REESE
The feeling something was really wrong was eating at me. I adjusted my tie in the mirror and used my fingers to fix a hair that was out of place. The grand opening started in thirty minutes and there had been no word from Dad. There was no way he would willingly miss this. That meant it was bad. I didn’t want to believe he was dead, but it was a possibility I had to consider.
I couldn’t dwell on it. I had to go out there and sell the shit out of these apartments. The pressure was on. It was all me. This project was my first big one. As much as I wanted to claim it as my own, Dad had been right there holding my hand. It sucked I was going solo. I wanted him to see my success. The little boy in me wanted the pat on my head.
When I arrived at the building, there was an excitement in me that made me feel electrified. I knew people were watching me. This was my moment. I pasted on a bright smile and pretended all was right with the world.
I shook hands with some of the staff that would be working the party. I made sure everything looked perfect before heading to the ballroom to inspect the setup. As planned, it looked amazing. The servers looked great in their crisp white shirts and black pants. This was exactly what we needed. What I needed. It was all perfect and I wished like hell my dad was here to see it.
Confident everything was ready for the grand opening, I made my way back to the lobby to greet the new and prospective residents. People were excited. The energy hummed around the room as people sipped cocktails and chatted. I moved around the area and did a little eavesdropping. The consensus was positive. People liked it. They loved the idea of having everything right under their feet, so to speak.
I didn’t miss the photographers milling about and snapping photos. I checked my Rolex to see what time it was. I hoped like hell Thea didn’t stand me up. I could feel the eyes on me. The reporters were behaving themselves for now, but I could feel their restlessness. It wouldn’t be long before they started prying into my private life once again.
Something made me look toward the entrance. The doorman held open the door for a beautiful woman in black. Damn, she cleaned up very nicely. I had almost forgotten just how gorgeous she was.
She was pretty any day of the week, but seeing her hair pulled back in a fancy twist and the V of the dress giving a glimpse of her cleavage made it all come rushing back. While the memories of being in bed with her rushed in, my blood rushed south. I quickly snapped myself into the moment and stepped forward to greet her.
I took her hands and kissed her cheek. “I thought you were going to stand me up,” I whispered close to her ear.
“My animals are counting on me,” she replied.
I wasn’t offended it had taken a bribe to get her here. She was here and that was what mattered. Flashes went off as photographers rushed to take our picture. “Let’s get you a drink,” I said. “Then I’ll show you around.”
Together, we retrieved a drink from one of the passing servers. “Would you like a tour?” I asked.
“I’m here,” she said. “I may as well see what all the fuss is about.”
“Let’s start down here,” I said. “The building will be a fully contained community. We have a gym, indoor pool, and sauna downstairs. We took it a step further and set up a number of different work areas for those who want to get out of their apartment. We’ve got the coffee shop, lounge, and restaurants some with the best chefs in the world.”
“Where’s the dog area you mentioned?” she asked.
I had to laughed. “Of course, that’s what you would be interested in.”
“You know it,” she said.
I showed her around the area before taking her up to the model unit. There were a number of people checking it out and taking one of the brochures. My salespeople were hard at work answering questions and taking down names to reach out and hopefully make the sale.
On our way back down to the party, she was smiling. “I hate to admit it, but this is all very impressive. Your dad always did have a good idea about what people wanted. Where is he tonight?”
“He’s not available,” I answered. “But for what it’s worth, this was technically my brainstorm. My father certainly had a hand in the development, but we worked together on it.”
“How is your dad?” she asked. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen him.”
Me too. “He’s great,” I lied. “Would you like to see the table we set up for your shelter?”
“Please!”
I led her to the ballroom where we had yet to visit. A table was set up just outside the door. No one was getting into the ballroom without seeing it. I’d had a custom banner made along with some balloons in the shapes of dogs and cats. It was attractive, classy, and very obvious.
“Woah,” she gasped. “You weren’t trying to hide this in a dark corner.”
“Definitely not,” I said. “I got the pictures of the animals from the website. Your volunteer brought a friend to man the table. I’ve watched numerous people flip through the book and several have put their names down as being interested.”
“No way,” she said.
We walked over to the table, staying out of the way of the older couple currently talking to the volunteer about one of the dogs available for adoption. Thea stayed back. I expected her to jump in and try to sell the dog. She let the volunteer do the talking. Once the couple left with a business card and the promise to call on Monday, Thea approached the table. I saw the girl notice Thea, but it took her a minute to realize who she was.
“Thea! Oh my gosh, you look beautiful.”