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Focus.
Right.
“Am I the last?” Gareth asked as he hurried over to where we still stood near the charity booth.
“Nope,” Ethan said. “You made it before Wes.”
Gareth nodded, a mere twitch of his lips looking somewhat like a smile? I wasn’t sure. I didn’t know him well enough yet and the only emotions he let show to the outside world seemed to be centered around a cold, calculating intimidation that I’m sure worked wonders for him with all his enterprises.
“Good,” Gareth said. “Last thing I need is another blank chip floating around out there.”
Ethan smirked. “Who got your last one again?” he asked, but from the look on his face, he already knew. “Has that come into play yet?”
“Careful,” Gareth warned, but there was just the barest hint of playfulness in his dark eyes that shone through. It was gone in a millisecond as he spun around and started speaking to the host of the charity.
“What was that about?” I asked.
Ethan shook his head. “Gareth lost a blank chip recently,” he said. “Part of the agony of blank chips is waiting for the winner to call in the favor of their choosing.”
“Oh?” I asked, eyebrows raising. “Are there any limitations on favors?”
“Not really,” he explained, guiding us over to the bar and ordering us a couple of drinks. “The obvious—nothing illegal, nothing that will harm someone, that sort of thing.”
I laughed, sipping from a fruity mocktail he’d ordered for me because he knew I didn’t drink while technically on the clock with him.
“It’s like you’re genies,” I teased.
“Not quite,” he said.
“May as well be with the capabilities you have,” I said. “Look at this.” I motioned to the event around us. “You’re able to do more with your checkbook in one night than I can with a year’s worth of hours of my time.”
“That’s not fair,” he chided me. “You give away a different commodity that helps more than some zeros on a check.”
I flashed him a challenging look. “How do you figure?”
“It’s personal,” he said. “Dedicating your time and offering your physical labor to those in need is something that has more of an impact than the money we donate.”
“I understand where you’re coming from,” I said. “But I think it’s amazing what you and your friends can do.”
“Just like I admire you for all the volunteer work you do.”
“Thank you.” I smiled up at him. “I’m excited about the adoption drive this weekend,” I continued, my heart dropping a little bit.
“But?” Ethan asked, noticing my shift in mood. He always noticed.
“But,” I said, sighing. “Am I a monster for saying I’ll be devastated if Sherlock gets adopted?”
“You love that dog,” he said, shaking his head. “That doesn’t make you a monster.”
“I want him to find his forever home. I do,” I said. “I just wish it was me.” I shrugged. “I’ve asked for a different apartment unit on the main floor,” I continued. “In the hopes I could adopt him, but the complex manager says there won’t be any available main floor units for at least a year.” I swallowed hard. “It would be cruel of me to hope that he remains in the shelter that long. Even with how much time I spend there.”
Ethan’s brow furrowed. “See,” he said. “Personal. The work you do, the way you put your heart into everything, it’s so much more than writing a check.”
“And yet, that check probably saved countless lives,” I countered. “I’m not saying money can buy everything. It can’t. It can’t buy time, but you should give yourself more credit.”
“Maybe we’re more alike than you think,” he said.
“Maybe.” I grinned up at him.
“Dance partner!” Crossland called from behind me, and I laughed when I spun around to see him calling me over to the dance floor. “Come on!”
I glanced back at Ethan, who shook his head at his friend. “You better go,” he said. “If you don’t, he’ll only get louder.”
“Can’t have that,” I said, handing Ethan my half-full glass before heading over to Crossland.
He immediately swept me into his arms, whisking us away to the melody from the string quartet playing a take on a popular song. “I wasn’t stealing you away from anything interesting, was I?” he asked.
“Everything with Ethan is interesting,” I answered.
Crossland laughed. “I suppose that’s true.”
We moved to the music with a friendly ease I was more than happy to realize had developed. I’d spent more time with Crossland than any of Ethan’s other friends, which was surprising since Crossland didn’t live here. But Ethan said he’d extended his stay in Charleston to see more of his sister.
Which was super cute, and fascinating to me—to have the ability to just decide to vacation somewhere for weeks on end, with no worries about budgeting your time or money.
What world had I fallen into?
“When are you going to bring an actual date to do these dances with you?” I asked.
