Chapter Three #2
Secretly, I’d feared for some time that he might transfer. His parents’ divorce had made the news months earlier, and since then, Cade had become reckless. He’d always been a practical joker, but all of a sudden, his jokes weren’t funny anymore. They were dangerous.
The school kept warning him to behave as his detentions kept mounting up. I was pretty sure he’d come close to expulsion. I’d feared his family would move him before that happened, so the fact that he left didn’t surprise me.
The radio silence had.
Shaking my head, I closed the yearbook and put it back.
The sound of my phone beeping startled me. It was in the pocket of my coat on the couch. Taking it out, I only gave the screen a cursory glance before grinning.
Everly: You refused to send me pics of Cade, but I want to see one of you laughing.
I picked my phone up and went to the huge floor-to-ceiling mirror in the bathroom. I did a silly pose, kicking out my leg and throwing my head back like a diva.
I snapped a pic and sent it to my sister.
She replied right away.
Everly: Roar! You look absolutely stunning. I always love your style.
I smiled as I responded.
Meredith: Thanks, sis.
She was one of the few people around me who never tried to talk me into wearing loose clothes or styles that were supposed to complement a fuller figure. And I loved her even more for that. She simply accepted me as I was. A second message arrived.
Everly: By the way, I found some pictures of Cade online. And the man is a dictionary definition of hot as hell.
Meredith: Aren't you happily married, sister darling?
Everly: It was just an observation. In case you need an opinion.
Meredith: I don’t. Now, have a relaxing evening. I've got to go.
I decided to go to the gala a little bit early after all, thinking I could run into traffic even though I wasn't too far away from the venue.
I put on my coat, ordering an Uber before I even left my apartment.
One of the benefits of living in the city was that I never had to wait long for a car.
By the time I reached the front door of the building, my app was informing me that my driver was one minute away.
I took in a deep breath, smiling as I looked around.
I lived for the months ending in “ber”: September, October, November, December.
The cozy factor was through the roof. I called it the hot-chocolate-and-pumpkin-spice-latte season.
I loved that the entire city was full of color, primarily from the leaves on the trees and the Halloween decorations, which would be followed immediately by Christmas ones.
The party was being held in an elegant ballroom at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel. I wasn't the only one who’d arrived early. There was already a line of cabs and Ubers in front of the building, and elegantly dressed people were making their way to the front doors.
I buttoned up my coat as I got out of the car.
It was windy here, so I walked inside with very quick steps.
Thankfully, there were five people working the coatroom.
I really would've liked to have kept my coat on for a few more seconds to warm up, but I gave it to the attendant, keeping only my silk scarf.
Once I was inside, I looked around appreciatively. I'd never been here. There were small round tables everywhere, and a huge chandelier hung at the center of the room. There were balconies on the upper level with white and gold ornaments. Stunning.
I'd been surprised when Sonya told me I was coming up here tonight by myself.
As far as I could tell from looking around the room, most companies had sent two or more representatives.
I wondered if I was going to see Cade here tonight.
He could send his VP of marketing, after all, like Sonya had.
A pang of disappointment settled in my stomach at the thought.
Wait, what was that? I didn't have anything to be disappointed about. I felt a little bit guilty about jumping the gun the other day. I was a bit of a hothead, and when he'd suggested we start with a clean slate, I’d immediately shut him down.
Forget about it, Meredith. You probably won’t see him for the rest of the competition.
I'd researched our competitors and recognized a few people in the room. Many here were VPs of marketing—a few were CEOs. I decided to find my seat and was happy to see my name on a center table. I was seated next to someone named Alex Delaware, and on my other side would be a woman named Alina Smith. The tables were small; most had four place settings where mine had only three. I didn’t know either of these people.
It should be fun chatting with someone else in the industry.
No one was sitting down yet, so I simply made a mental note of where my table was and walked straight to the bar.
"A glass of Dom Perignon, please," I requested.
"Right away, ma'am," the bartender said, pouring me a glass.
I was watching the bubbles build as he filled my drink when a familiar voice said, "You've got great taste."
My entire body lit up, and I turned my head sideways to confirm my suspicion.
Holy shit! I wasn't sure what kind of picture Everly had found of Cade, but if it was one with him wearing a tux, I could totally understand her reaction.
The man looked like he was a superstar attending a movie premiere.
I hadn't noticed that morning how tan he was and how his hair had sun-kissed blond streaks in between tufts of dark brown.
"Cade. I’m surprised again. I wasn't expecting you here tonight."
He winked at me. "That's why I came. I always do the unexpected. Helps me a great deal along the way."
I grabbed the glass the bartender put on the counter, wrapping my fingers around the stem.
"Am I about to hear a lecture on some best practices again?" I challenged him. I still couldn’t believe how arrogant he was on Monday about how we merchandised our booth. He was ready to call us out for the footprint we created—how petty was that? It hadn’t been against the rules to display more blends.
I’d checked the guidelines twice afterward to make sure I was right.
"If you want to, I’m game. As you know, I have a wealth of information, and I'm an open book." Thankfully, he said that with a smirk.
"Has anyone ever told you that you're a bit of a know-it-all?"
He laughed, then said, "Several people tell me that multiple times a day."
"You sound almost proud of it." I had to tease him.
"I am," he said. "It's good seeing you, Meredith. Where are you sitting?"
"There." I pointed at my table. "No one's arrived, though, so that's why I'm milling around.” As I glanced near the door, I mentioned, “I just noticed a few people here who I know from a coffee conference."
"Trying to escape talking with me already?”
“Don’t flatter yourself.” But actually, I was. Why was he making me feel nervous?
He looked at me knowingly. “I'll see you later, Meredith.
" Cade’s eyes dropped from my face for a fraction of a second, and I felt a flash of heat coiling through my body.
Was it my imagination, or did his appreciative gaze fall right to my hips?
No, that couldn't be. I'd never been his type.
But as he turned around and walked away, I had to admit to myself that he was still my type.
Putting on my work smile—the one pleasant enough to attract people but not wide enough to scare them away—I started making the rounds, approaching the two people I knew from the coffee conference. I looked over my shoulder a couple times because I had the uncanny feeling that I was being watched.
A loud bell sounded as a woman stepped up onto the platform that overlooked the room. "Everyone, if you could head to your seats, that would be wonderful. Our host is going to say a few words before dinner."
There was a shuffle in the room as everyone went to their table. I reached mine quickly, and to my astonishment, Cade was there.
"What are you doing here?" I asked.
"I sit here."
"No, you don't." I glanced down at the name on the card, seeing it no longer said Alex Delaware but Cade Whitley. The third chair and name-tag had been removed.
I bit the inside of my cheek, looking back up at him. "Your name was not there before."
"I know," he said, then whispered, "I switched the cards."
I swallowed hard, feeling suddenly very warm. I was too stunned to reply, but I quickly gathered my faculties.
"Cade," I said in a low voice. "The seats are assigned."
He gave me a cheeky grin, pulling my chair out and gesturing for me to sit down. "You know I don't like to play by the rules, Meredith. We have a lot to catch up on."
"We do? I disagree." Oh my God. Is it getting hot in here or what?
"I knew you would. That's why I needed this seat—to persuade you. And now I have all evening to do that."