Page 129 of Hounded: Ashes to Ashes

“Did you guys get the tables?” I asked him when really I wanted to know where my boyfriend had snuck off to and how long my stomach would have to growl before I could fill it.

Whitney’s blond brows knit together as he sidled up to Sully and hooked an arm around her waist.

“Tables?” he asked.

I frowned. “That’s what Loren said. From the closet?”

He looked from me to Sully as if I wasn’t making a bit of sense.

“Where would we even…?” Something in Sully’s gaze brought his response to a halt, and a strange sort of awareness overtook his features. “Right. Yes. We got them. Everything’s ready.”

Sully smiled and tugged his face to hers for a kiss. She whispered something that might have been “thank you,” and they were so damn cute I didn’t mind having my lunch plans delayed for another few minutes.

The three of us loitered in silence, watching pedestrians passing the gallery’s windowed front while white-coated caterers flitted about inside, when suddenly everything stopped. Technically, the caterers stopped, and why were there so many of them? At least ten men and women in matching jackets, which seemed like it had doubled since the last time I counted.

Music played in the Urban Easel most of the time. It was ambient, soft and abstract, like what you’d hear on a phone call hold or in an elevator. It never had words. But now, with the worker bees brought to an abrupt halt in their positions aroundthe gallery, the sound turned up, and the opening lyrics of “Make Me Lose Control” rang out of the hidden speakers.

The caterers started to move with such poise and purpose I began to wonder if they were caterers at all. It was a dance, coordinated to the beat of the song, and I found myself beaming with delight.

“Oh, my god, it’s a flashmob,” I whispered.

The men and women partnered up for lifts and spins, weaving around the partition walls and seeming to fill the gallery with twirling bodies.

I giggled and clutched the clipboard to my chest, speaking softly as though I would scare them off. “Lore’s gotta see this.”

Sully swayed to bump her shoulder into mine. The contact prompted me to glance at her. Her smile from earlier had returned in force, and her eyes crinkled. “I think he’s a little preoccupied at the moment.”

“Huh?”

She tipped her chin toward something behind me, and I turned to see Loren standing near the side of the room. He’d changed out of his sweater and jeans into a gray suit that showcased his svelte form. Square shoulders, lean arms, a tapered waist, and legs for days.

He wrung his hands at his waist, looking so flushed and nervous I feared he might faint. Pulling away from Sully and Whitney, I trotted over to him while the catering crew continued to prance the open floor.

Considering his outfit, timely absence, and reappearance in the snazzy getup, I hardly had to ask.

“Did you do this?”

He nodded, causing glossy hair to spill down his chest.

I snagged his arm and pulled myself up to kiss his cheek as it blistered with heat. Turning toward the performance in progress, I kept my grip on him and laid my head on his bicep.

“It’s amazing,” I gushed.

He brought his other hand over to clasp my wrist, and I thought I felt him tremble. “I hate it,” he mumbled. “I don’t know any of these people.”

A laugh bubbled out of me. “Didn’t you hire them?”

He bounced one shoulder. “Sully helped.”

The thought of Loren searching the internet or, knowing him, flipping through a phonebook in search of a dance troupe to perform for my exhibition was equal parts amusing and endearing. I didn’t doubt Sully was eager to assist. She had wanted a celebration, and this definitely counted. Though, I wondered why they planned it now instead of after guests arrived this evening. Something like this deserved a crowd. More than just me.

The song was half over by the time I glanced at Loren again. He was rigid, gripping my wrist and facing forward and sweating as hard as ifhewere the one jumping and darting about.

I reached up to pat his cheek and stir him to awareness. “Are you okay? I don’t think I've ever seen your face so red.”

His eyes found mine, first round and wide, then soft. It was the same way he looked when we talked about our future. About getting old.

Then, he took a step back and dropped gracefully to one knee.

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