by Jenna Brandt
“I think it would give you a chance to be around the people we associate with and figure out if any of them are involved with the fires. You couldn’t ask for a better opportunity to observe them.”
Christian knew that the arsonist was connected to the Williams family; closely enough that they were able to know Megan’s interests and habits. He wasn’t one for uppity social gatherings, filled with rich snobs that thought buying $5000 a plate dinners for a random, invented cause suddenly made them good people. Although in this case, the community center really was a good cause and could benefit from the fundraiser. Plus, it would give him an excuse to see Megan again. He wasn’t sure how it happened yesterday, but when he saw her crying and how her heart poured out for the people in Birch Heights, it made him realize that the woman he had fallen for two years ago wasn’t all made up. She was a substantial piece of who Megan really was, and he wanted to spend more time with her because of what he saw. He’d almost kissed her before her father interrupted. If he hadn’t, Christian was certain he would have made the move. His training told him to keep it strictly professional, but his heart was making that nearly an impossible task.
“I suppose I can come for a while,” Christian conceded. “Why don’t you text me the details.”
“You do have something to wear, don’t you? It’s a black-tie affair,” Mr. Williams pointed out. “I wouldn’t want you showing up in your work uniform and cause the guests to feel uncomfortable. If money’s an issue, I could have my personal stylist pull some options for you.”
“No, that won’t be necessary. I’ve got it covered,” Christian said, trying to hide his irritation at the billionaire’s presumption he couldn’t manage to dress himself for a formal event. As it happened, he had bought a tuxedo for his fellow DCSRA instructor Ted Hendricks’ wedding two weeks ago. Afterward he had it dry-cleaned, and it was currently hanging in his closet ready to wear.
After getting ready and dropping Cinder off at the DCSRA kennel, he made the half hour trip to The Jewel Hotel where the gala was being hosted. As he handed his car off to the valet, the nerves started to set in. He worried if the people he encountered tonight were going to tolerate him or treat him like a leper. He didn’t grow up poor, but his family was upper middle-class, at best. Nothing in his life prepared him for something like this. Christian could hold his own with a room of firefighters—training K9 arson investigating teams was his job after all—but he wasn’t sure if he could tolerate being around people like Mr. Williams all night long.
Once inside the lobby, he glanced at his watch. He was a half hour early, which was good because he’d be able to watch the guests as they arrived. He could figure out who he wanted to talk to inside once the gala was under way.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Megan standing in the far corner of the lobby. She looked gorgeous in a sapphire floor-length gown that enhanced her shapely body perfectly. The strapless dress was accented by a solitaire diamond teardrop necklace and a pair of matching earrings. Refreshingly simple, compared to what he suspected the rest of the women would be wearing tonight.
It was only a couple of moments later that he noticed that she was heatedly talking to a man he didn’t recognize. The tall blond man looked angry as he shook his fist at her. Instantly, Christian’s protective nature set in, prompting him to dart towards them. There was no way he was going to let someone treat Megan that way, if he had anything to do about it.
“You shouldn’t have come here tonight, Chad,” Megan said in a weary tone, hating the fact that he thought he had a right to come, ruining a night that was very important to her. “I know you don’t care about the community center. You told me I should quit volunteering there—that the people in Birch Heights don’t deserve anything better. It was one of the reasons I broke up with you.”
“You know that was stupid on your part, but we can easily correct it,” the other man coaxed, placing his hand on the side of her arm.
“No, we can’t. I’d rather be alone than with someone who thinks and acts like you do. I want to be better, do better.” Frustrated with herself for ever letting him get close, she pulled away and stepped back. With his slicked-back blond hair and green eyes, the women in her social circle acted like she landed the perfect man, but what they didn’t know was that Chad was spoiled and had a temper to match. The year they had dated had been the worst year of her life, and he didn’t make it any better for her. She just wanted him out of her life for good. “You should leave. Don’t make me get security.”
“You can’t kick a guest out of the gala. How will that look? If one reporter snaps a picture, you’ll be right back in the negative light they love to shine on you.”
“If I didn’t know any better, I would say that sounds like a threat, Chad,” she snapped at him.
“Baby, I didn’t mean it that way,” he said in a flirty voice that made Megan’s stomach churn with disgust. “I just want to stay and patch things up.”
“That’s not going to happen,” Christian stated firmly as he stepped in between Megan and Chad, surprising everyone involved. “She’s asked you to leave, and you’re going to do what she says.”
Her eyes darted to Christian’s, shocked not only that he was there, but that he was intervening on her behalf.
“And who exactly do you think you are?” Chad challenged as his eyes narrowed into slits.
“He’s my boyfriend,” Megan blurted out before she could stop herself. Then doubling down on the exaggeration, she wrapped her arm through Christian’s and leaned into his tall frame. She was relieved when he didn’t pull away, hoping he understood what she was doing and why.
“Your what?” Chad seethed out in anger. “I’ve been keeping tabs on you, and I know full well you don’t have a boyfriend.”
“It’s a recent development,” she quickly added. “And we’re keeping it quiet until we’re ready to go public with it.”
