Chapter 21
Rowan Rafferty gains an ally
Kendra wasn’t kidding about the fire. The Demeter House Ballroom was packed to the gills with Pointers.
Soft, golden light spilled from delicate chandeliers, casting a gentle glow over the polished wooden dance floor at the far end.
The air was filled with the mingling scents of fresh floral arrangements and a hint of the delicious appetizers being circulated.
Guests of all ages from the town filled the room, their laughter and chatter blending harmoniously.
Bolt and Chloe circulated through the crowd, refilling champagne glasses and telling stories. Uma Maddux was deep in conversation with a gray-haired man with a mischievous smile. Those two were oblivious to the other people around them. I smiled and wondered how long they’d been together.
“There they are,” Kendra whispered as she tugged me toward Jesse and True, standing at the head of the room.
True wore a white dress and pouted as she stomped her foot. Whatever Jesse said to her before we got to the party did not go over well.
“You had one job,” True was saying to Jesse.
“There’s the happy couple,” Kendra joked.
“Hey, Ken.” Jesse leaned in to hug her. Kendra recoiled slightly and scrunched up her nose as she patted him on the back and pulled away.
Interesting.
Jesse held out his hand to shake with me, and I obliged.
“True,” I said, leaning down to kiss her cheek. “Everything is lovely.”
“Except for the music,” True said.
I strained to hear the music. “What music?”
True elbowed Jesse. “Exactly. He had one thing to do this week. The engagement party music.”
“Babe,” Jesse pleaded. “I forgot. I have had other things going on.”
I bit back a snort.
Kendra turned to me with pleading eyes, and like the sucker I am, I immediately caved. I sighed. “Jesse asked me to help him, True. I’m sorry I ran late tonight. The weather caught us as we were pulling in.”
The bride-to-be’s face lit up. “Is that true, Jesse?” She turned to her fiancé, and of course, the wanker went with it.
I was about to come clean when Kendra pressed her curvy body next to mine and wrapped her arms around my waist.
“Thank you,” she said.
Damn it.
“Okay, Jesse. Where do we plug in the music?” I asked him.
“Right this way,” Jesse said as he led me out of the ballroom and down the uneven hallway.
Jesse disappeared into a large office containing a series of glass trophy cases. As I wandered over to the displays, my breath left me. “What is this?”
“The Jarrett family,” Jesse said. He pointed to an extensive story quilt behind glass.
“Penny made this quilt out of old concert t-shirts. That broken calculator is from Ken’s brother, Edison, who is a bit of a banking and math genius.
Kendra’s brother Brock was a Golden Gloves champion at 18, and Boone, or ‘Boots’ as everyone calls him, opened a restaurant on Pleasure Point.
This is from the grand opening of The Horny Toad. ”
I hadn’t ignored the most obvious case in the room. It was the first thing I noticed. A large golden cup shared the case with a framed picture. In it, a teenage Kendra beamed at a boy her age. They stood next to a sailboat, holding the cup between them.
“That must be you with Kendra.”
He smiled. “Yep. We won this sailing race as kids. Everyone thought we would fail, but Kendra can be pretty stubborn when she sets a goal.”
“She can,” I admitted. “Is that how you two met? Sailing?”
Jesse pulled over a chair and sat in front of the case. “No. We met when I stopped this bully from pounding her face in.”
Anger surged through my veins. My fists clenched. “When was this?”
“Relax, He-Man,” Jesse snorted. “This was in middle school.”
“And Kendra was being bullied?”
He laughed. “Well, not exactly. I was the new kid with a slight accent, meaning it was open season on me. This huge fucker, I think the kid flunked sixth grade a few times, decided to pick on me. I was a skinny kid who hadn’t reached my growth spurt then.
The big fucker shoved me into a trash can when I saw a blonde girl kick him in the balls and told him to pick on someone his own size. ”
I burst out laughing. “How big was he?”
“Twice Kendra’s size.”
I shook my head. “Damn.”
“Exactly. The big fucker went down to one knee and swore he would get revenge. By this time, I had climbed out of the trash can. Part of me wanted to run, but the other part felt responsible. If this girl hadn’t come to my rescue, I’d be the one pounded in the face.
And she’d be fine,” Jesse said. “So, I picked up the metal trash can that was almost as big as I was, swung it toward his head, and hit him as hard as possible. He went down with a heavy thud. You know, the sound a big tree makes when it falls to the ground? Like that. Kendra and I ran off to hide; then she told me we were now best friends, well, second-best friends because she didn’t want to hurt her friend Joy’s feelings.
But we would all be best friends and stick together, no matter what. ”
That sounded exactly like the Goldilocks I knew. And I admired that loyalty, to stick beside a friend through the years.
There wasn’t a lot of room for a desk and chairs in the office, with all the trophy cases, but I suspected the owner of such an office wanted it exactly like that. He would sit behind the desk and see the highlights of his children’s lives.
Not one framed photo of an oligarch or Senator to be found.
I rubbed my sternum. “Who’s office is this?”
“That would be mine,” Bolt said as he entered the room. “Kendra said you boys might need help plugging in the music. Jesse - True was looking for you.”
Jesse nodded. “We good here?”
“Yeah,” I sighed. “We’re good.” Damn it.
Bolt watched Jesse leave the office and peeked around the corner to ensure the coast was clear. “Thank goodness, he’s gone. C’mon, son. We don’t have much time.”