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“It's important because,despiteeverything we’ve been through, we still matter,” Frieda replied emphatically.
“Not if we go bankrupt,” Birgit replied, looking stressed again.
Frieda put a calming hand on Birgit’s shoulder and gently pushed her into a chair.
“We’re not going to go bankrupt,” she soothed. “We’re not making a profit yet, but we still have some money left from the great-aunts’ inheritance. We will make it. And next year, when this is all over, we will be better than ever.”
Birgit nodded, then gave Frieda a soft smile as she met her eyes. “You’re right. I keep thinking that this is going to be a never-ending thing, but it won’t be. It ends tonight.”
“Yes, it does,” Frieda agreed, her tone absolute. “Remember what our great-aunts taught us. No one messes with the Strauss sisters and gets away with it.”
“Right.” Birgit laughed. “Aunties Ursula and Helga would never let anyone take the hotel from them, so why should we?”
“Exactly,” Frieda praised, relieved that her sister was feeling better. Just then a knock came at Birgit’s door. Birgit replied that it was open, and a moment later, Chris walked in, looking classy in his black suit and crisp white-collared shirt.
“Look at this handsome fella right here,” Frieda praised, smiling at Chris.
“Birgit you look incredible,” Chris breathed, his eyes sweeping down her figure. He then looked over at Frieda and smiled. “Thanks, Frieda. Black suits you well.”
Frieda glanced down at her outfit for the evening. It was by no means dressy, but the black, fitted long sleeve shirt and trousers fit her well. After Heidi’s insistence, Frieda did allow her to pin a ruby and emerald broach to her blouse to commemorate the festive event.
“I’m just happy I’m not the one in the spotlight tonight,” Frieda replied, heading for the door. “I’ll give you two some privacy, but then we should really head over to the ceremony. We only have a small window to pull this job off.”
“We’ll be out soon,” Birgit promised.
Frieda left Birgit’s quarters and followed the hallway out into the lobby, where the rest of her friends were dressed and waiting. Heidi was in an ice blue satin dress with a matching shawl, and Lorrie had chosen a pink long-sleeved gown with a sweetheart cutout. Wendy, like Frieda, had opted for black, and Cynthia was wearing dark purple. All of the men, including Regan were in classic black suits.
“Well, don’t we look like movie stars,” Frieda teased lightly as they all turned toward her. “Everyone looks so great!”
“It’s the event of the year,” Heidi sang.
“In more ways than one,” Regan said dryly, making Frieda chuckle. He turned his eyes toward Frieda and gave her a warm smile.
“You look great, too, Frieda,” he told her. “You wear black very well.”
“You don’t look too bad yourself, Regan,” she replied, mentally trying to stop her cheeks from blushing.
A moment later Chris and Birgit came into the lobby, and everyone gasped and praised Birgit’s dress.
“Thanks, everyone,” Birgit replied, smiling wide as she looked at each of them. “Well, shall we go do this thing?”
They all agreed, and as one, moved into motion. Chris would be escorting Birgit to the ceremony alone, as would Regan and Wendy. Everyone else was to carpool together and arrive before the four of them did to take their positions at the venue. Regan and Wendy would then arrive separately so that they could be greeted by Jimmy and Anita. And then, finally, Birgit and Chris would arrive; that way, Birgit had someone watching over her the moment she got there.
The moment they reached the venue, they split up. Though they were early, plenty of people had already started to arrive. Despite the crowd, though, Frieda spotted Anita and Frank as soon as she walked into the banquet room. Anita, of course, was dressed in an elaborate white, sparkling gown, and Frank was dressed in a very expensive tuxedo. Jimmy was nowhere to be found, but that didn’t exactly surprise her. She knew he was there somewhere, just waiting for Anita’s signal.
As if Regan was reading her thoughts, Frieda’s phone suddenly vibrated.
Jimmy greeted me at the door; he’s with me behind the stage with Birgit and the other speech givers. Move to second position.
Anxiety laced through Frieda as she got the text and began making her way slowly through the Anita sycophant crowd to get backstage. It annoyed her how incredibly out-of-touch everyone around her seemed to be, and she wondered if they’d known just an iota of what she knew if they would still be there supporting Miss Perfect.
Well, they’re certainly going to find out today,she thought, gently pushing her way through. As she made her way, she spotted Tucker and Pierce subtly standing guard around Birgit and Chris. Pierce was pretending to speak with a server while Tucker was making polite conversation with Milly Thomas, the owner ofCats & Cocoa Café.Every few seconds or so, Frieda noticed them each look furtively toward Birgit, making sure she was still safe.
Jimmy and Regan were standing together in a corner not far off, seemingly talking. Frieda took in Jimmy’s stance and could tell he was agitated over something. His eyes kept shifting over to Birgit as if wanting to be sure he knew exactly where she was.
“Frieda. I thought I saw you coming back here.”
Frieda turned around as she heard Anita’s voice, swallowing the loathing she felt rising in her. Knowing she needed to play her part, she pulled on a pleasant smile.
