Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Sutton looked at herself in the bathroom mirror of the Knoxville Convention Center and smiled, feeling beautiful and put together.
She wore the yellow dress with her silver stilettos, her dark hair styled neatly on top of her head by a professional. Her neck shimmered with the white gold necklace she wore, the diamonds catching even in the dull light of the bathroom.
She looked down at her nails and sighed at the soft pastel yellow with a soft chrome, the color shifting as she moved them back and forth.
“Oh my God, I’m so excited!” Carrie said, coming out of the stall behind her.
Her red hair was styled in a tight bun, her dress a dark blue with silver accents. She also wore silver heels, but no necklace as the neckline had all the accents she needed.
“You look beautiful, Carrie,” Sutton said. Carrie’s face beamed.
“Thank you, Sutton,” she replied, turning to the mirror. She messed with her makeup, then caught Sutton’s gaze with hers. “Thank Reese again for the mani-pedi. That was so relaxing.”
Sutton smiled. “I will.”
Reese had spoiled both of them yesterday with massages, manicures, and pedicures, along with a catered lunch for the entire office.
“If this is what it’s like being loved by a professional football player, sign me up,” Carrie said.
“He doesn’t love me,” Sutton replied with a laugh, the thought making her stomach flip flop. She was surprised, as she hadn’t even thought about love yet.
“Not yet,” Carrie quipped. “But he’s already falling, I can tell.” She nudged her with an elbow. “You ready?”
Sutton nodded, and they left the bathroom, and Sutton pushed away the thoughts of love. She had a job to do tonight, and those were thoughts for another night.
“Where is the Grand Ballroom?” Carrie asked.
“It’s right here.” Sutton turned around the corner and pointed to the open doors leading into the space. “It’s one large ballroom tonight so that everyone will fit.”
They stepped into the room, and Sutton smiled brightly, admiring her work.
The ballroom was filled with tables covered by gold tablecloths with thick white runners down the middle.
Eggplant ribbons were tied to the back of the chairs, the napkins on the table the same deep purple.
Gold chargers and silverware sat atop the surface of the tables, the plates white with gold edging on them to accent the rest of the décor.
“It all looks so bougie,” Carrie commented.
“But not bad bougie, right?” Sutton looked around, worry filling her chest.
Carrie shook her head, laying her hand on Sutton’s arm. “Of course not. It’s gorgeous in here.”
Carrie hadn’t been able to accompany Sutton the many times she’d come down to the convention center for one reason or another, the days she visited falling on days when Carrie was busy.
“The drawings and inspiration board don’t do it justice,” Carrie said, walking around the tables. She ran a hand over a gold edge and pointed to the flowers in the centerpiece.
“These are beautiful. I love the colors.”
Large, square vases filled with white and dark purple flowers sat in the middle of the tables, each vase filled with darker greenery to keep the mood on the darker side for the evening.
“I want to double check each table to make sure the place cards were put in the correct spot,” Sutton said, looking over the ballroom.
“Here we go.” Carrie tugged the seating chart from her binder and handed it to Sutton. “Where is table one?”
Sutton checked the seating chart, and they headed for the first table.
They ran through the seating chart earlier and made sure each table was correctly plated and decorated, but Sutton was so nervous that she wanted to be sure.
You do this every single time. I’m surprised Carrie isn’t through with you by now.
Sutton did tend to go overboard on the checking of details sometimes, but she wanted to make sure the event went off without a hitch.
Especially since this was one of the largest and most important events she had done in a long time.
Between the team and country music stars sharing the event, Somebody’s Child had gotten so many donations and inquiries about attending the charity ball that Sutton had actually had to tell people no.
“The mayor is going to be here?” Carrie exclaimed, looking down at the place card.
Sutton arched a dark brow. “Yes. We talked about this yesterday, remember?”
Carrie laughed and shook her head. “I do. I’m sorry. I’m so excited for this ball tonight, and with all the celebrities who will be here, all the other information in my head has disappeared.”
Carrie hadn’t stopped talking about meeting Jace Austin, and the autograph and photo with him she got at the community event. It had been the talk of the office for the last few days, with Carrie mentioning it to everyone she talked to.
Sutton smiled and shook her head, then reached over to give Carrie a hug. “Thank you for all you do. I appreciate you keeping me on track, even when you have trouble keeping yourself on track.”
Carrie’s eyes filled with tears. “Thank you, Sutton. I truly appreciate that. I know I can be scatterbrained sometimes, but it’s who I am. I’m so happy I get to work with you.”
Sutton felt her eyes sting with tears herself, and she dug into her silver clutch for the small pack of tissues she kept there.
“Here,” she said, struggling to get one out, “hurry before your mascara runs.”
Their laughter filled the ballroom as they both dabbed their tears carefully away to avoid any smudging, then continued on to the next table.
An hour and a half later, the ballroom was slowly filling with people, and Sutton watched as everyone mingled around the ballroom—the gold, purple, and white décor shining brightly in the lights of the large chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.
Everyone had already walked the orange carpet set up in front of the convention center with photographers and journalists set up to take photos, the orange carpet for Knoxville and for the Vols team.
There was also a fun photo booth station set up in one of the corners to take pictures, encouraging the attendees to post on social media with the designated hashtag for the evening.
If Sutton had learned anything from previous events, it was that people loved to take photos of themselves and post them on social media. So, why not have a space that encouraged them to do just that and benefit the foundation at the same time?
Even adults still like to have fun in a photo booth.
She said hello to the team members she saw as she circled the ballroom, searching not only for Carrie to check in, but for her date as well.
