Chapter Twenty-One
A fter the phone call from her new caucus leader at the county legislature, things really started to kick into high gear for Liv. But at the same time, she was absolutely and fully aware that she wasn’t alone. It was as if the moment under the lights at the rink had solidified…whatever was growing between her and Artur.
Instead of having a night in, Liv was supposed to meet Artur at the rather large residence that belonged to Jacob Horowitz-Margareten and his wife. It was a poker game, combined with a planning meeting for the mentorship party that would serve as a kickoff to the event cycle.
It was a good night; Judith was on her best behavior, in her perfect planner self, though there were a few looks in her direction. Samuel was in organizer mode, having taken to the dreidl auction as quickly and as easily as a duck to water. Even Jennifer Cohen was chatting along with Sarah, the Hanukkah planner, and everybody else who’d arrived.
“He’s nice,” Judith said with a grin before heading back to talk to her boss.
“You fit,” Leah said before heading back to consult with Asher, having let Samuel talk to the committee about the dreidls on his own.
Of course, Liv found herself flitting back and forth between conversations; planning and organizing which items would be put up for auction.
“You fit really well,” said a voice she hadn’t heard before.
Liv turned to meet the expression of Anna Horowitz-Margareten. “Anna Cohen,” she said with a smile, holding out her hand. “I use my maiden name professionally.”
Of course she did. But all the same, Liv smiled.
“I like the atmosphere you’ve created,” Anna continued. “Both in terms of the group and in terms of the event. I will tell you that some of Artur’s other friends are going to be jealous you’re here tonight.”
Which was not what she’d expected to hear, and so she let her surprise come through. “What?”
Anna smiled. “Your family is important to you, and I think your cousins are noticing the way you’re acting.”
Liv smiled back. “They are,” she replied.
“But anyway,” Anna continued, “with someone like Artur, who holds his cards close to the vest, his friends are family. And as you become a larger part of his life, your family and his friends will want to see more of you.”
“And so they’ll be asking to see me?”
“Exactly.” Anna continued, “But I will say that I’m kinda glad I got you here first.”
And at that point, Liv couldn’t help but laugh, before following her hostess back to the center of the party, where Artur stood waiting.
*
Artur was used to switching hats and roles like a swing on a Broadway stage, but he found himself at a loss halfway through the combination meeting and poker game. Bets and antes and ‘I got Bryce to make a mask and a few of the Empires are going to sign it, but also Melanie Gould is doing a dreidl and a few of her friends are going to sign it’ were going to make his head explode.
Thankfully, there was a break in the action, and he headed toward a bathroom. A bathroom. The fact that this palatial thing was one of his friends’ houses was still extremely overwhelming. Granted, this friend had funded the organization he’d spent the last few years working for. But still.
He saw the view of the yard space and took a breath.
“Artur,” came a voice out of nowhere. It was Asher Mendel. He’d seen the man a few times during the evening, planning and organizing.
“Hey,” he said. “What’s up?”
“Be careful.”
Immediately he was on edge; what was going on? Was it a threat? A nerve? “What?”
“My future cousin-in-law,” Asher said by way of explanation.
All that did, however, was get him out of fight-or-flight mode. This was relationship- and family-related. But he was still confused. “What do you mean?”
“The family watches her like a hawk,” Asher said. “Not sure how useful that’ll be to you, but my fiancée told me to be careful around her mother in what I said about you.”
“What you said about me?”
“Yep. My guess is that after tonight, gossip is going to fly through that family of hers—I can already see Samuel staring, and Leah making notes. Which means her family members are going to be in search of information about you, if they haven’t been already. You should be prepared for invitations, and to treat things more seriously than you were going to.”
That was an easy question, if Asher was asking one. Because he didn’t take Liv lightly.
“She’s not someone you take lightly,” he replied, having pulled his words together in a way that made sense. “She’s someone who has too much to lose if something goes wrong. So, you take whatever’s happening with her seriously from the beginning.”
“And if she’s scared?”
The questions got easier and easier. “When she’s ready, she’ll know about my feelings and how deep they are.”
Asher nodded. “Just make sure that’s the only thing you’re keeping from her. Trust is important to her, and there are a lot of moving parts for both of you.”
Which confirmed his own suspicions after the conversation the night before and the one he’d had with his boss. He had to get some kind of plan in order to share information with her that he couldn’t tell her directly.
But Asher didn’t need to know that. “Thanks for the advice,” he said.
“Not a problem.”
And as they headed back to where everybody was gathered, thoughts ran through Artur’s mind. There was a great deal that was about to happen in the next few days, and he had to make sure he was ready for all of it.