Chapter 2 #2
“Your mom was my big sister. We used to get into so much trouble when we were children. Milly would think of a plan, and I’d figure out how to make it work.
” Smiling, she remembered the time they’d both got caught drinking from the liquor cabinet.
“We didn’t need any kind of punishment. We were sick enough for that.
And believe it or not, neither one of us has touched another drop of liquor since then. Not even a glass of wine.”
When Lizzy finally fell asleep, she got back to work.
There was always something that she could do to keep herself out of trouble, but today was different.
She had to get ready for the ball tonight and hopefully be able to leave before it was too late.
She didn’t like these things and would usually be able to get out of it.
Tonight’s dinner was different in that she was one of the key speakers.
It was nearly five-thirty when she heard from Bruno. He had been fitted for his tux and looked like a bodyguard for her. She was all right with that and told him so. His laughter was the last thing she heard as she was hanging up the phone. Now for her to get ready.
In the six weeks since she’d had Lizzy, she’d lost all her baby weight.
Exercising daily helped her get her body back into shape.
Wearing the dress that she’d picked out was easy for her to do because she’d never been one to be ashamed of her body.
To her, she looked a few pounds overweight, but her instructor had told her she was fit and toned and would do well to wear whatever she wanted.
The black silk was going to be nice to wear after wearing jeans and sweatshirts all around the house while she got her body back.
She was ready to go by six-thirty and was pleased that Bruno was ready to go as well.
However, he looked like he was upset about something.
“Patty?” He nodded and then told her that she said she was breaking up with him. “I’m sorry, Bruno. I know that you hate this, but I needed you tonight. I wouldn’t have asked if it wasn’t important.”
“I know that, but telling her is impossible when she gets into one of her moods.” She said again that she was sorry.
“I’ll work it out. If it comes down to it, you were right in saying that I don’t love her.
I think I’m just realizing today that I don’t care to be manipulated into things, and that’s just what she’s doing.
She told me if I went, she’d not be at the house when I got back.
It’s my house, and she knows it. If she moves out…
well, I think I’d be happier. I hate to say this, but I think you were right in telling me not to let her move in with me. ”
“I’m sorry.” He patted her on the leg. “If it makes you feel any better, Pete thinks that Peter should move in with me. The house is too big for just one person to live in, he told me. I think he’s insane for thinking that we’d get along at all.
I might just end up in prison for killing him.
Though if anyone has been around him, they’d probably get me off for ridding the world of his ass. ”
He laughed. “I think you’re right in saying that. I’ve read up on the kid. He’s caused more trouble in a month than I have when I was a kid. However, none of mine required my dad to bail me out. Not that he would have, but that’s because he didn’t like me either.”
“Well, I love you. You’re the best friend I’ve ever had.
” They continued talking about Peter and his dad until they were at the venue.
It was a large building but nothing that she’d call special.
Just as she was being let out of the car, several cameras started going off, and she nearly fell when the lights blinded her.
Wanting to get back into the car, she was saved by Bruno, who paved a way for her to go into the place.
~*~
Audon didn’t know why he agreed to come to this thing.
He’d even brought one of his brothers, Penrod, as his plus one so that he didn’t have to deal with a date on top of the rest of the things going on.
Had he known there might be an award for working at the hospital all those months doing murals for the walls, he might have skipped out on that as well.
He glanced over at Penrod, who was talking with the bartender.
“Have you no shame? She looks barely old enough to date, much less run a bar.” He told him that she was twenty-four. “Right. And I’m in my mid-fifties.”
“You act like it at times. But I wasn’t flirting.
I have a beautiful woman at home that I love to distraction.
I was just making sure that she was old enough to run this thing and not get the entire venue in trouble.
” They both laughed and started to mingle with the crowd.
“What kind of award are you up for? I don’t think I ever heard.
” He told him. “Philanthropic, huh? Isn’t that the same as humanitarian? ”
“Probably, but there is some woman up for that award. Her name is Trinity Banton. She’s been up for the award now four times in the last five years.
I guess this is the first time she’s shown up to it.
” He asked him why that it mattered. “It doesn’t.
Do you remember Bruno Dallas? Big guy with no neck?
He’s her escort tonight. He came by my office and finally paid me for the work that was done on the walls of her daughter’s room.
I didn’t even remember not getting paid for it.
She is the sister to that woman and man that were in that accident that you were on. Where the man had been decapitated.”
“I remember that. We looked for the baby for about two hours before we were notified that it was just the two of them in the car. Nasty accident that was.” Penrod shivered. “I think that it was the worst accident that I’ve ever come across. They were so young.”
“I heard.” Audon looked around the room, trying to find anything to capture his attention.
There were lots of women dressed up in silk gowns, but none of them looked like anyone that he’d date.
Most of them had escorts anyway, and he didn’t want to intrude on their night.
He looked at his brother when he said his name.
He pointed out Bruno and the Banton woman. “She’s beautiful.”
“I think so as well. Not as pretty as Lori is, but she could come in a close second. Look at all that red hair. I wonder if the baby had any of that color.” He’d forgotten that the baby had been at the hospital when the accident had occurred.
Ms. Banton had been surrogate for her sister and brother-in-law.
It had been all over the papers when the accident happened.
“You should ask her out. I know that she and Bruno aren’t dating.
He told me that he was her bodyguard. She’s having trouble with Pete Jacobson of all people. ”
“Pete is the older one, right? What kind of trouble could he be causing?” He told him what he had heard through the grapevine. “Peter needs to be in prison. His dad had bailed him out enough where I think he must be having money troubles. Some of Peter’s antics have been really bad.”
“He’s currently sitting in jail as we speak.
He stole a car from the dealership last night and went on a joy ride.
Totaled the car, damaged a house and their yard while trying to evade the police.
He’s a real good catch.” He decided to go and talk to her, but dinner was being called.
“Thank goodness. I thought they were just going to have those little plates of food for the rest of the night.”
“I told you there was food. That’s the only way you said you’d come with me.” They found their names at a table and sat down. When Bruno came to sit with them, he looked around for Trinity. She was talking to the host of this thing. “She must be one of the speakers. Is that right?”
“Yes.” The three of them shook hands. “She’s not thrilled about it, but I guess they had a last-minute cancellation and they asked her.
She’s going to bore the lot of us with her speech, she told me.
I’ve not read it over, but she said that she was going to make it so they didn’t ask her again to speak. ”
The three of them got a kick out of that, and when two more couples joined them, they went around the table introducing themselves.
The Millers and the Coopers were from Columbus and had been given tickets to this thing from their lawyer.
At five hundred dollars a plate, that was quite a generous gift.
But he didn’t say anything. His ticket and his brother’s were free because he was getting an award.
When Trinity joined them, they stood up and shook her hand.
She was a slight woman and had a well-shaped body.
The dress she had on showed all her curves and dips, and he found himself stone hard, wondering if there was a way to get her out of the dress soon.
Looking around, he tried to tell himself that he’d only just met her and that could be trouble, but he also knew that she was off limits to him, as Bruno seemed to be taking his escorting her very seriously.
He doubted that he could get within five feet of her tonight.