Chapter 29 Blake
BLAKE
Everything is perfect, I think, my shoes echoing on the marble floor as I walk along the corridor back to the event space.
“Blake!” My mother’s voice is shrill behind me but I barely notice.
“Good evening, Mother,” I greet her, my face pleasant for anyone watching, but it’s all a facade.
Like my whole life.
It’s been three weeks since I left Blackstone Falls.
Three weeks of missed calls and texts from Cal.
Three weeks of heartbreak.
“Where is your boyfriend?” The last word is delivered with a saccharine sweetness that would normally make my stomach plummet to the floor, but I’m numb. Nothing matters except getting through tonight. “The two of you put on quite a show all over social media.”
“Well, it looks like you’re in luck,” I tell her, cranking up the wattage on my smile. “He’s not here because he doesn’t love me—which I’m sure you’re thrilled about.” She blanches but I press on. “Apparently I’m just too much, can you believe it?”
“Blake—” Something that looks like remorse crosses her too-tight features, the signs of aging nowhere in sight.
“Consider this event my formal resignation.”
“You can’t be serious.” Something akin to panic has replaced the practiced expression she wears so well. “There’s no reason to run off and—”
“You won’t change my mind. And honestly, what will you lose? I’ve disappointed you my entire life, and now you can just tell all your friends that you’ve cut me off and we both can move on.”
Without waiting for a response, I push past her, straightening my jacket as I dip inside the entryway.
“Junior, my boy!” my grandfather bellows, his mustache white and bushy and perfectly styled on his round face.
“I need a drink,” I tell him, his smile falling as he stares at me.
“What happened?”
“I resigned.”
He snorts, clasping me on the shoulder as he steers me toward the bar. “It’s about time,” he grumbles, surprising me, “but that’s not why you’re upset.”
“I fought with my mother.”
“No, that’s not it either.” He signals toward the bartender. “One and a half shots of whiskey.”
“I can handle a full shot.”
“I’ll buy you the bottle myself if you want to get acquainted with the porcelain throne, but later. You have work to do right now and you’re not gonna lie to me and say you’ve eaten.”
I shrug and he harrumphs as the bartender gives me an apologetic look when he sets the glasses down.
“I haven’t been hungry.”
“Heartache then,” he says after we’ve both thrown back the shots, the burn welcome because at least it’s something.
“It’s my fault. I can’t seem to stop picking emotionally unavailable people.”
“Y’all looked real nice together,” he says quietly and I nod.
“It was pretend,” I admit, swallowing down the bile that threatens.
“I mean it was just to get Mother off my back at first, but by the end, I wasn’t pretending.
Maybe I never was but…” My voice cracks and I shake my head.
I don’t have time to break down. Not tonight.
“He told me where he stood from the start, so I did this to myself.”
CAL
Of all the random shit I know how to do, tying a bow tie is not one of them, and no matter how many videos I watched, my hands won’t make it happen.
The bathroom in this place is probably worth more than all the houses in Blackstone Falls. That might be an exaggeration.
But it might not.
My fingers fumble on the loop, my brow dotted with sweat as panic sets in. What am I going to do?
I should have gotten a fake one is what I should have done, but no, I had to get the real one because Blake wouldn’t be impressed with the one they give out to teenagers for prom.
“Son of a—”
“You need some help there?” The voice is accompanied by an elderly man with a bushy mustache and a twinkle in his eyes.
“Do you know how to tie one of these?” I point to the wrinkled fabric where it hangs around my neck, my exasperation making him chuckle as he steps up to the mirror.
“Sure.” I catch a whiff of a classic old guy cologne, the scent reminding me of Mr. Pace, my memory of him still vivid after all these years. “You got a hot date tonight?”
I snort out a humorless laugh, my fingers itching to run through my hair again but I refrain, keeping as still as I can while he works.
“I wish. Honestly, I’ll be lucky if he’s even willing to talk to me.” I don’t mean to make the confession, but my nerves got the better of me, the words spilling out in a rush.
“He’s here?” he asks casually, the low rumble of his voice urging me on.
“Yes. And he’ll be mad when he sees me.”
“Mad?” He drops his hands and studies his handiwork, giving it a nod of approval before meeting my gaze. “Are you sure?”
“Unfortunately, I’m very sure,” I tell him. A surge of relief runs through me as I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror, the bow tie absolutely perfect. Thank God. “Thank you for your help; I can’t tell you how important this is.”
I point to the bow tie and he tilts his head to the side, that twinkle back as he studies me. “I reckon it is for him too.” The man looks down at his watch and sighs. “I have somewhere to be, but you’ll buy me a drink before the night is over, won’t you?”
“You can count on it.”
“Good lad.” He grins and throws me a wink before sauntering out with a spring in his step.
Releasing a breath, I smooth down the lapels of my tux and head in the direction of the event hall. I’m not sure I’ve ever been inside a space so grand, the kind with pillars and marble floors and enormous chandeliers that scream wealth and luxury.
I feel like an impostor here, and while I’ve been commissioned for other similar auctions, I’ve never been there to see it unfold. Walking tall, I stride through the doors and into a space that has my palms sweating and my heart beating faster in my chest.
I don’t belong here.
But I can’t resist seeing my painting here either—seeing what people think, how they connect with my work. I’m not sure what I expected, but it’s not the group of lavishly dressed attendees huddled around the canvas, their excitedly hushed whispers over their glasses of champagne.
The starting bid on this single piece is already more than I could have imagined.
It’s a heady feeling to know that my work will truly make a difference for Blake’s charity tonight.
Validating.
Humbling.
But it’s nothing compared to the way my heart stops in my chest when I spot Blake across the room. It’s like the first time I saw him at the baby shower, but it’s so much more.
Because I’ve kissed him.
Held him.
Laughed with him.
Because I fell in love with him.