Chapter 11
CHAPTER
ELEVEN
Heather
On the day of the ball, I received a message from one of Ryker’s sisters, Tess, asking me if I wanted to come earlier. I jumped at the opportunity. I was curious to see the famous ballroom, and I knew Avery would enjoy it too.
It was even more magnificent live than in pictures.
The second I entered it, I felt as if I’d stepped into another century.
Crystal chandeliers and balconies with wrought iron railings surrounded me.
I spotted tables on the balconies. In the center was a dance floor with a small stage at the end of the room.
There was a bouquet of buttercup winter hazel on every table.
I loved that they used seasonal flowers.
“Mommy, are we in a castle?” Avery whispered.
“Something like that.”
Two women walked towards us. I could tell they were Ryker’s sisters.
Something about them instantly reminded me of him.
One had dark brown hair, the other light brown—interspersed with highlights.
They were both wearing gorgeous evening gowns.
I had yet to change into mine. I was carrying it in a plastic cover over my shoulder.
Avery was already wearing her dress—she’d asked to change at her school.
“You must be Heather. And this is Avery?” said the one with light brown hair and highlights.
“Yes,” I answered.
“I’m Tess,” she said.
“And I’m Skye,” the other introduced herself. “We have about half an hour before guests will start arriving. Avery, want me to show you the kids’ corner?”
She pointed over her shoulder to a corner I hadn’t paid attention to, opposite the stage. There was a small slide and a mountain of toys. There were also three women milling around that corner.
“We have certified sitters that will be present at the event the whole time,” Skye explained.
“Mommy, can I go?” Avery asked.
“Sure, honey. Let’s go together.” Tess and her sister led the way. Avery headed straight to the slide while Skye introduced me to the sitters. I spoke with them for a few minutes, and afterward, they headed to Avery. Since she was the first kid to arrive, they didn’t have much to do yet.
“Wow. That’s going to keep kids occupied for hours,” I said.
“That’s the plan. From experience, we know kids don’t like to sit at the tables.
It’s boring for them. They usually only interrupt their games long enough to eat or drink, and we’ve set up the kids’ snacks in the corner by the playground.
Our sitters have been working our events for a few years now, and we trust them completely. ”
By the ease with which they interacted with Avery, it was clear they knew what they were doing.
“You’re magic. Do you have kids?” I asked.
“No, but we’ve got Mom to advise us. She’s a school principal and raised four of us, so… what she says goes.”
“Want me to give you a rundown of everything?” Tess asked.
“Yes, please.”
“The funds raised tonight go towards charity. One of us holds an opening speech. Usually Hunter, but this time, it’s going to be me. After food is served, the dance raffle begins.”
“What’s that?”
Tess grinned. “Every dance is raffled off. You want to dance with someone, you have to buy a ticket. We alternate women and men buying tickets throughout the night.”
“And that money is also for charity?”
“Yes. I mean, the amount is small—the actual donations are by checks. It’s mostly just for fun. We always test new ways to entertain our guests, and this was by far the most popular strategy, so we do it for every event.”
“Where did you get the idea?”
“From Gone with the Wind .”
“Love your taste in movies.”
“ Thank you! Can you please tell that to Ryker too? He forever teases me about it.”
I laughed nervously. “Sure.”
After I explained to Avery that I need to step away to change, Tess led me to a smaller room on the floor above the ballroom. I laid my dress on the comfy couch at the back of the room.
“Hey, here’s an idea! Do you want to participate in the raffle?” she asked.
“I’d love to. Oh, wait, Avery?—”
“You won’t dance all the time, and Avery will barely even look at you. Trust me, we’ve thrown plenty of these events.”
I pondered this, but knowing my girl, she would barely leave the kids’ corner. And I could step away from the dance floor whenever she needed me.
“Okay. I’m in.”
“Perfect. I’ll tell Skye to add your name to the list. She’s in charge of that. Need help with the dress?”
“No, thanks. I’m good.”
While I changed behind a lovely golden screen, I asked, “You and Skye have a store for lingerie, right?”
“Exactly. We’ve only been online until now, but next week is the opening of our brick-and-mortar location. We still have a lot of boxes to unwrap and some last-minute shelves to put up.”
“Wow, will you even have time to recover after tonight’s event?”
“Not really. Timing isn’t great, but it couldn’t be helped. We were hoping to open this week already but weren’t ready, and we can’t afford to stay closed much longer. We’re having a hair and makeup party, and everyone who attends gets a discount for the lingerie.”
I remembered Ryker being worried that his sisters were taking on more than they could chew, and it sounded like he was spot-on. When I came out, I twirled around a few times.
“Ready?” Tess asked.
“Oh, yeah.”
“So, my brother surprised us all when he told us you and Avery were coming.”
I grinned. I’d just wondered why she wasn’t asking anything about Ryker.
“I’ve always wanted to come to a Ballroom Gala,” I replied, unsure what else to say. It was true after all.
“I see. So you’re just here for the gala, not for my brother?”