Chapter Eleven
TAKING A DEEPbreath for the first time in hours, I survey the room. It”s perfect. Everything turned out exactly how I wanted it, too. Months of work accumulating into one special night. I have to give it to Blake. Waiting for this event was worth it. Building up our reputation with smaller events will make this event more successful.
Nothing gives me more satisfaction than turning a dull idea into something amazing. Would a gala or golf tournament have done well? Sure. We would make more money than we’d know what to do with, but that’s besides the point. Those types of events are predictable and only draw a certain type of crowd. Exactly the type of crowd Blake and I come from.
But that isn”t the type of organization I want Emerson Group to become. I don”t want us to be known for only hosting events that cater to the elite of Aspen. Our services are for everyday people, not the elites. I want people to want to get involved and help our nonprofit grow into something the community can get excited about.
It took some finessing, but Blake finally came around to my way of thinking. Our smaller events went better than I could have ever expected. The walk-a-thon we hosted to raise funds for winter coats for the poor raised more funds than we could have expected. Nearly twice the amount of people showed up to walk the event than we initially planned for.
The food pantry we started last month has already exploded with donations and more volunteers than we know what to do with. Blake marched into my office and gave me full control over all future events. It felt like a tremendous step in the right direction for our business relationship.
Looking around at the steady stream of people making their way from table to table, I can”t help but feel like this is just the beginning of what we can create here. And despite my hatred for the man, I have to admit that Blake is good at this.
My eyes move to the entrance of their own accord, where I know he should be stationed at this very moment. My gaze travels down to his relaxed attire. Tonight he has traded in his suit for a pair of jeans and a gray-colored button-down. I can’t deny how good he looks like this. The shirt makes the turquoise in his eyes pop even more. My eyes follow the line of his hand up the veins of his arms to the rolled-up sleeve at his elbow. I close my eyes and the image is burned there. No man should be allowed to look that good in a button down.
Blake is greeting people as they enter. This is a job any of our employees could have done, but he insisted on doing it himself. Watching him greet each person, it”s easy to see why. A light shines from his eyes, and his passion for our mission is palpable in the way he speaks and shakes the hand of each person who steps through the door. I can”t deny that it’s contagious, even from a distance.
Pride swirls in my chest for the strides we’ve made as co-directors these past few months. Ever since our hike, Blake and I have agreed on a silent method of warfare. We don’t argue in front of our employees. If we disagree on how things should be done, we save that for the privacy of our offices. He and I still butt heads every day, but somehow we’ve worked around our hatred of each other.
Forcing my eyes away from this frustrating man, I make my way towards the last table where Jade stands, accepting tickets for prizes to be drawn at the end of the event. Even though we have a few hours left, nearly half of the jars are full of tickets. The rules are simple. Each person is handed two tickets as they enter. It is up to each person which jar they place their tickets in. At the end of the evening, we draw winners from the tickets.
Jade smiles as I sit down beside her. ”Need a break, boss?”
A hesitant smile tilts the corner of my lips. My eyes involuntarily traveling back and landing on Blake. ”Don”t let Blake hear you say that, or we”ll never hear the end of it.”
My working relationship with Jade has been rough to figure out. Between trying to tiptoe around the fact that she ripped my brother’s heart from his chest and I sometimes can’t stand to look at her, things haven’t been the easiest. But despite that fact, and my dislike of her, it’s easy to fall into step beside her. She dated my brother for over three years. I used to see her as my sister. She knows me better than most people in my life.
Her shoulder rises in an uncaring shrug. ”Then I guess I”ll just have to call him boss, too. Fair is fair.”
I can’t help but shake my head as laughter rumbles through me. She’s always the first to jump in and play peace keeper between Blake and I. It’s as if she’s channeling Abby any time we are all in the same room together. It’s hard not to like her.
Beside me, Jade”s phone buzzes in her pocket. Her cheeks instantly burn red. ”I”m so sorry. I thought I muted that.”
Pulling her phone from her pocket, she mutes it before shoving it back.
