Page 8 of Where He Ended

Mellie confirms my thoughts when she instructs me to start putting placemats and silverware on the circular table. There are five other staff running around, all of them arranging teacakes and finger foods and hot buffet trays. There's three different pitchers of mimosas, all of them a different flavor. This is definitely a fancy lunch.

As I'm finishing draping the last of the pale green seatbacks that Mellie has handed to me, I hear voices rising in the distance. I shoot a furtive glance over my shoulder towards the driveway, trying to gauge how much time I have between when Silas and his guests arrive.

I freeze and look again.

Dominic is with the group, and he's laughing at something one of the strangers has said. There are three men I don't recognize mixed in with Annie, Silas, and their son. I don't know why I assumed Dominic wouldn't be here. Maybe I just liked to think of him as separate from the rest of his family.

The memory of our near kiss yesterday morning flows into my head. I swallow that sweet memory back down, but the taste lingers. Dominic spots me. His laughter fades. Recovering like a pro, he leans over to say something to one of the men; all three of them chuckle.

He's acting like seeing me doesn't set his heart on fire. But I know it has to, because mine is melting in my chest.

Mellie rushes up to the front of the table, her hands wrapping in her skirt as she bows her head. “Master Silas, Miss Annie.” She looks at Dominic and adds, “I hope all of you enjoy the lunch that we worked so hard to prepare.”

Silas tips his chin, then gestures at the strangers. “Mellie, this is Mr. Franklin, Johnson, and Donovan. They're the partners who own Steel Works Co.”

Mellie bows her head again then steps to the side. “Please, if you need anything else just ask me or my staff.”

Dominic is staring at me, but he isn't alone. One of the men—Franklin, I think Silas said his name was—is completely captivated by me. He tugs at the sides of his suit jacket and steps into the umbrella's shadow. I can't think of how to do what Mellie just did - introduce myself, then vanish off to the side. She's good at this; I don't have the experience that she does.

“Um, hello there,” I say. I don't know what to do with my hands. I feel so awkward. “I'll get out of your hair, I was only helping Mellie finish.”

“Wait,” Franklin says. “You're not going to stay?” He comes closer, eyeing me up and down. “I remember you. You're the young woman who wore the gold dress at the ball. The one with the long hair.” He turns so that he can motion at Dominic. “You danced with this fine gentleman, if my memory serves me.”

Everyone is watching Dominic now. He nods, his smile long gone. “That's right.”

“Well,” the man says, gazing down on me benevolently. “Considering you're one of the reasons I had so much fun at that party, I think you should join us for lunch.”

Annie clears her throat. “Laiken has other things to do.”

I bob my head vigorously. “Right, I have a ton of other work that I have to get to.”

“Just a few minutes, then,” Franklin insists. There's some quiet tension in the air, and I can tell that Silas and Annie are trying to decide how to handle this request.

I really don't want to be here, but I also don't want to mess up whatever relationships they're trying to form with this company. The whole point of the party was to make these kind of connections happen so that everyone would be able to breathe easier, leaving me safe from becoming the target of their misery.

“I guess I could sit for a bit,” I say hesitantly.

Franklin's smile goes ear to knobby ear. “Perfect.”

The men from Steel Works all sit at the table. Annie and Silas join them. The only seat left puts me between Franklin and Dominic. It's the last place I want to be.

Placing myself gently on the seat that I just arranged so nicely with green silk, I pull myself closer to the table and put my hands in my lap. I don't know what to expect from this meeting. All I did was peel carrots and make bread. Those are nice things that will probably make everybody here happy, but they don't give me an edge when it comes to the conversation.

I try to remember all the things I've learned about these kinds of events. I always felt like such an outsider, but I'm definitely on the inside now.

Silas waves at the staff near the long table. “We'll take some of those drinks, please.”

A young man hurries over with one of the pitchers of mimosas. “This is a lemon and blackberry mix,” he says, filling each of our glasses to the rim. “Hope you enjoy it, but if you don't, let me know. We have other varieties here for your pleasure.”

Franklin chuckles. “The people who work for you are very accommodating, Silas.”

“That's just the kind of people I hire,” he replies. Smiling with one side of his mouth, he leans across the table towards Franklin. “Take comfort in knowing that any of my staff here or at my banks will give you the same kind of personal service.”

“Save the hard sell,” Franklin laughs dryly. He takes a sip from his drink and nods appreciatively. “We're here because we're interested in working with you already. You don't need to bribe us with pleasantries.” He glances at me, I cringe under his too long look. “Though Idolike being catered to.”

I sense his double meaning, and my stomach knots.

“What I want to know,” Franklin continues, looking back at Silas, “is why you're even bothering to court new business so openly. Your banks have grown steadily, sometimes drastically, for a long while. Are you worried about something happening to your success?”

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