“So as you can see, there’s no reason for you to be here,” Christian pointed out before turning to Megan and placing a gentle kiss on her lips. She’d always wondered what it would be like to kiss Christian, and even though she knew it was to convince Chad of their charade, she couldn’t help but lean into it a little. She enjoyed the feel of his lush lips on hers. Sooner than she would have liked, he pulled back and whispered against her mouth. “We should probably get inside, Megan. You have hosting duties.”
“I don’t believe this. You’re refusing to get back with me because of him?” Chad asked in disbelief as he eyed Christian up and down. “I can tell just from his tuxedo and shoes; he isn’t in your league, Megan. Where did you find him, on some dating app for mediocrity?”
Megan nearly choked at the mention of a dating app. There was no way she was going to admit that Chad was partially right. “Christian is an investigator and he’s handling a case for my family.”
“A P.I.! You’re telling me that you’re picking him over me? I can’t believe what I’m hearing. You really have lost it, Megan. I knew you were messed up after Heidi’s death, but I didn’t think you would sink this low. What will everyone think?”
Megan pushed her shoulders back, angry that Chad would bring Heidi’s death into the matter. “You don’t know anything about Christian. He’s a good man; kind and caring and excellent at his job, which is more than I can say for you. Aren’t you still living off your trust fund from your grandfather? That is, unless you spent it all by now.”
“Why you little…” Chad threw his champagne glass on the ground, the rage clear in his eyes as he raised his fist in the air. Megan waited for his knuckles to land across her cheek, knowing that it was the next consistent step after he threw something; however, the blow never came.
Christian’s arm darted out and grabbed the other man’s wrist mid-air. “Whatever you were about to do would be a mistake, and it would be your last. You better leave before I call the authorities.”
Chad yanked his arm away, glaring at them both through narrowed eyes. �
�I don’t need to stand here and take this anymore. I have better places to be,” he growled out, before spinning around and storming out of the lobby.
“I hope no one paid any attention to that,” Megan said, glancing around, relieved that the altercation and Chad’s tantrum hadn’t drawn attention from the people entering the hotel. “Thanks for going along with that.”
“Going along with what?” he asked with raised eyebrows. “I can’t say I minded being your pretend boyfriend. Kind of makes me wonder what it would be like to be your real one.”
Megan bit her lip as she let her eyes drift up and meet Christian’s again. She could see the desire in them; for a moment, she thought he might kiss her again, and for real this time.
Before it could happen, though, one of the workers rushed up and interrupted, asking Megan a last-minute question about the gala set-up. Once the worker hurried off towards the ballroom, Christian gestured towards the hall. “I guess it was the truth that you needed to get inside for your hosting duties. I don’t want to keep you from raising money for the community center.”
It was refreshing to have someone by her side that actually believed in the same things she did. “Thank you, but everything’s under control.”
“I don’t want to make you feel any worse, but I keep replaying what happened with that Chad guy. What was wrong with him? I can’t believe you ever got involved with someone like that.”
“It was a mistake,” Megan admitted. “My head wasn’t in the right place and I was in pain.”
“Was it because of me?”
She could hear the regret in Christian’s voice, and she wanted to make him feel better, but she wasn’t willing to lie to do it. “Partly. I was really hurt when you ended things with me the way you did. I didn’t know what I had done wrong, and I rushed into a relationship with Chad when he showed interest. I think I wanted to prove to myself that someone wanted me. But what happened between us wasn’t the only reason I made the stupid decision about Chad. I was also dealing—badly I might add—with my friend’s death, and everything that happened because of it.”
“I’m sorry, Megan. You deserved better than how I treated you.”
Megan swallowed several times, trying to work up the nerve to ask him what she’d always wanted to know, ever since the moment he walked back into her life. “Why did you stop talking to me?”
“I’m ashamed to admit it; I gave in to outside influences. When I saw the articles in the news and on social media about your friend’s death and the role they claimed you played in it, I was worried you weren’t the woman I’d gotten to know.”
“Why didn’t you ask me about what happened? You could have at least given me a chance to explain,” Megan said, trying to hide the hurt in her voice, but knowing she wasn’t doing a good job of it.
“You’re right; I should have. I handled everything wrong. I convinced myself that it was easier to end things because we hadn’t met in person or made anything official yet. I thought I was keeping us both from getting hurt, but the truth was, I was just acting rash. I can see now that I’ve spent time with you in person over the past week, you’re not who they portrayed you to be. You’re exactly the woman I fell for through our emails, texts, and phone calls, maybe even more mature because of what you went through. I know I don’t deserve it, Megan, but I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.”
She had tried to convince herself this whole time that she didn’t know why Christian broke things off with her. If she were honest with herself, she’d always wondered if it was because he had found out about Heidi’s death and her involvement. The timing had always been in the back of her mind, and now he confirmed exactly what she had always known.
“Even though I wasn’t responsible for Heidi’s death, there was more I could have done to help save her. I have had to own that and ask her parents to forgive me for not being a better friend to their daughter. They were generous enough to do so. How could I possibly not do the same for you?”
