Her Savior

by Sarah J. Brooks

  “Wow, that was deep,” Elaina added. “Stacy is right. You have nothing to lose now. He knows. There’s nothing left to hide. You need to go to that damn charity event.”

  These two were talking nonsense. Kevin had to totally hate me by this point. Whatever lies Cassandra had told him were still partial truths. I had lied to him. I had tricked him. Maybe not for the same reasons as he thought, but I did still lie.

  I couldn’t imagine any circumstance that would make him want to talk to me at all. Certainly, he didn’t really want me to come to the event after he had heard everything that Cassandra said I’d done.

  “Bruce, did he give the invitation to Cassandra before or after she told him all that horrible stuff?”

  “I think before,” he said as he tried to remember. “But he did ask her to give it to you before he left. So even after hearing what she said, he still wanted you to go. Do you want me to call her and get the invitation back for you? I’ll do it.”

  “No, it’s okay, she’s probably ripped it into pieces and thrown it away by now,” I said as I tried to think of what we could do. “Well, without an invitation, I won’t be able to get in. The event is seriously going to be huge. Lots of celebrities and things like that.”

  “Let’s worry about that later,” Elaina said as she grabbed the front desk phone.

  “What is she doing?” I asked Stacy as if she had any idea.

  We both stood there watching as Elaina hung up and dialed a different number. This time, someone answered.

  “Hey Kendal, are you going to the charity event for Kevin Fox? When is it?” she asked the person and then waited. “This weekend. Oh, yeah, what time?” she said as she smiled in my direction. “Thanks so much. Have a great time.”

  She hung up and smiled at me as if she’d just figured out something super secret. I loved how excited she got about silly things like this.

  “What did they say?”

  “It’s Saturday at seven o’clock at Kevin’s house. Bam, and that’s how you find out super secret celebrity information.”

  “Yep, Saturday at seven o’clock,” Bruce said as he held up an article in the newspaper.

  Stacy, Bruce, and I all burst out laughing. Bruce was trying to keep a straight face, but he just couldn’t do it. It was so funny how full of herself Elaina was and how the story was literally sitting on the top of Bruce’s newspaper.

  “Oh, shut up,” Elaina grumbled. “I’m going up to talk to the witch, and hopefully, keep my job. How about we plan on shopping for a dress Friday after work, and then Stacy and I will help with hair and makeup on Saturday?”

  “Who said I was going?” I said through my laughter.

  “Oh, you’re going. There’s no question about that. I’ve got a gift card for that new boutique with the fancy dresses. You can use it. I’ve got no need for that stuff.”

  “Elaina, that’s so sweet of you. But I’m sure I can find something in my closet.”

  “Absolutely not!” Stacy yelled at me as she was scanning the newspaper article. “It’s a black tie affair. We have to get you an amazing dress. Something that will literally make his jaw drop to the ground. He’ll be so distracted by your beauty that he will have no other option but to listen to your explanation of the events that took place when you met.”

  I liked the idea of dressing up in an amazing outfit. It would be so exciting to show up at the event looking like a million bucks. That way, even if Kevin and I didn’t work out, I’d still know that I knocked his socks off with my look.

  The problem I had was I didn’t have enough money for one of those expensive boutique dresses. Even with some sort of discount or gift card from Elaina, I couldn’t afford something like that.

  “It’s too expensive to go to one of these things. I don’t have any money,” I protested.

  “Stop it. We are making this happen, aren’t we Stacy?”

  “Damn right! We are doing this for you girl. Don’t even try to stop us. Someday when you’re rich and famous, you can pay us back.”

  The look in both of their eyes told me that there was going to be no arguing with them. I knew better than to even try. They had their minds set on getting me all dolled up for this event, and I was just going to have to go along for the ride.

  “Okay, but I’m going to pay you both back.”

  “Deal,” Elaina said as she walked toward the elevator. “Now say a little prayer that I don’t get fired.”

  “She’s not going to fire anyone,” I said with all the fake confidence I could muster.

  As Elaina went into the elevator, Stacy and I both looked at each other with wide eyes. It was entirely possible Elaina was about to get fired. With Cassandra, there was no way to know what she might do. Even when I thought she couldn’t get more evil than she already was, Cassandra always topped herself.

  Even if Cassandra didn’t fire me, I probably wouldn’t be able to stick around for much longer. There was no way Cassandra would give me a real chance now that she’d gotten involved in my personal life like she had.

  I still didn’t understand why she would say what she did. Unless she liked Kevin and wanted to try and go after him herself. There was no other logical reason for her totally making up lies about me and trying to make him hate me like she had done.

  “Should we get back to practice?” I said to Stacy as we turned toward the hallway where the rehearsal room was. “Might as well finish the choreography for this dance before I get canned,” I joked.

  “Yeah, let’s get this done. I can’t just stand here waiting for Elaina. This whole thing is so stressful. I’m so glad I have Camden and don’t have to deal with all this crazy boy drama.”

  “You are lucky, that’s for sure.”

