gala girl by your side, call me.”
I really want to hug her, but I don’t. That might be a little too much. We hardly know each other. Instead, I say, “You may live to regret that.”
“I doubt it,” she says before taking her husband’s hand and looking up at him. “Let’s go. You owe me a foot massage, Mr. Kingsley.”
Jack puts his arms around her shoulders, and after saying goodbye to me, he walks her out.
I’m so glad our original emcee quit. Meeting the Kingsleys has been a highlight of this gala for me.
It takes a couple of hours to clean up.
The great news is that Mom’s stress levels have calmed down.
The bad news is that my anger over the things my brother said hasn’t.
I’m also angry with my father for not showing up tonight. The fact my mother just takes this in her stride, like she has every other time he’s not shown up for her, only angers me more.
By the time I get to Owen’s home after midnight, my knots of anger are tight.
Too tight.
He meets me in the foyer, still dressed in his tuxedo he wore to the gala. His white dress shirt is half undone and his bow tie is hanging around his neck.
I frown as he pulls me close to kiss me. Putting my hands to his chest, I stop the kiss. “I thought you were going to try to get some sleep?”
“No, I still had some work to do.”
I continue frowning at him. “I don’t understand how you can survive with such little sleep, Owen. You’re up at four most mornings and you’re in bed late. You work around the clock. I’m worried you’re going to collapse of fatigue any day now.”
He lets me go and runs a hand down his face. “I’m sorry I didn’t make it to the gala until late tonight. It was unavoidable.”
“I’m not saying this to you because of that. I’m saying it because I’m genuinely concerned about you.”
He watches me closely. “I want you to know that canceling plans with you isn’t something I take lightly.”
“I won’t deny I’m disappointed about the concert, but I know what that award means to you.” The knots in my chest strangle each other and I force breath out, trying to loosen them. “I know you do your best to show up when you say you will, unlike my father and brother who fail at that all the time.”
Still watching me intently, he asks, “What happened with your brother tonight?”
“We had a disagreement about men who work too much. I told him it’s disappointing he and Dad always let Mom down when they choose work over her.”
“They do that often?”
“I can’t remember a gala or party that Dad was on time to.”
“I imagine being a partner at his law firm must be demanding.”
I stare at him. “Yes, but don’t you think it’d be nice if he put his family first at least every now and then?”
“I agree, but I know the pressure he’s under.”
