Inside, beautiful people wearing beautiful clothing walked around the hotel. We dropped our coats off at the coat check, and for the rest of the night, there would be no way to tell that we didn’t belong with the rich and famous.
I smoothed the silk fabric on my dark blue gown, glad I had listened to Lydia’s advice on renting the dress. My go-to little black dress would not have fit in with all the designer gowns walking around. I would have felt incredibly out of place.
“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!” Lydia bounced up and down and pointed. “It’s Layla Falls! She’s here!”
“Who?” Jane asked, looking around. “Who fell?”
“No, Layla Falls, the movie star,” Lydia explained, pointing Jane in the right direction. “She just released a new movie. She’s so famous.”
Lydia looked like she might faint with joy.
“I doubt you’ll get close to her,” I told her, pointing to the three men in dark suits wearing earpieces that stood beside the movie star.
“Oh, I will,” Lydia assured me. “We’re going to be best friends by the end of the night.”
“You say she’s famous?” Jane asked. “I don’t recognize her.”
“You don’t recognize anyone if they aren’t a French Post-Impressionist painter,” Lydia replied to our friend. “She was in that action movie this summer. She’s rumored to be making a medical drama next, so being here is probably research. Hospitals and all.”
“Oh, I think I remember her now,” Jane replied. She watched the actress for a moment and then shook her head, obviously still not recognizing her. “I’ll go find us a table.”
“Lizzie, can you teach me some medical words?” Lydia asked, watching her hero smile for the cameras across the room. “Maybe I can be an adviser to the film or something.”
“I need a drink,” I said, looking around the lobby for an escape from my sister. There was supposed to be an open bar, and if I was going to deal with my sister going after Layla all night, I was going to need some alcohol.
Lydia didn’t even notice I had gone as I made my way to the bar. She just stared at her movie star dream with big eyes and hopeful sighs.
The bar was easy enough to find. It was where everyone was congregating. I looked around, taking in the sights. Everyone looked polished and rich. Lydia was right about me needing more mascara to fit in here. It felt like a very different world than the one of scrubs and stethoscopes I was comfortable with.
Jane waved to me from across the lobby as she and Lydia found a table. They were the only familiar faces in the crowd. I worked as a Cardiac ICU nurse, and the only reason I would ever interact with the people at this party was if they had a heart attack. I wasn’t quite sure I would ever fit in with this level of wealth, or given the amount of makeup I was forced to wear to be here if I even wanted to.
“Two martinis and one long island ice tea, please,” I informed the bartender once it was my turn. He quickly went to making my drinks as I waited patiently by the bar. I stood there, minding my own space when someone bumped directly into me, nearly knocking me over.
He was tall, dark, and handsome with eyes the color of the sea after a storm. I could have fallen in love with him right there, except for the dirty look he was shooting me. He glared at me like it was my fault for being in his way when he wasn’t looking where he was going.
It was typical entitled rich guy. He thought he owned the world. There was no way I was apologizing for his mistake, though, so I just smiled sweetly up at him. “Can I help you?”
He made an annoyed sound and continued on his way. It was a shame he was a jerk. The man was good looking, and if he was at this party, probably rich. Unfortunately, he was obviously way too full of himself to apologize. He walked away with more swagger than any man deserved. Especially after being the bumper, not the bumpee.
My drinks arrived, and I managed to carry all three of them over the table without spilling. Lydia took a big sip while Jane thanked me.
“What should we do next?” I asked, taking a sip of my drink. It was nice and strong. I was going to have a great night.
“Let’s go look at the silent auction,” Jane suggested. “We can bid on the items while they’re still in our price range and feel like we’re helping to raise funds for the hospitals.”
I chuckled. The silent auction was going to be full of things we could never hope to afford, but it still sounded like fun to go and see what they had.
“You two can do that,” Lydia said, picking up her already half-empty drink and looking around the room. “I’m going to go mingle. I need to make friends with Layla.”
“Good luck,” I replied as she fluffed her hair. She put her chin up and walked away with a mission.
“Do you think she’ll find someone to make her famous?” Jane asked.
“She’ll probably have as much luck at it as we will winning something from the auction,” I replied with a shake of my head. I wasn’t betting on either.
Chapter 2
“Lizzie, it’s a Gustave Loiseau,” Jane gasped, her hand to her mouth as she stared in wonder at lot number 327 of the auction. A lovely seascape hung on the wall. I could almost smell the warm sea air coming from the white sandy cliffs.