Page 66 of Check the Halls
“Yeah?”
A loud scraping sound comes from the exit and weboth take a big step back. Away from each other. The door opens, loud music spilling into the quiet night from inside.
“There you are,” Beth appears in the doorway, with Foster right behind her. They step onto the balcony.
“Don’t let the door close!” Maddy shouts and Foster, with his lightning fast reflexes, manages to grab it just before it locks us all out once again.
“The doors locked from the outside,” I explain.
“Are you two okay?” Beth asks, looking between us, her face etched with worry.
“We’re fine, but we should get Maddy back inside to warm up.” I should be happy that they rescued us, but I can’t help but feel annoyed by the interruption.
Beth and Foster exchange a look but don’t say anything.
“Is everything okay?” They’re acting weird.
“We’ve got a bit of a situation,” Foster tells me, finally.
“Did someone get too drunk?” I ask, though it’s unlikely. Most of my teammates have a high tolerance and we’ve only been here an hour or so.
“No,” Beth frowns. “More like a party crasher situation.”
A party crasher? Before I can ask her what she means, the door is opened farther and a familiar figure joins us in the cold.
A ghost from my past saunters towards me and I’m so dumbfounded I just stand there, in shock as she wraps her arms around my neck and presses a kiss to my lips. I turn my head the second she makes contact and her mouth slides to my cheek.
Instead of looking at the woman with her arms stillaround me, I turn to Maddy, finding the colour has drained from her face.
Valentina uses her thumb to wipe at my cheek, probably in an attempt to remove the lipstick stain she just gave me. “Happy birthday, baby,” she coos.
CHAPTER 22
MADDY
“Are you ready?” Chanda asks, poking her head into my office just as I’m logging out of my laptop.
“So ready!” I push myself to stand with so much force that my desk chair slams into the wall behind me making both of us jump. I grab my coat and start to walk to the elevator. The fact that my boss needs to jog to keep up with me tells me that I’m speedwalking.
“Sorry,” I say, forcing myself to slow down. “Guess I’m just eager to go.” Or eager to get this over with.
The Star of Christmas Gala is just over six weeks away, and most of the big-ticket items are already checked off my list. Invitations? Sent weeks ago. Menus? Approved and sent to the caterers. Décor? Locked in, from the towering fir tree in the lobby to the glittering centerpieces that will catch the light just so. On paper, it looks like smooth sailing.
But this is the stage in planning where everything either comes together or falls apart.
Back at my desk, there is an avalanche of swatches offabric, seating charts, and a schedule that looks like a game of Tetris.
Throwing myself into this event has been my lifeline. Every moment spent planning, organizing, and perfecting it keeps me from obsessing about the things I’d rather not think about.
Like how despite not hearing from Derek again, his mother has left me eight voicemails, each angrier than the last.
Or how I’ve been avoiding my mom’s calls since I called off my engagement because I can’t handle her being disappointed in me.
Most of all, how it felt standing on that frozen balcony three days ago watching the long-legged goddess put her hands and mouth on Ben.
I’d gotten out of there as quickly as humanly possible. I wished Ben a happy birthday, thanked Beth for inviting me, and fled so quickly I’d almost forgotten my coat. I walked the three blocks to Ben’s condo, grateful for the cold night air for drying my stinging eyes.
The next morning, I’d woken to concerned texts from both Beth and Ben. She apologized for the way the evening went and asked if I wanted to grab a cup of coffee. The truth is, I would have loved to have said yes. I would give anything to be able to talk to someone I trust about the cyclone of confusion that is my mind right now. But as much as I love her company, pursuing a friendship with Beth is just too difficult right now. So I wrote to her to say that I was really busy but I’d reach out when things calmed down.
