Chapter 25
Mia
The Gala – Part 2
Joey, Emma, and the extra Marriott employee arrive, and Miss Bettencourt introduces them to the caterer. I breathe a sigh of relief that this minor snafu was handled quickly. Hopefully, nothing else will go wrong.
The deans waltz in about forty minutes before guests should begin to arrive. They both look spiffy, Dean Hutchinson in his tuxedo and Dean Smith in a floor-length white gown. The juxtaposition of colors looks so elegant. They make an attractive couple, although I don’t know if that’s what they intended. Neither one is currently married, so maybe there’s a romance brewing?
“I need to get changed,” I say to Otto after we’ve greeted the deans and point them to the audio guy so they can make sure the microphone is working properly.
“Me, too,” he replies. “I can’t wait to see all those ruffles!” He adds as he walks away chuckling to himself.
I couldn’t resist sending him the photos of my junior high school prom dress. Mom insisted on all those ruffles and bows. It was the ugliest dress at the dance, hands down. No wonder my date split after the first dance. Thankfully, my mom was not involved in selecting my dress for the gala.
“Can I get your assistance for a minute or two?” I ask Emma.
“Sure,” she says. “I’ll be right back,” she shouts to the caterer who’s in the back.
“I’m so glad you’re here. I’m not sure I can get into this dress without help.”
Emma laughs. “I was worried about that.”
After I change into a strapless bra, Emma helps slide the dress over my head. I wiggle until it clears my hips, the form-fitting style hugging all my curves. The sweetheart neckline exposes my shoulders and a hint of cleavage. It’s a bit daring for me, but there’s a certain guy that I’m trying to impress.
“Breathtaking!” Emma says, clapping her hands. “That is your color! Just as the dress shop owner said.”
Staring at myself in the restroom’s full-length mirror, I’ve got to admit I look amazing in this dress. At first, I was reluctant to select the sky-blue color. But it matches my eyes and will complement Otto’s black tux. I’m so glad that I didn’t select a white gown after seeing what Dean Smith is wearing. My gown will stand out from hers and we won’t look like we tried to match.
“Keep your hair down, just like that,” Emma says.
I was going to put it up in my usual bun, but I take her advice. She helps me with my makeup and steadies me as I slip into a pair of stilettos.
“Hopefully, I won’t fall in these things,” I say after strapping the high heels to my feet.
“You won’t. But Otto is going to fall over when he sees you in this.”
Drawing in a calming breath, I say, “That’s the plan!”
We walk out of the restroom and Emma returns to the kitchen. I go in search of my co-leader. A few seconds later I spot him talking to the band on the other side of the room. He turns toward me as if he can sense my presence. His eyes bulge as I approach. When I get to his side, he takes my hands in his.
“Wow! Mia, you look stunning.”
The expression on his face makes my heartrate skyrocket. This expensive dress was worth it, just to see Otto’s face. “You look dashing,” I say with a shy smile.
He leans in and whispers in my ear. “If all these people weren’t standing around us, I’d kiss every bit of that lipstick off your lips.”
“Maybe we can find time for that later,” I reply with a flirty wink.
He draws in a quick breath. “I’m going to hold you to that.”
Guests start to arrive, breaking up our little party. “Duty calls,” I say as we take our positions at the door along with the deans. They roped us into acting as greeters with them.
Nora and Madison are one of the first guests to arrive. Dean Hutchinson purchased their tickets, which was so generous.
“Look who’s here!” Otto says, bending down to give Madison a hug. “Don’t you look beautiful.”
She giggles and blushes, obviously loving the attention of a handsome guy. “Mom says all these people are helping raise money for my park!”
Nora smiles, but it doesn’t look as bright as usual. While Otto chats with Madison about her ideas for romantic gestures, I turn to her mother, “Is something wrong, Nora?”
She blinks furiously before replying, “My lawyer just let me know that the lawsuit against the driver who hit our vehicle and caused Madison’s paralysis has been delayed again. The man’s insurance company is dragging this out. It’s so frustrating.”
“I’m so sorry to hear this!”
She waves her hand. “Just ignore me! I’m sorry to unload my bad news on you.”
I put my hand on her shoulder. “No worries. I hope you will be able to enjoy the evening. The food is going to be terrific, and we’ve got some fun things planned when we announce the silent auction winners.”
As Nora and Madison wander off to look at the silent auction items, I wish I was a full-fledged lawyer rather than just a law student. I’d help Nora in an instant.
