CHAPTER THIRTEEN

AVERY

A few weeks ago, I met up with Louise at Daffodil's, and she asked me to help her set up for a Young Professionals event at the Hearthstone Lodge, a popular mountain resort located just outside of Suitor's Crossing. Louise used to work at Design Time but quit after one too many arguments with Mike, so now, she putters around town pitching in where she can. Like volunteering with the YP group as a mentor and offering to organize their Summer Soiree.

Completing the final centerpiece, I stepped back to take stock of the room. The walls are lined with giant balloon installations while leafy branches covered in string lights decorate the dozens of tables circling the dance floor. The gorgeous backdrop of mountain peaks adds to the atmospheric glow of LED candles.

The Hearthstone Lodge earns its reputation as a classy venue for weddings, vacations, and business retreats every day of the year—summer or winter—and though I'm partial to its late fall/early winter charm, the current July view isn't too shabby.

"I think we"re ready to open the doors. You did a great job!" Louise says before hugging me.

I thank her for the compliment, but she's the one who organized everything. I was just along for the ride.

"If everything's good to go, I'm going to change. See you soon." Exiting the ballroom, I find the elevators and head up to the room I booked for tonight, choosing to treat myself with a mini staycation this weekend rather than driving home when the evening ends.

Elsie is already waiting in the room since I let her in earlier. "Are you ready for this?" She wields a mascara wand like she"s my fairy godmother and pats the chair in front of her.

"For the one time I get to dress this fancy? You know it!" My normal routine is pretty basic, and most days I don"t even bother with makeup since I"m mostly in the back of Design Time hidden by an embroidery machine.

But tonight is different.

Sitting down in front of the mirror Elsie brought, I let her work her magic. She's talented at hair and make-up, spending a lot of time watching YouTube tutorials. I've told her she should look into switching to cosmetology rather than sticking it out at the elementary school, but she keeps saying it's just a hobby.

While Elsie primps and curls, my gaze wanders to the dress hanging on the back of the wardrobe. It"s a deep blush with a pretty lace overlay. The hem falls a few inches above my knees, but the neckline is modest enough for a professional event. An empire waist draws attention up to my breasts without being sleazy, and the skirt skims over my round belly. When I first tried it on, I felt like a delicate princess in it, which is saying a lot because I've never used the word "delicate" to describe myself. Neither has anyone else.

"There. All done." Elsie finishes the final touch and holds up a small mirror.

A cautious smile reflects back at me. It isn"t often I'm able to get dressed up, so it's nice seeing myself decked out. "It looks awesome. Thank you!"

She shrugs off the compliment with a wave of her hand before disappearing into the bathroom to get herself ready, too. Twenty minutes later, we returned to the main ballroom to find it crowded with people. I expect to see Dominic, and possibly Matt, schmoozing people in order to make up for the client they lost, since not even a recreational baseball game was safe from them working.

While the purpose of YP events is to network—most of their meetings involve some sort of professional development lecture—according to Louise, the Summer Soiree is supposed to be more relaxed and focused on fun rather than business. A miniature summer vacation, so to speak.

"Let's find seats," I say as my eyes search the room for Louise, who's sitting at a table with a couple of empty chairs. Excellent. Louise provides the perfect buffer for Elsie and I keep to ourselves before dinner is served. We're not the most outgoing people, and networking has never been my strong point, which sucks when that's how you get ahead in the world. But Louise has no problem chatting with strangers and diverting attention to herself.

"Lots of attractive men in suits here." Elsie's admiring gaze flits around the ballroom.

"Plan on approaching one?" I tease, knowing full well she wouldn't dare.

Just like me.

Eventually, an emcee asks everyone to take their seats as waiters begin serving dinner. The meal passes quickly with the conversation at our table continuing without much input needed from us, and soon, people are moving to the middle of the floor to dance.

Louise hired a DJ instead of a live band, and he plays an array of songs meant to suit every musical taste. I"ve seen Dominic deep in discussion a few times at the edges of the ballroom, and while I didn"t catch any of the conversations, things weren't going too well judging by the faces of the people he was talking to.

A rising tide of sympathy spills forward. Dominic may be talented at the actual business part of his company, but the socializing side appears to be his downfall. Granted, I haven't seen him in action, but from what I've gleaned from past conversations and just being around him, he tends to steamroll over people. Not the best way to attract clients who want to feel like their opinions matter. Which is why his partner Matt is so necessary.

Unable to stop my psychoanalyzing, I watch him drink alone by the bar when a guy who works at the business across the street from Design Time approaches our table. He comes in every once in a while, when they need a fresh batch of embroidered polos for new hires.

"Hi, I"m Josh. You may not remember, but I work at Suitor's Lawncare Solutions, and you"re at Design Time, right?" I nod and shake his hand. He's a cute guy. Tall with brown eyes and in a fitted navy suit with no tie. "Would you like to dance?"

He offers his hand, and deciding to be brave for once, I spare a glance toward Elsie, who gives me a subtle thumbs up, before letting him lead me to the dance floor as the beginning notes of At Last by Etta James drift through the room's speakers.

I"ve danced with two men before, and neither of them went well. The first time was at a friend"s wedding when my crush asked me to dance. He taught lessons on the side, but even though I warned him about my two left feet, he twirled me around like a seasoned pro from Dancing with the Stars while I tried to look graceful being thrown across the floor. A monumental failure based on the pictures Elsie took of my terrified face during the momentous occasion.

Suffice it to say, nothing ever came from that crush.

The next time was at a school dance my senior year of college. I was paired with a freshman because my roommate and her boyfriend had sort of taken him under their wings. He was sweet but overly eager and desperate to impress me. Which is how I ended up being spun in circles and dangerous dips until dizziness set in.

So, my luck with dancing partners is very, very bad.

Though Josh seems normal so far.

He places one hand on my waist and holds my hand out with the other. We slowly sway back and forth as he explains his job at Suitor's Lawncare Solutions. The physical location houses offices in the back while the front is occupied by lawn equipment, and he handles their accounting. "I didn"t know how I"d feel working at a small family business. There are pros and cons, you know?" I don"t answer as he continues, "But the moment I started, everything sort of fell into place."

"That's great," I say, absentmindedly looking around the room. Josh keeps talking with very little encouragement from me. All I have to do is smile and laugh at appropriate places, and he goes on and on.

Guess the third time's not a charm after all.