Page 36 of When You're Gone
Jake: Holy shit. That’s like, a real press conference. I wonder if I can stream it…
She hadn’t considered that the event would be online or shared anywhere.
Jake: Yep. Found it. This is crazy. I can see the back of your head!
She whipped around in her seat, craning toward the video camera crew lined up along the back of the room.
Jake: Am I not supposed to comment on your new boobs in that dress?
She tugged at the deep emerald green fabric again, desperate for a bit more coverage. The garment just didn’t fit the way it used to. Frustrated, she stuck up her middle finger and scrunched up her nose toward the cameras before quickly turning back around in her seat.
Jake: Oh shit. Incoming.
She had barely glanced down at his message when she felt a hand cup her shoulder.
“Good morning, Tori. You look beautiful. I’m so glad you could be here today.”
She closed her eyes and inhaled. There was no way Anne and Peter Wheeler had missed her flipping off the camera, as confirmed by Jake’s reaction.
“Thank you,” she replied as she opened her eyes and stood up to greet her in-laws.
They exchanged hugs, and Anne whispered that there was nothing new to share about Jonathan. Tori couldn’t help but notice the stark sadness in Rhett’s mom’s gaze. It was one thing to lose a parent, but it was a special kind of torture to watch them wither away and feel helpless in the process.
Both Anne and Peter were dressed sharply, despite having been at the hospital all night. She saw the hollowness behind Anne’s eyes, but only because she was looking for it. To anyone else, she looked the picture of perfection: the polished, poised mother of the new CEO… the kind of woman who did not squirm in her seat and flip off the cameras at a press event.
“Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler. Welcome,” Quinn greeted as he stood up to shake their hands. “I have seats reserved for you right over here.”
“We’ll catch up afterward,” Anne promised as she squeezed Tori’s arm once more before letting Rhett’s assistant guide them across the aisle.
Jake: Did I just get you in trouble?
Tori: TBD. They definitely didn’t miss that. This is so weird. I feel like I’m in a fishbowl with you watching me.
Jake: I’m not the only one watching. This livestream has more than 8,000 views right now.
An uncomfortable pang turned her stomach on itself as she thought about all the people tuning in to watch this spectacle. Growing up in a small town and losing her mother at such a young age had tarnished her tolerance for gossip.
She had been known around town as the little girl without a mother.
That poor Thompson girl… bless her heart…
Conversations used to transform into whispers when she walked into a room. Joy had a way of dissipating in her presence. Despite how she actually felt, everyone was quick to assign her a projected emotion in the years following her mother’s passing.
Was that what she was stepping into in Virginia? She tugged at her dress again as heat crept up her neck. No one was even looking her way once she glanced around the room. So why did she have the nagging suspicion that even though she wasn’t the one on stage, she was expected to perform a certain role today?
Her phone vibrated again, but this time the message wasn’t from Jake.
Fielding: Hey you. Any update to your Hampton ETA?
She bit her lower lip and considered his question. She honestly had no idea when she’d be home. She’d tagged along on this trip without expectation, not realizing the weight and enormity of what it entailed. It didn’t feel right to leave when Rhett so clearly needed support. But she was anxious to get back to Hampton—to sleep in her own bed, to make progress on the plans for the Camp New Hope fundraiser. Her life may not have been as grand as his, but it was still relevant. It still mattered.
Fielding: Now would probably be a good time to tell you I’m sitting next to Jake watching you not reply to my text.
Of course he was. She snuck a glance back at the cameras again, shaking her head and smirking.
Fielding: Don’t give me that look.
Another text came through seconds later.
