Page 28 of Brick Wall
Ryan: YOU HAVE NO IDEA
Annie: YOU JUST TOLD ME I WAS GOING.
Ryan: I TOLD YOU A WEEK AGO
Ryan: AND YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO KNOW.
Tristan: *sends psychic reading a magic ball GIF*
Finn: LET’S GO SHOPPING!
Finn: ALSO, WHY ARE WE TALKING IN CAPS?
I ignore the cap comment completely and type my reply.
Annie: Yes! Let me go shopping with my big brothers for a fancy dress! Sounds like so much fun!
Ryan: YES, I’M IN.
Tristan: Sarcasm, Annie?
Annie: All day, every day, big bro.
Annie: I’m going with Goldie.
I easily type out the lie. I have zero plans at the moment with Goldie to pick out the dress, but as soon as I ask, she’ll be an immediate yes anyway, so really, it’s a half lie.
I type a farewell to my brothers and put my phone on mute for a bit. Sometimes, too many texts at once can overwhelm me, especially when it comes to my brothers, so it’s nice to have a little break.
Plus, now I need to see if Goldie’s around and ask her for a favor.
I get up out of bed and it dawns on me that today is my first full day of being thirty. Let’s see what the new decade will bring. But first, I need to grab some aspirin.
Chapter Thirteen
Sebastian
Livvy, my baby sister, did not end up moving to Massachusetts for the summer to help with the foundation’s extra load, but she did promise to attend the gala and help set up.
I take that as a win since it was a big ask to begin with.
I picked her up at the airport yesterday, and now today, we are in the ballroom bright and early, going over the last details for the event that takes place later today.
We are hosting the gala at a luxury hotel in the Seaport District, just a few minutes from our stadium. The location of the stadium itself was unimportant, just an extra perk, as the proximity to the ocean mattered the most. A huge selling feature of the space is the large ballroom doors that open fully to the outdoor balcony that overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. The ballroom is large, perfect for accommodating many donors.
I’ve been to my fair share of galas and events, and I am no expert in event planning, but as a guest, ballrooms can getextremely hot, especially when you have a large crowd of people. I’m also a big guy wearing a tux in the summer, so the balcony was a real selling point to hosting the event here.
Luckily, the gala gods appear to be on my side tonight. The night is gorgeous, with a slight breeze and no clouds in sight.
After a quick change into my tux in my hotel suite upstairs and a brief phone call with a donor, I step back into the space. I open the heavy wooden ballroom doors for the first time from the perspective of a guest.
The ballroom turned out incredible. The space was beautiful before, but my sisters and staff transformed the space into something else entirely.
The first thing I notice is the flowers. There are so many, and the scent is a little suffocating. Every table has these extremely tall flower displays, mostly white stuff, but there are some other colors, too. I have no idea what these flowers are called, but I’m sure everyone will like them.
I can tell you it looks impressive, though. It feels like I’m stepping into a movie.
The lights are down low, and classical music by a three-piece band plays in the background. Guests are gathered in their tuxedos and gowns around high cocktail tables, eating bacon-wrapped scallops.