My eyes widen and a smirk tugs at the corner of my lips. I turn my head to survey the event and pretend that I didn”t just see my baby brother’s name on her phone. ”No worries.”
Even as I keep my features calm, inside I am doing a somersault. Why would Riley be calling Jade? He can’t stand to even say her name, but now he’s calling her? When did they even start talking again? My thoughts drift back to when he visited me in the office all those months ago. He was so mad he stormed out without letting her say a word. Could she have gotten him to stop when she ran after him?
Regardless of how this renewed contact came about, a hope soars in my chest. I can’t think of any reason Riley would have to contact Jade. Not unless…
I don’t want to let myself finish that thought. I don’t want to let my emotions get the best of me. After all, that may not be my Riley. It could be anyone with that name. That thought dampens my excitement, but not entirely. A kernel of hope remains, because I”ll never give up hope my brother might be happy again. He might come home of his own free will.
August waves at me from across the room, and my attention immediately snaps back into work mode. I’ll have to work on the mystery of Jade and Riley at another time. ”I”ll catch you later. Just wave if you need me.”
Standing, she calls out behind me. ”You got it, boss.”
I roll my eyes and hurry to see what August needs. I’ll have to work with Jade on that, because she is absolutely incorrigible. And despite my words, I absolutely love it.
The rest of the event flies by in a rush. When all the prizes and auction items have been claimed, people disperse from the venue. I can’t help the pride that courses through me for what our small team has accomplished tonight. I’ve only been with the company for a few months and we have already hosted three successful fundraisers. Thoughts swirl through my mind about where we will be in another six months - in a year.
We won’t know how much we’ve collected until we get back to the office, but the amount isn’t what’s important. The important part is that we reached out and interacted with the public and their response has been better than I could have imagined. Each time a new person approached me to find out more about how they can get involved, my heart soared higher in my chest.
I should have offered to help Abby with this the minute she came up with the idea. I’ve never felt this committed or invested in any job I’ve ever had. That thought should scare me, but it doesn’t. It only empowers the flurry of excitement burning in my chest for what we are capable of.
Metaphorically, I roll up my sleeves because even though the event is over, and I want to go home and curl up on my couch with a glass of wine, there”s still cleanup to be done.
Glancing out the windows, I note the darkening skies. Worry pulls my brows together. Late summer storms are common in Colorado, but something about this one seems different. Thunder rumbles through the building and it rattles my bones. ”Hey guys? Let”s try to step this up and get done before the storm gets here.”
Everyone agrees without grumbling, and we are finished in no time. With bright eyes, I look around the hall we’ve rented for our event. In just two days, we transformed this room and then completely transformed it back. There isn’t anything we can’t accomplish when we work together. “Great work today, everyone!”
I sense Blake beside me before I see him. His warmth envelopes me. When did I become so accustomed to how he feels standing next to me? He’s chipping away at my walls and I don’t know how to stop it. I want to turn and meet his gaze, but I keep my eyes fixed on our employees. I don’t want him to see the flicker of emotion I know is showing on my face. “We can’t tell you how proud we are of you.”
The deep timber of his voice rolls through me. He says exactly what I’m thinking without knowing it. He bumps me with his shoulder. The brief contact is enough to send a shiver down my spine. For the first time, I meet his eyes. They are wild with an excitement I am sure mirrors my own. “Let’s get out of here.”
With a nod of my head, we all collect our things. We are heading for the door as a group, when an alarm sounds on our phones. The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Almost in unison, we all pull out our phones.
Quickly, I scroll through the rest of my missed notifications. A sense of dread seeps through my entire being. Warning after warning litter my notifications. No wonder everyone got out of here so fast. Apparently, having your phone on silent before a major storm isn”t the best idea.
Blake snaps into action immediately, and I hate how the authority he exudes suits him. My gaze unwillingly locks on him, ready to follow his lead. The timber of his voice drops and it does something to me. ”Everyone to the storm shelter, now.”
His words leave no room for any other options.