~*~
Whew! The night is wrapping up to be a huge success. Guests raved over the delicious food and its elegant presentation. We haven’t heard a peep from Joey or Emma, so I assume they didn’t kill each other. Honestly, I expected some disaster to occur in the kitchen, but so far, so good.
Dean Hutchinson just announced last call on the silent auction items. Guests scramble over to the table to make their final bids. Otto and I will begin announcing the winners in about thirty minutes. We did a couple sneak peeks at the bidding sheets earlier and it looked like the existing bids were tracking well towards our million-dollar goal. My heart soars as I blink back tears when Otto returns from one last check of the bids and informs me that we’ve reached our goal. Madison is going to get a park where she can play just like all the other kids!
Crash!
A loud noise echoes from the kitchen about ten minutes before we plan to announce the silent auction winners. Otto and I exchange concerned looks. A few seconds later we hear raised voices. We quickly scramble out of our seats to check what’s going on.
The instant the stainless-steel kitchen door swishes shut behind us we skid to a stop. Joey and Emma turn towards us, guilt written across their faces. Written on as much of their faces as we can see. Joey’s face is covered in chocolate mousse dessert. Emma has a smear of whipped cream on her cheek and her hands are covered in the chocolate dessert. A couple of broken plates sit on the floor between them, with spilled desserts. Both guilty parties speak at the same time.
“He started it!” Emma shouts.
“She can’t keep her mouth shut,” Joey yells.
Otto holds up his hand to silence the fight. “Quiet! This is unacceptable,” he says between gritted teeth. I’ve never seen Otto mad before, so my jaw drops in surprise. He flings a roll of paper towels at them. Joey catches it before it hits his head. “Clean this mess up! If you can’t get along, then I suggest you both leave.”
Emma’s lips wobble. Joey tears off several sheets of paper towels and hands them to her. They clean up in silence.
Otto grabs my hand, pulls me out of the kitchen, and into the hallway. He breathes hard as he paces back and forth. “I knew we shouldn’t have called them,” he mutters.
I grab his arm to stem his pacing. “Hey! No harm, no foul. None of the guests knows what happened.”
Otto blows out a loud sigh, “You’re right. I just can’t believe they got into a food fight. What are they? Ten?”
A giggle slips out and I clap my hand over my mouth, but it’s too late. “She got Joey pretty good, what with the mousse all over his face.”
“True! Emma 1 – Joey 0,” Otto says with a snort.
We look at each other and burst into laughter. I hope the band is playing loud enough that the sound of our mirth doesn’t carry into the ballroom. A few beats later, Otto pulls me into his arms and gives me a knee-weakening kiss. When we pull back, we’re both breathing heavily. “I’ve been wanting to do that all night,” he says. Did he just kiss all the lipstick off my lips?
“Are you ready for the silent auction winners?” Dean Hutchinson’s voice booms through the microphone.
Otto grabs my hand, “It’s show time!” There’s no time to fix my lipstick, I pray it isn’t too smudged. Squinting at Otto’s face, I look for signs of my lipstick, but thankfully he isn’t sporting any. We hurry into the ballroom. When we reach the stage, we slow down and walk sedately over to Dean Hutchinson. I don’t have time to get nervous as Otto retrieves the microphone from the dean.
“Mia and I want to thank you all for coming! I know you’re excited to know who won these fabulous prizes. Please give a round of applause to all the businesses and celebrities who donated items for this worthy cause.”
As the applause fills the room, Dean Smith hands me the bidding sheets like they are top-secret documents. I exchange a nod with Otto, and we plot out the grand reveal like we're planning a heist.
"The winner of the mini jigsaw puzzle is Tony Brainard," Otto announces, holding up the world's smallest puzzle, purchased from the store that prides itself on selling things no one actually needs. The crowd looks around, visibly confused.
I step up, covering the mic like I’m about to deliver some serious intel, and whisper, "Uh, that’s not one of the prizes! Where did you even get that?"
Otto, not missing a beat, flashes a grin and says, "From one of the finest establishments just off campus." He holds up the matchbox-sized puzzle, earning a few chuckles from the audience.
With dramatic flair, I open the box and— whoops! —spill the microscopic pieces all over the floor. "Oops!" I declare, picking up a piece to show to the crowd. "It’s made of paper! Whoever heard of a puzzle made of paper?"
Laughter ripples through the room as Otto hurriedly scoops up the pieces and crams them back into the box. "Eh, maybe Tony won’t notice. He only bid $500 on this bad boy."
