Page 151 of Faithful

The Coulter Foundation. A nonprofit William established a few years ago to honor his late wife who died from cancer.

“Is he a fan or something?” I mutter, feeling a little threatened by Rory’s impeccable attire and gorgeous looks.

“Oh yeah.” Winona hands me her phone with Rory’s Instagram account that showcases a good number of Iodine-related posts.

“Someone’s jealous,” Val says in a singsong voice.

The interns are starting to catch on. One of them has that light-bulb look on her face when her eyes intercept the trajectory of my stare.

“You should talk to him.” Gin reaches out to pat my shoulder, ignoring what’s going on in the front of the room.

Leigh fumbles with my bow tie as if it needs fixing.

Winona nods rapidly.

Val shoves my boss’s iPad at me again with a photo of Lena Kalchin at a Pride parade with a rainbow-colored flag in her hand.

People around me are clapping now because my father is finally taking the stage. He’s imposing, a solid six-foot-four figure wrapped in a custom-made suit, oozing money, charisma, and entitlement.

I turn to Gavin, then back to Kai.

Rory has finally left him alone and is rushing to his table. The guests are glued to the person about to speak, and no one is paying attention to me or the rest of my group. We are in the rear of the hall anyway.

My phone vibrates against my palm.

I look down at the screen.

K: Me too

I really want to do something crazy right now

K: ????

Do you trust me?

K: I’m here, aren’t I?

I tear my gaze from the device and stare at the man standing across from me on the other side of this massive room, smiling at the audience and telling them lies about God’s will and blessings.

My stomach churns.

That’s when a hand touches my arm and I realize it’s Gin. Her face is calm, her lips tilted upward a little, and there’s reassurance in her eyes.

“It’s okay, Dylan,” she says, her voice barely audible behind the rumble of Gavin’s words. It’s as if she knows what I’m thinking and she’s okay with that, with me making more splashes tonight. “He’s already here.”

Heart thundering, I get up from my chair, pick up the paper flower I just made on a whim, and start walking in the direction of the table Kai’s occupying.

My father’s still speaking, but I note that many heads are turning my way.

I catch Gavin mentioning something from the Bible again, and then he stutters. For the first time ever, he stutters in public.

I want to look back at the stage and see his expression, but I don’t let myself get distracted.

I simply cross the room and stand in front of Kai, nervous.

The concerned whispers in the banquet hall have grown louder and are now cutting into Gavin’s speech.

Fabric rustles.

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