Christian beamed with relief. “Really? You don’t know how happy I am to hear that. I just wish my stupidity hadn’t resulted in you having to put up with Chad. How long ago did you break up with him? He doesn’t seem to take a hint.”
“We were off and on for over a year. I finally cut it off clean, or at least tried to, six months ago when he threw something at me. He claimed he was drunk and it was an accident, but I couldn’t keep dating him after that.”
“Do you think it’s possible that he might be the arsonist?”
Megan rocked back on her heels, shocked by the suggestion. “I don’t know. He’s got an awful temper, as you probably could tell from how he just acted.”
“He’s the first real candidate that we’ve come across. I’ll call the police in the morning and have them look into his whereabouts during the fires.”
“If he is behind them, I doubt he did it himself. He’s not the type to get his hands dirty—he’d hire someone else to do it for him.”
“Then we’ll need to question him. I’ll take care of it tomorrow. In the meantime, let’s get you inside that ballroom.”
Megan stopped moving and placed her hand on his arm. “I just remembered, you didn’t tell me why you’re here.”
“Your father invited me. He thinks it would be a good idea for me to meet the people you socialize with, to hopefully get some idea of who might be behind the fires.”
“I wouldn’t call it socializing, as much as swimming in a pool full of Piranhas. You’re going to have your work cut out for you tonight, if you plan to survive with your sanity still intact.”
“It can’t be that bad,” Christian protested as they finished the final walk down the hall.
“You have no idea what you’re in for,” Megan paused in front of two ornate wooden doors that lead into the ballroom, then pushed them open to reveal a massive room with vaulted ceilings. Every inch was covered in black and gold decorations, with pictures of the community center artfully sprinkled around the room on easels. “Welcome to the lion’s den.”
5
As the guests arrived in the ballroom, Christian noticed that all of the men and women who were entering the party were decked out in formal clothes that looked like they cost more than his yearly income. The women were dripping in diamonds and gold with their hair piled high in fancy up-dos.
“Am I dressed okay?” Christian leaned over and asked in a worried whisper.
Megan tilted her head to the side, her brows coming together in confusion. “You look great. Why would you ask that?”
“Because this tux didn’t cost the same as a small car, and I don’t want to embarrass you. Suffice it to say, I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth. I’m worried your friends are going to see I don’t belong and hate that I’m here by your side.”
“You shouldn’t worry about that—I don’t have a lot of friends here, anyway. Besides, they treat everyone equally abhorrently; just ignore them if they get obnoxious.”
Christian hoped he could do that, considering it wasn’t often he was at events filled with people he didn’t know. Every time she introduced him to a new gala guest, he was surprised by the names he recognized. Billionaires, anchormen, the police commissioner and fire chief, and even the mayor were all in attendance. The gala guests were a who’s who of the Dallas upper crust society.
“Miss Williams, we need you to go up on the stage and welcome your guests,” the party coordinator insisted as she came up beside them. “You should remind them about the silent auction and what all of the money will be going towards.”
Megan nodded her head. “Of course, you’re right, Betty. I’ll take care of it right now.” She turned to face Christian, giving him a warm smile. “If you’ll excuse me for a moment, I’ll be right back.”
Christian watched as Megan climbed the steps and took her spot behind the microphone. “Welcome, everyone, to the first annual Birch Heights Community Center gala. I’m so glad all of you decided to come ou
t this evening and join us in this well-deserved endeavor. Originally, this gala was planned to raise funds to provide clean drinking water for the area. Since Birch Heights is located in a flood plain, it’s been cost prohibitive to build a levee around the community to keep the drinking water from becoming contaminated by runoff. With the average household in the area having limited income, it makes it impossible for residents to afford bottled water, leaving the community in a difficult situation. With the unexpected fire that destroyed the Birch Heights Community Center a few days ago, however, the fundraising has been changed to building a new center first. Without it, the youth in the area don’t have a safe place to go to during the summers or after school. There will be no tutoring, no enrichment activities, and no daycare for those that need it most. If all of you are generous tonight, and I know you all can be, then we can raise enough money, not only to rebuild the center, but put in the much-needed levee. I know all of you have already given just by being here, but there’s still more you can do. Please, take some time to view the silent auction items and place your bids. You can also download the Birch Heights Give Back app that was freshly created for this event, and real-time donate. This will also allow you to see the amount that we are accumulating to help support those most in need. I want to thank each and every one of you for being here tonight. Please enjoy the food and drinks, as well as the music provided by Purely Blue.”
Megan exited the stage while the band took their spots behind their instruments. The smooth sound of jazz filled the room as guests turned and formed groups, talking amongst themselves, while servers weaved in and out, passing out appetizers and drinks.
“Are you ready to check out a few guests and see what you can find out?” Megan asked as she wrapped her arm through Christian’s.
He resigned himself to the fact that he wasn’t getting out of this. “Lead the way.”
After meeting the first several sets of people, Christian was beginning to find that it wasn’t as bad as he thought it was going to be. The gala guests would eye him with curiosity as she made introductions, but for the most part they were cordial. A few seemed to think it odd, giving them perplexed looks, while others seemed to be intrigued by the notion that they were friends.