The crowd roars, then Dean Hutchinson lugs over a colossal basket overflowing with luxurious skin care and bath products. After some theatrical whispering with the dean, Otto sheepishly turns to the microphone and says, "Our bad, Tony! Come claim your deluxe spa package."
Tony bounds to the front of the room, beaming as he accepts his prize, and shouts, "The missus is going to love this! But, can I have the puzzle too?" The crowd erupts into more laughter.
Otto gives me a thumbs up, clearly pleased with our little routine. Turns out, making prize distribution a comedy act is a winning strategy.
I’m exhausted when the time comes to announce the winner of Levi’s jersey. We didn’t use a cheap toy with each prize, but the ones we did use were a big hit. The crowd roared when Otto pulled out a cheesy-looking electric headlamp (the kind that you strap to your head) in place of the outdoor enthusiast’s bundle. With a winning bid of $1,000, the winner looked quite disappointed with the lamp. The guy was a great sport and played along with us until the deans came over carrying the bundle. It took both of them to carry it.
The lady who won the French restaurant dining experience wasn’t quite as amenable to our humor. When I brought out a candle, a loaf of French bread, and two pats of butter, she glared at me with a look that could freeze ice. We quickly brought a smile to her face when Felix Lavigne, the flirty owner at Le Chateau Gourmand, appeared on stage and handed her the gift certificate for the fancy dinner for two. She bid $2,500 for that experience, so a candle and a loaf of French bread wasn’t going to cut it.
“Time for the grand prize announcement that you’ve all been waiting for,” Otto says after the Frenchman and the lady clear the stage. He holds up the framed Anaheim Ducks jersey and the crowd goes wild. I knew there were several Golden Stars fans in the audience, but this is still a surprise. “Nyberg! Nyberg! Nyberg!” the crowd chants. Otto winks at me as Levi strides through the entry door. I squeal in surprise and happiness, not knowing they had this up their sleeve. I hope Bailey is with him! Everyone surges to their feet and thunderous applause echoes off the walls.
“Thank you for the kind reception!” Levi says when the noise dies down. “Dean Smith and Dean Hutchinson asked me to present this prize in person. As you all know, the Arcadia Inclusive Park is a project that will benefit those in the community who currently feel left out in being able to access our parks and recreational areas. I’m honored to be part of this project, and I’ve agreed to match the winning bid for my jersey.”
His words are met with more applause and some murmurs of surprise. Someone even rings a cow bell! I blink back tears at Levi’s generosity. “Otto, what is the winning bid?” Levi asks.
Leaning towards the mic, Otto announces, “$100,000.”
The crowd gasps. Levi doesn’t even blink an eye, as he nods. “That is a generous donation! I hope my play for the Ducks this season will live up to the winning bid.” Chuckles float around the room. “Without further ado, the person with the winning bid and extremely generous donation is Professor Elaine Hollyhocks.”
Excited whispers float over the crowd as the professor comes to the front. She’s accompanied by a teenager in a wheelchair. The professor accepts the jersey from Levi and hands it to the girl, then steps forward to the mic.
“When I heard about this project, I couldn’t wait to attend tonight’s fundraiser. My niece Alexis is with me because she’s as excited about the project as I am. Plus, she’s a huge Nyberg fan, so I’m sure that she’s tickled pink at winning the jersey.” Levi bends over and gives the girl a hug and she squeals with delight.
Elaine speaks for several minutes telling us about her niece’s cerebral palsy which she’s had from birth. She’s unable to control her limbs and has been using a wheelchair since she was a toddler. Going to a park and not being able to play on the equipment or easily get around on the uneven ground is something Alexis has had to deal with her entire life. There isn’t a dry eye in the house after Elaine’s impassioned speech. It makes me want to get a shovel and break ground on the inclusive park tomorrow.
Otto stands beside me as photos are taken with Levi, Elaine, and Alexis. “Otto, did you play a part in getting Levi here?”
He smiles. “I did. Levi agreed right away, but we wanted to keep it a surprise.”
I slip my arms around his waist. “You know, everything project related needs to be added to the spreadsheet,” I say with a wink.
“You better go check the spreadsheet, Miss Robinson, because it’s there in plain sight.”
I laugh. “Later. Right now, I need to complete the final item on the spreadsheet,” I say.
He raises an eyebrow. “What’s that?”
Standing on my tiptoes, I whisper, “Kiss my co-leader for a job well done.” And I do.