  ***

  By Saturday morning, I was all hyped up and excited for the dance. Despite my ongoing fears that Kevin wouldn’t even let me into the event when I showed up, there was a small part of me that thought he’d at least let me tell him my side of things.

  The dress we picked out was insane. It was white and had this elaborate decoration all over that was a combination of hand-sewn beading and rhinestones. The skirt fit tight around my waist but then flared out with a flowing material that made me feel like a princess when I put it on. Amazingly, it fit me perfectly. There wasn’t a single detail I would change on it. Even though it was a little lower cut than I was used to, I still felt so beautiful in it that I didn’t mind, and I couldn’t wait to walk into the event and have that wow moment I’d always dreamed of.

  “I’ve got the perfect makeup style planned, and your hair is going to be amazing!” Stacy said as I walked through the front door to her apartment.

  We had already decided that getting dressed and ready at her place was going to be best. My apartment wasn’t exactly the sort of place you wanted to be with an expensive dress, and I definitely didn’t want to try and get all the way into town from my house once I was all ready. Stacy lived closer to town, and I could easily get a cab or Uber once I was ready.

  “I’m glad you know what you want to do because I literally have no idea.”

  “Did you shower today? Please tell me you haven’t showered already,” Elaina asked as if it was a huge crime if I had actually decided to get in the shower.

  “No, I wasn’t going to bother. I showered when I got home last night. Why? Is it that big a deal?”

  “I just didn’t want your hair to be freshly washed. It makes hair so much harder to deal with. I’ve got to put some product in now because it needs to dry naturally. Come sit down,” she ordered.

  It was fun having friends like Elaina and Stacy who I knew I could count on. They were going to fuss over me all day long and get me looking fabulous, which was exactly what I needed so I could spend the day thinking about what I was going to say to Kevin if I actually got him to talk to me.

  There was still a strong possibility that he wasn’t even going to agree to talk with me. He could be so angry that he didn’t even let me
into the party; there was no way to know for sure. The thing I kept holding onto was the intense passion the two of us had when we were next to each other. If I could just get myself close enough to him, I really did think there was a chance that I’d be able to tell my side of the story.

  My side of the story still had lying, so it was possible he would continue to hate me. But at least if I got a chance to tell my side of the story, I would be able to move on and know that I did everything I could.

  I had so much regret about the lies I’d told to Kevin. Being in his arms was by far the best feeling I’d had in a really long time. I was comfortable, more like myself than with any other man. If there was even the slightest of chances that we could make this work, I had to give it my all. I had to embarrass myself and tell him everything.

  Elaina appeared to be in charge of my hair as she continued to add products and mess around with it throughout the day. Stacy did the same with my face. There was face primer, serums, and foundations all needed before she even got started on the actual makeup.

  I literally sat with my eyes closed as Stacy worked on my eye makeup, and Elaina was tugging on my hair while she put it through the curling iron. I felt like one of those supermodels who has other people doing everything for them while they play on their phone and update their social media pages.

  By three o’clock, I was almost ready. Elaina had my hair all curled, and then she had clipped each of the curls to my head so they could cool off. Stacy was done with my makeup and was just applying a setting spray that would help it all stay in place. I expected to look like some overdone pop princess, but when they put a mirror in front of me, I was pleasantly surprised at how well my makeup had turned out.

  “Wow, I look like me, just airbrushed.” I laughed.

  “With the dress you picked, I wanted to keep everything natural yet fabulous,” Stacy said with pride as I admired her work in the mirror. “Do you like it?”

  “Yeah, I look like I could be famous. This is an amazing job, Stacy. Really, absolutely fantastic. I bet it will look really good in photos too. Not that I’m planning on taking a ton of those.”

  “I’ve been doing my stage makeup for so many years, but at home, I love to mess around with regular styles. He’s going to love it. Your makeup, your hair, and the dress; you are going to look so amazing,” she said as she started to tear up.

  “Come on now. Don’t start that,” I said and looked away. “We don’t want me to mess up this beautiful makeup.”

  “If he doesn’t fall in love with you tonight, there’s no hope for him,” Elaina added.

  “I love you guys. Thanks so much for pushing me to do this. No matter what happens tonight, I’m so grateful I have the two of you as friends. You give me the strength to do things like this, and I absolutely love you.”

  “Shit,” Stacy said as she started to cry, and instantly wiped the tears away. “I love you too.”

  “Okay, now let me finish your hair, and we will get you into your dress. Then I’ve got a surprise for you.”

  “What? I don’t think I can handle any surprises tonight.”

  “Oh, you’ll like this one,” Elaina said as she finished doing my hair.

  When we had finished all the priming and prepping, the doorbell rang almost as if it had been perfectly planned. Elaina jumped up and opened the door to the Chinese food delivery man. She handed him some cash and then held up the order as if it was some sort of prize.

  “We are going to eat some delicious food and have a few drinks so you are full and a little relaxed before you leave. I don’t want your nerves getting the best of you.”

  “I’m so hungry,” I said as I darted over to the table. “Thank you!”

  “Oh, and the real surprise is there is a limo coming to pick you up at seven o’clock and bring you to the event. I thought you’d have a better chance of getting in if you arrived in a limo.”