Reese texted her that he would be a little late, but he promised her he was on his way.
“Sutton!”
She turned to find out who called her, and she smiled as Joel and his wife Shana made their way over to her.
She gave Shana a quick hug and shook Joel’s hand. “Good evening, you two. You look amazing.”
Joel was dressed in a formal tux, and Shana glowed in a gold gown, her brown hair curled but left down for the evening.
“Thank you,” Shana replied. “The ballroom looks amazing. You’ve done it again.”
“Thank you so much,” Sutton replied, setting her hand on her chest. “I wanted tonight to be elegant and classy but still fun. There is a photo booth over there in the corner, and we do have a cotton candy machine next to the bar. The bartender makes a pretty good cotton-candy-flavored cocktail, if I heard correctly.”
“Cotton candy? How fun!” Shana said, taking Joel’s hand. “We need to go try it.”
Joel smiled and squeezed her hand. “I’m ready when you are.”
“See you in a little bit,” Sutton said as they headed for the bartender, leaving Sutton alone again.
She caught a flash of red hair as Carrie made her way from the ballroom, so Sutton headed that way, stepping out onto the Cumberland Concourse to find her assistant.
Looking around, she didn’t see her anywhere. Instead, her eyes locked onto the tall, blond man who stalked toward her, his hazel eyes making their way down, then back up her body.
Butterflies flittered through her stomach, and her heart picked up its pace as he got closer to her, a small sliver of desire simmering in her belly.
She had to physically hold her feet in place to keep from running to his arms for a kiss only he could give her.
This is still a work function.
Reese halted in front of her and reached for her hand, turning it over to press a kiss to her pulse, then thread his fingers through hers.
“Sorry, I’m late,” he said. He looked down at his jacket. “Lost a button so I had to get it fixed.”
She ran her hand over the soft fabric of his tuxedo jacket. “It’s okay. There are so many people here right now and even more are coming.”
A murmur ran through the crowd, and Sutton stood on her tiptoes to look, watching as Mayor Laura Burrows made her way into the convention center.
She shook hands as she walked through the crowd, her security close behind her.
“She looks so nice,” Sutton commented.
Laura wore a metallic gold dress with a small clutch; her blonde hair tied up in a twist.
“She does indeed,” Reese said. He looked back at her. “But not as nice as you. Yellow suits you so well.”
A flush covered Sutton’s face. “Thank you.” She leaned over to press a quick kiss to his cheek, checking to make sure there was no lipstick stain left over.
She had worn no-mess lipstick for that specific reason.
“Here she comes,” Reese murmured. He straightened next to her, and she adjusted her stance and put on a smile, holding out her hand to shake the mayor’s when she got close enough.
“Good evening, Sutton,” Laura said. “The convention center looks amazing. Thank you for the invitation.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” Sutton replied, trying to hold in her excitement. “You’re welcome. I’m happy you were able to make it.”
“Reese.” Laura reached for his hand. “It’s a pleasure to see you again. Go Kings!”
“Thank you,” Reese replied, giving her hand a small squeeze before he released it. “We’ll do our best to make the city proud.”
Her security whispered in her ear, and she bid them goodbye, heading into the ballroom to mingle.
“I just met the mayor,” Sutton whispered to Reese. “She finally came!”
She tried to get the mayor to so many events in the past, so she was so pleased that she came to this one.
“I met her for the first time a year ago when she came to a game,” Reese said as he took her hand again. “She helped with the coin toss.”
“That’s fun! I like when they get a guest to do the coin toss.”
Music began to play, and Sutton realized it was the cue for the ushers to filter people into the ballroom for the speeches, including her introduction of the CEO.
“Ready?” Reese asked, giving her hand a squeeze.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she replied, nerves settling in her belly. She told Reese about her speech a few days ago, and he helped her prepare for it, listening to her read it out loud and giving her a few pointers.
“You’ve got this,” he murmured, walking her to the stage set near the front of the room.
She watched as more people filtered in, the tables filling quickly as they filed in from the concourses.
“Break a leg,” he said, pressing a quick kiss to her cheek before he stepped away to take his seat at their table.
She carefully walked up the stairs, holding the yellow silk up so she wouldn’t trip, letting the train down as she made her way to the podium in the middle of the stage.
She pulled the cards from her clutch and set them down on the solid surface of the stand and looked out at the crowd.
Giving them her best smile, she began, “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. For those who don’t already know me, my name is Sutton Cooke.
I’m the event manager for Somebody’s Child, and as the organizer of this event, I think I speak for us all here at the foundation when I say thank you for coming to tonight’s event. ”
A round of applause sounded through the room, and she waited for it to die down before she continued.
“At Somebody’s Child, our main goal is to help children in any way we can. Whether that is in the hospital, the classroom, or on the football field, we aim to enrich the lives of children everywhere.”
Her grin widened as the players in the room cheered.
Glad I went ahead and included that part.
“I would like to give a special thanks to the state of Tennessee and the city of Knoxville for their continued support and generosity for Somebody’s Child, ensuring our continued success in helping the children of this great state.”
She cleared her throat, switching to her last card. “To tell you more about our mission and continued efforts, I’d like to introduce our CEO. Please help me welcome Mr. Justin Young to the stage.”
She stepped back from the podium as he walked onto the stage, giving her hand a quick shake before he took over the podium, and she headed off-stage.
Taking a few deep breaths, she made a beeline for their table.
Reese stood and pulled out her chair for her, and she slipped into it, a shiver sliding through her when he dropped a kiss on her bare shoulder as he sat.