Page 52 of Committed to You

When he answers, I attack, “Why didn’t you tell me about Vivian’s award?”

He sighs. “You need to ask her that.”

“I’m asking you.”

“Okay. I’ll tell you, but you aren’t going to like it.”

“Start talking, Noah.”

“When the newspaper announcement came out, Vivian, Piper, Quinn, Charlotte, and I went out to celebrate. I bought a table and told the girls they each had a ticket for whoever they wanted to invite. Vivian will be sitting with her date at the head table. She gave her tickets to her parents.”

“Who is Vivian taking?”

“I honestly don’t even know if she’s taking a date. Quinn teased her that she should ask you, and she made some comment about how she’s not Ms. Thursday.”

“Fuck.”

“Yeah.”

“You need to find out for me who she’s taking.”

“I don’t know if I should.”

“Damn it, Noah. Ask Piper. Find out.”

“Why don’t you just ask Vivian yourself?”

“I can’t right now. Things are going on.”

“What things?”

“I can’t get into it.”

“What did you do, Chase?” Noah bites out.

“I fucked up. And I don’t need your lecture. I’m going to do everything I can to fix it.”

Noah lets out a big breath. “Okay. What can I do to help?”

“Find out who she’s taking.”

“Okay. I’ll put Piper on it.”

I say a prayer she is going alone and doesn’t already have a date. Then I book a ticket to Chicago for Wednesday night. I don’t want to have any weather or other issues pop up.

When I get home, I research Sensecare, the nonprofit that is governing the initiative. There is a lot of information about the next building Vivian is rehabbing. She also is trying to create a recreational park on an empty plot of land as well as a community garden.

I pull up a map and look at the buildings. They are all on the same block, and the plot of land is central, serving as a perfect location.

Hours go by, and I research everything I can about the area: the different buildings that are part of the project, or could be in the future, who owns them, and zoning restrictions. I find before and after pictures, and another gush of pride soars through me, knowing that Vivian did all this.

When I can’t research anything else, it’s after midnight, and my mind is spinning.

I can’t believe she did all this, and I didn’t know.

There’s a lot about Vivian you probably don’t know. You haven’t taken the time to dig beneath the surface. All you could think of was how to get into her pants.

My phone buzzes with an email notification. It’s from Vivian, and she’s sent me several penthouses to visit on Friday. Her message says, “Let me know if you don’t want to look at any of these. Otherwise, I’ll schedule showings.”

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