  “A limousine? All by myself? No, that’s too much Elaina. Cancel it; I can’t have you spending all your money. I’ll just take an Uber.”

  “It’s too late. I already paid for it! But you only have it for the ride to the event, so you’ll still have to get an Uber to come home. Unless you decide to spend the night,” she said with a playful wink.

  Chapter 14

  Kevin

  “Okay, Mark, if you are manning the front door, I need you to work with the security team and ensure only people with invitations who are on the list should be getting in. Okay?” Emily said firmly to Mark as we were finishing the final touches for the event.

  “What if they have an invitation but are not on the list?” he asked.

  “That shouldn’t happen, but use your best judgment. If they are famous, just let them in. If you have no idea who they are, let me know, and I’ll come decide. Okay?”

  “Okay, what if they are on the list and don’t have an invitation?”

  “Then let them in. If they just show up and forgot their invitation, and you know they are on the list, let them in. The security guard will be doing most of the work, but he will need you to give final say if he has any questions on who should come in and who should not. I’m going to be really busy. It would be much better if you could make the call on letting people in because it might take me a really long time to get to you.”

  Mark looked nervous as he and Emily finalized the front door rules. It was pretty funny how serious he was taking this job. I’d been impressed by how much effort he was putting into the charity and this event. He was passionate about helping, and I really needed that in my life at the moment.

  “Where do you need me?” Ed said as he and Barbra walked into the house.

  “Wow, you look amazing, Barbra. That’s some dress you’ve got there.” I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and shook hands with Ed as we walked toward the great room. “What I need you two to do is keep this room in party mode. The DJ will do most of the work, but we are going to have a few breaks to update on what’s going on in other areas. I’ve put a schedule by the mic over there. Other than that, I’m sure Emily will come find you if there’s anything else she needs help with.”

  “So basically you need us to drink and dance all night?” Ed asked.

  “Exactly. I want you two to have a great time. Be the first ones on the dance floor. Be the couple having the most fun, and everyone else will follow.”

  “I love this charity work.” Barbra laughed as she went over to the fully stocked bar and ordered a drink. “Ed, this is the best idea you’ve ever had. Kevin, if you need any more volunteers for the organization, I’m totally game to help more. Seriously, I love this and would be happy to help you with your goals.”

  “Thanks, I might just take you up on that. We will see how the night goes and if we get some funding to kick things off.”

  I gave Ed a quick pat on the back and then made my way to the kitchen to check in with Caroline and the catering team. Mark had offered up his restaurant for catering, and we were using them for appetizers that were being served outside. We also had a full-service caterer who offered me a big discount to try them out. I’d seen their work at a charity event a few months previous and was happy to give them a chance with my organization.

  “Everything is good here,” Caroline said before I even had a chance to ask questions. “We’ve got a tent out back with all of Mark’s people. They will keep the outside moving, and in here we got this wonderful team.”

  The kitchen was packed with a dozen waiters and waitresses as well as a couple of chefs who were too busy to turn around and acknowledge our conversation. It felt good. Everything about the event was on track and running as smoothly as I could possibly have hoped for, especially since we had set things up on such a last minute timeline.

  “Someone is arriving,” Mark yelled from the front door. “It’s only a quarter to seven.”

  “Calm down. It’s show time,” Emily said calmly as she had just walked into the kitchen and turned around to go back to the front door with M
ark.

  “Here we go,” I added as I went to the front to greet whoever was showing up first.

  There was no way I was going to be able to stay at the door all night long, but I could certainly manage to greet some of the first guests. This was it; this was the night I’d been waiting for, and I couldn’t help wishing that the first person arriving was one of the really big athletes I’d invited. A few minutes of one on one conversation with them would be fantastic.

  It wasn’t an athlete; instead, all the local politicians and big businesses were the first people to arrive. There was a steady stream of them for the first twenty minutes, and I should have known the people who were downtown the most would be the ones arriving on time. Most people who didn’t work in San Francisco on a daily basis totally underestimated how long it took to get through the city on a Saturday night.

  Greeting all the new arrivals was exciting but not nearly as fun as I’d imagined it being. When I was planning the event, I’d pictured Jenna standing with me and greeting everyone. I thought about how beautiful she would look and how much everyone was going to compliment her. But there I was, alone, trying to fumble through the process of making people feel comfortable when I didn’t feel comfortable myself.

  When I saw Cassandra walk up to the door, I tried to get away, but she had already spotted me.

  “Kevin, hi,” she yelled out toward me.

  “Hello,” I replied graciously. “Jenna decided not to come?”

  “You know. It was a little awkward for her. But I’m here. Would you mind showing me around? I’d love to hear more about your charity and the things you’ll be doing,” she said and then wrapped her arm around mine and started to walk with me.

  I didn’t necessarily want to be stuck talking to Cassandra, but it was better than greeting all the local politicians and their spouses. The politicians weren’t the ones that were going to be giving a lot of money, but they were a necessary part of building any successful business within the city; even if that business was going to be a charity.