THEA
Iwas beat. My feet were killing me in the heels, but I ignored it. The pain was worth it. Even though it was well past my bedtime, I was in it until the very end. I had agreed to be his date in return for some free promotion for the shelter. I would stay up all damn night if I needed to.
“Can you excuse me for a minute?” Reese asked.
“Absolutely,” I said, smiling.
He smiled in return before walking away. I had to give myself credit for my acting skills. We were putting on quite a show for the people attending the party. We looked like an actual couple. Ever since Rich had pointed out the women glaring at me, I couldn’t help but notice. I had been oblivious prior to him pointing it out.
I watched Reese schmoozing a couple of men in expensive suits. He seemed very relaxed as he talked business. I’d been watching him doing it all night. He was cut out for this kind of thing. I found myself smiling as I watched him. He was so handsome. There was an easy way about him but yet just a little untouchable. I could see why all the women were trying to get with him. He was hot. If I didn’t know him, I would probably go after him.
While he was busy with the men in suits, I escaped from the ballroom to check on the table. I expected the volunteers to have packed up and called it a night. They were still there. Someone had brought them chairs and they were now sitting behind the table.
“You ladies are dedicated,” I said with a smile. “Thank you so much for doing this. How’s it been going?”
One of them picked up a stack of applications. “All filled out and waiting for approval.”
“No way!” I took the stack and thumbed through the applications. I was expecting the names to be Captain America or some other made-up name. They all looked legit. This was going to be a lot of work to go through, but I welcomed the work. “Great job, ladies! Why don’t you take a break and get yourselves a drink and some of the appetizers they are serving? The crab cakes are delicious. I’ll man the table.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, go,” I said and shooed them away.
I settled in on one of the chairs and checked out the sheet with all the interested people. I wasn’t foolish enough to believe every one of these people would adopt. Just the same with the applications. Not every applicant could handle a dog.
I thumbed through and noticed there was more than one application for several of the dogs. Everyone wanted the little ones. It was so hard to get the pits, shepherds, and some of the older guys into homes. I personally preferred the bigger dogs.
They always tended to be so much more grateful for the home. The little ones were often like cats. They couldn’t give a shit where they lived as long as there was a comfy bed and regular food.
I spent a few minutes talking with a couple on their way out. I could talk about dogs and cats all day. It was the conversations happening in the ballroom I sucked at. I didn’t know shit about investing. I didn’t care who had the best sushi in town. It felt like I was on a totally different planet. The things they worried about were so much different than what I worried about.
Reese appeared with two glasses of wine. “Why did I know you would be out here?”
“I was giving the girls a break,” I answered.
“Do you still drink wine?” he asked.
“I do,” I said. “Truthfully, I’m not picky. I drink it all.”
“Good to know,” he said and sat in the other chair. It was a little strange to see him behind the table. He was the star of the show, not the help.
“Thank you again for this,” I said. “If even half of these people adopt, we are going to be in much better shape than we were.”
“I’m glad we both benefited from this arrangement,” he said. “Do you not believe the people that filled out applications are serious about adopting?”
“I think they might be serious, but I can’t just let the animals go to a home that isn’t truly prepared for them. I don’t see any glaring issues, but unfortunately, it’s part of the business. I see a few applications for a couple of our long haulers. I will be sad to see them leave, but I’m so glad they are going to get homes. Monday is going to be wild. Ally is going to be ecstatic. We’ve been praying for a miracle for a while now. This might just be it. I never thought you’d be the one behind the miracle we were asking for.” I gently pushed his arm to show I was teasing.
“I’m glad it worked out,” he said. “I was a little worried. I didn’t want to have to owe you. You being here tonight saved my ass. I had a soft opening on Monday. It was a fucking mess. All anyone cares about is who I’m seeing. Why am I single? Am I going to settle down? It’s always about my personal life. They completely ignore the project and focus on shit that doesn’t matter.”
I couldn’t really feel bad for him. He did this to himself. I knew he was a womanizer. I suspected he dumped my ass because he wanted to check out the grass on the other side of the fence. He clearly discovered it was a lot greener because he never once looked back.
“I guess that comes with the territory of being a celebrity,” I said.
“I do business with a lot of people and none of them are asked such banal questions,” he complained. “I’m out here trying to do actual business, and people want to know what I’m wearing. Who I’m dating? Are my eyes naturally this color? It’s fucking weird.”
I shouldn’t laugh at the man’s plight, but his problems seemed so trivial compared to the rest of the world. “I guess you’ll just have to prove to the world you’re more than a pretty face.”
“I’m trying,” he said. “That’s what this project is. I want people to take me seriously. They just assume this was my dad’s work. It’s mine, but they can’t see past my looks.”