Page 81 of When You're Gone
“Now listen,” Jake purred into her ear, speaking softly so only she could hear. “We do need to talk about someone whoishere before you sit down.”
Her perfectly-manicured eyebrows shot into her updo as her stomach somersaulted with fear.
“Oh shit. No. Not him. Not that one, I mean.”
She kept her eyes wide, willing Jake to go on and put her out of her misery.
“Dempsey is here tonight.OnlyDempsey is here tonight.”
She blew out a sigh of relief.
“We realized that people would expect to see at least one Haas brother at this event, given Gloria’s involvement with the planning. Dempsey suggested his mom be the one to attend, but I knew that would make things awkward for you, so I put a stop to that.”
“Thank you,” she sighed appreciatively.
“I’ve got you, baby. Always. And now that I’ve delivered you to our table, I’ve gotta get myself another drink.” He winked at her in a very Rhett-like fashion before sauntering away to one of the open bars.
Tori awkwardly perched on the end of her seat, unable to make actual contact with the chair because of her full tulle skirt. She marveled at the scale of the event, but she couldn’t dismiss the gratefulness she felt as she looked around at what she had accomplished. When Jill had called her to talk numbers that morning, she’d had to sit down. They had exceeded their stretch goal before the event had even begun, and the board was so impressed that they had unanimously accepted her proposal.
Everything was falling into place. Now she just needed Rhett to get here so he could see it for himself. She sent out a silent plea into the Universe that he would make it before the official announcement.
Dinner was served, and she was joined at the table by enough of their friends that it was easy to get caught up in their excitement and chatter. Jake, Cory, Lia, and Cole were all there, with her dad and Tricia occupying the other two seats at the table. Rhett’s chair was the only one that sat empty.
Toward the end of the meal, she felt eyes on her. She glanced a few tables over and met Dempsey’s gaze. He was surrounded by older couples, obviously friends or associates of his parents. He lifted his water glass and offered her a silent toast. She mimicked the gesture and returned his smile, then watched as he excused himself and made his way out of the ballroom. Despite the circumstances and all that had gone down, Dempsey Haas was one of the good ones. She knew her ties to his family were forever diminished, but she hoped he and Jake could remain friends.
The crackle of a microphone forced her attention to the stage. Her shoulders shot up to her ears as a fresh wave of nerves danced in her belly. This was it. It was finally time.
Chapter thirty-three
Rhett
Hegroanedashefinally clicked his seat belt in place in the back of the hired town car.
He was running behind thanks to another delayed flight out of Norfolk International. Except this one wasn’t just cutting into his weekend plans—this one was making him late for the New Hope Foundation’s inaugural gala, and from the reunion that he was cautiously optimistic would happen tonight.
He had flown into Cleveland to make it easier to get to the event, and he’d changed into his tux as soon as he landed. Quinn assured him that a bellhop would be waiting as soon as he arrived at the hotel. All he had to do was flash his ID, hand off his bag, and get to the ballroom.
He took a deep breath and tried to steady himself—he hated not knowing how tonight would play out. It had been four excruciatingly long weeks of… of nothing. Of waiting. Of space. Of holding it together day after day, desperately wanting to know what she was up to, if she was thinking about him, if she was having a good day.
When he insisted Tori had to make the next move, he hadn’t anticipated how hard it would be to feel so utterly out of control. He was used to giving as good as he got in their relationship. Letting her take the reins was both foreign and frustrating. It was the ultimate lesson in patience.
He had no idea what to expect tonight. Was he attending this event as just a donor and a friend? Was it selfish and unrealistic for him to unabashedly hope that she had already figured things out? What was he even expecting her to do or say at this point?
He startled when the car came to a stop and a valet opened the passenger door.Shit. For someone who had been so anxious to arrive, he was a ball of nerves now that he was here.
He climbed out of the car and didn’t make it two steps before a bellhop was swooping in and greeting him by name. He handed off his bag and a generous tip in exchange for his room keys. Jake informed him that Tori had gotten ready in his suite earlier that day. Since Rhett hadn’t felt comfortable asking her where she planned to sleep that night, he’d gone ahead and booked a room of his own, just in case.
He strode into the hotel lobby and straightened his bow tie. Finding the ballroom was easy enough… he just had to follow the music and the flow of people in formal wear. He rocked back on his heels when he reached the bottleneck at the entrance of the event.
“Wheeler.” A hand clasping his shoulder from behind got his attention. He turned his head and schooled his expression as his heart started beating double-time.
The man now standing beside him smirked. “Relax. You’d think you’d be able to tell my brother and me apart after playing lacrosse together for four years.”
Rhett blew out a shaky breath and tried to sate the surge of adrenaline. “Sorry about that…” he muttered as he reached out to shake Dempsey’s hand.
“Did you just get here?”
“I did. My flight was delayed almost three hours because of weather. I haven’t even been inside yet.” He nodded to the now-clear entrance to the ballroom.