“This way everyone.” I lead the way down the hall to the building’s safe room, because of course I checked where it was when I booked the venue. Blake follows as a close second. I can almost feel his presence pressing me to move faster. Urging us towards safety.
Opening the door, I hold it wide for everyone to enter before me. Blake stands on the other side, rushing everyone in.
A sound catches my attention, and I turn back to the hallway. Muffled sounds reach my ears, and I can’t be sure, but it could be yelling. ”Do you hear that?”
I tilt my head to the side, frozen mid step. I listen intently, but it’s impossible to hear over my heart thudding in my chest and the thunder rumbling through the building. Blake places his hand on my shoulder, nudging me into the storm shelter. I plant my feet, not allowing myself to be moved. I know I heard something. This is my event. I’m the reason everyone is here. And if there’s anyone still here, I won’t let them be left out in the storm.
“Is anyone there?” I yell down the corridor, but my voice disappears as the howling wind carries it away.
Blake’s grip tightens on my shoulder. “There’s no one out there. We need to close the door.”
But I will not be moved. Deep in my gut, I know I heard something. My gut has never led me wrong, and it’s not about to start now. My feet carry me into the hallway before I’ve made the decision to move. “Then close the door, Blake.”
As I take a step away, his grip loosens before he lets me go. He stares at me in wide-eyed surprise, but there’s nothing he can say to keep me here. I know what I have to do.
In an instant I’m running, because despite what Blake might think, I understand what’s at stake here. I won’t allow an innocent person to get hurt just so I can be safe.
“Raven!” The fear in Blake’s voice rattles me. Whether it’s fear for my safety or sanity, I’ll never know. Because I don’t stop - I can’t stop. My feet pound the floor as I run towards the front door and disappear out of sight.
The closer I get to the glass doors, the more fear slithers its way through my veins. The wind picks up substantially as I skid to a stop in front of the trembling glass at the front of the building. An eerie howl fills the air. Goosebumps erupt across my skin and a sense of impending doom builds in my chest.
What am I doing? The thought flashes through my mind even as I reach out and open the door.
Stepping out into the blinding rain, I yell out again. “Is anyone there?”
Once more my voice is lost to the howling of the wind. With narrowed eyes, I survey the parking lot, but all the cars are ours. No one is standing near the doors trying to get in.
A bolt of lighting cracks far too close for comfort. A sizzle of energy sounds through the air before a deafening boom cracks to my left. Moving faster than I’d thought myself capable of, I drop to my knees beneath the building’s awning and cover my head.
It’s only when I don’t move for a long moment that I hear the faint sounds of a whimper. My eyes snap up, meeting the gaze of a terrified corgi. It’s cowering beneath a bush just beside the building’s entrance.
In an instant, I understand. It was the dog’s barking that I heard. Sitting up, I move slowly, trying my best not to scare the already terrified animal. “Come here, puppy.”
It doesn’t move. My heart thuds erratically in my chest. I know we are in danger and if I don’t get us to safety, there’s every chance that we could get hurt.
A second bolt of lightning slices through the air, and the dog whines again. Every single hair on my body stands on end.
I have to do something.
Inching closer until the puppy and I are eye to eye, I lower myself to the ground in front of it. I don’t even care if it bites me. We have to get to safety. Extending my hand, a sense of relief crashes through me when it leans forward to smell me.
Before the puppy realizes what I’m doing, I extend my other arm out and snatch it from under the bush. It fights against my hold until the moment it’s wrapped in my arms. It relaxes, like it knows that I will keep it safe.
With the puppy wrapped securely in my arms, I stand, turning back towards the building. The relief I found vanishes in a second as I reach out to open the door and it’s locked. My hand rattles the door again, but it won’t budge. How could I have been so stupid? I should have propped the door open before closing it behind me.
The thudding in my chest falters for the briefest moment. Clutching the helpless puppy to my chest, I lower myself to the ground in defeat with my back to the glass.
There’s nowhere else to go. We are going to die.