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Ali didn’t look overly convinced, but she let it go. “We should probably find a place to put our coats.”
The coat check was easy enough to find. He slipped the ticket the man handed him into his jacket pocket, then guided Ali toward the ballroom.
Ali removed the invitation from her purse and handed it to the man standing near the double doors. He scanned the paper and looked at the woman at his right. “Table fifteen.” Then he turned back to them and smiled. “Madeline will show you to your table.”
Daniel rested his hand on Ali’s lower back as they were led to their table. It was smack dab in the middle of the room near the front.
“Here you are.” The woman’s smile was polite and professional. “Enjoy your evening.”
“Thank you,” Ali said, but the woman was already walking away.
Each of the place settings included napkins folded in the shape of a dove. He’d done a little research on the fundraiser when he’d got to the office that morning. The organization behind it was out of Minneapolis. They raised money to help cover medical costs for those who couldn’t afford the expense. It was a worthy cause and he understood why the hospital would want to have a presence.
Daniel pulled out one of the chairs, inviting Ali to sit. She lowered herself into the chair and he sat down next to her.
She looked around, a slight frown on her face. “I’m not really sure what I’m supposed to do.”
“These functions are usually more about networking and drumming up donations.” More people were filtering into the room and taking seats at the various tables. “After dinner, we’ll mingle a little.”
A man and a woman at least twenty years older than Daniel joined them at their table. The man helped his wife into her seat before easing into the chair beside her. Another couple approached the table and sat down, leaving only one set of seats empty.
Everyone at the table introduced themselves and the older woman, Gladys, complimented Ali on her dress. As the conversation began to flow naturally, he felt Ali begin to relax.
The servers came by to take drink orders when the final couple showed up. Daniel swiftly hid his reaction as the man held out the seat for the woman and the two sat down. The other man, however, wasn’t as good at covering shock at seeing Daniel.
Another round robin of introductions began with everyone else at the table introducing themselves to the newcomers. When it came around to them, Daniel acted as if he didn’t know the other couple. “I’m Daniel Ross, and this is Ali Foster.”
“It’s nice to meet all of you,” the woman said with an air of excitement. She hadn’t reacted the way the man had to seeing him, which made him wonder if she didn’t recognize him or if she was just better at concealing it than her partner. “It’s so much warmer here than it is back home. I was able to get away with a simple wrap tonight. Back home, I’d still be stuffed into a winter coat.” She paused. “I’m Lily, by the way. And this is my husband, Logan.”
It had been five years since Daniel had seen Logan and Lily. He’d been visiting a friend in St. Paul and had been invited to a party. The two hadn’t been married then. In fact, if he recalled, Logan was very new to the lifestyle.
“Where are you from, my dear?” Gladys asked.
“Minneapolis,” Lily answered. “I work for The Coleman Foundation as their events coordinator.” That turned the conversation to the fundraiser itself and all the work the foundation was doing. The Coleman Foundation was growing, expanding to help more people, and Lily was more than happy to share.
Dinner was served and he was impressed. The food was excellent.
“You did well, baby,” he heard Logan whisper to his wife.
She beamed. “Thank you.”
Daniel cleared his throat. “How long are you two in town for?”
Logan was the one to answer. “We leave Sunday.” He gazed lovingly at his wife. “Lily’s never been to St. Louis, so we thought we’d take in some of the sites.”
“Let me know if you need some recommendations. I know of a few private venues you may be interested in checking out.”
The other Dom didn’t miss the implication. “We’d defiantly be interested.”
It was a quick exchange and everyone else was occupied with their meals. No one else at the table had any idea what they were talking about.
Ali, however, wasn’t as oblivious. She leaned in, whispering low in his ear, “You know them.”
“Yes.” He left it at that and allowed her to fill in the blanks. She was smart and it didn’t take long for her to put two and two together.
By the end of the meal, everyone was ready to get up and move. Unfortunately, they had to sit through several speeches and a slide show. He didn’t miss how Lily’s lips moved with the timing of each slide. Based on that and Logan’s comment earlier, Daniel was guessing she’d had a hand in tonight’s event.
Once the presentation part of the evening was over, a small band started playing in the corner of the room and people began to get up from their seats and mingle. He stayed put, waiting for the other couples to leave first. Then, he took out a business card and handed it to Logan. “Give me a call tomorrow and I’ll give you more information.”
