by Taylor Hart
Ace nodded at Marla and Angie. “It was nice meeting you both.”
“Likewise,” Marla said. Angie just nodded, a star-struck expression on her face.
As Clarissa steered him away, Ace paused in what looked to be an afterthought, glancing back over his shoulder. “I’ll see you next Tuesday evening at six.”
Silver’s jaw went slack. “Huh? Where?”
“At your house, of course. To talk about the details of my dinner date.” Ace’s voice was firm, letting her know there’d be no escaping this.
“Okay,” she finally said, her thoughts a jumble as she watched him walk away.
“Well, that was interesting,” Marla said, giving her an insinuating look.
Silver arched an eyebrow. “I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said testily.
Marla clucked her tongue as she waved a hand. “Uh-huh. Sure, you don’t.” She let out a long sigh as she turned to Angie, a mischievous grin flittering over her lips. “All right, we’d better get back to work before the boss lady gets on her high horse.”
“Whatever.” Silver rolled her eyes, a wry grin curving her lips.
“In all seriousness, we probably should go check on the caterer, make sure America hasn’t put the poor woman into cardiac arrest.” Marla winked at Silver. “Have fun hobnobbing with the high society peeps. We’ll take care of the lowly stuff in the back.”
Even though Marla could be a pain in the butt at times, she was a terrific assistant, often solving a problem before Silver was even aware it existed. If the truth be known, Marla was more like a big sister than an employee. Which is why Marla got such great satisfaction out of needling her.
As Marla and Angie left, Silver tried to organize her thoughts, going through her mental checklist. The photographer was pacified … thankfully. Marla would oversee the catering. The security guards were in place, as were the greeters on standby to answer any questions guests might have. She glanced at the stage. The sound. She needed to make sure that was okay. She stepped over to the stage where the techs were working. “How’s it going?”
The head guy gave her a thumbs up. “We’re all good to go.”
Thank goodness! Big sigh of relief. “That’s great.” She turned her back to the workers, pulled out her phone, and sent Marla a text.
Have you checked on America and Malcolm?
Malcolm Davis, a well-known black comedian, was the other emcee. Thankfully, he was the opposite of America. Malcolm was kind and gracious, putting those around him at ease.
Marla texted right back:
They’re good to go.
With nothing left to check on, Silver allowed herself a minute to relax. She replayed the conversation with Ace, still finding it hard to believe that he’d gotten her this event. Now that he’d done something nice, she was more conflicted about him than ever. Even though she’d never admit it out loud, she’d followed his career since he signed on with the Dallas Titans. She knew that June was Ace’s month off from training, that he’d bought a big house in a swanky neighborhood outside of Dallas called The Reserve, and that other football players from the Titans had homes there as well. Silver had seen several pictures of Ace online, various beauties hanging on his arm as he frequented clubs and restaurants. The Ace she remembered didn’t go for the nightclub scene, but people change. She sure as heck had changed since high school. Her thoughts flitted to Gracie getting into The Wexton Academy. She’d have to figure out the tuition payments, but at least she had a couple of months to work on that. Her brow furrowed. She still couldn’t believe Ace roped her into doing the dinner for his stupid date. Then again, she probably owed him that much for getting her this event. She hadn’t even realized Ace knew she was an event planner. He said he was coming to her house this Tuesday. Did he even know where she lived? The prospect of seeing him again sent a buzz through her, but she squelched it flat. There was no way she was getting involved with Ace again. No matter how good he looked or how attracted to him she was, it just couldn’t happen. The sooner she got that through her head, the better. She wasn’t an idealistic high schooler anymore. She had a business to deal with and most importantly, Gracie.
She glanced at her phone. It was time for the event to start. As soon as the thought entered her mind, guests started flowing through the doors. In the corner, there was an open bar and appetizers. The plan was for guests to mingle for the first thirty minutes. At the start of the sit-down dinner, the emcees would make their grand appearance to introduce a motivational speaker who’d deliver the keynote speech. Afterwards, the long-awaited bachelor auction would take place.
Silver recognized the lady coming her direction as one of the gala committee members. She straightened her dress and plastered on her best professional smile.
Showtime.
Continue Reading HERE.
Also by Taylor Hart
Bachelor Billionaire Romances
The Country Groom
The Unfinished Groom
The Barefoot Groom
The Masquerading Groom
The Christmas Groom
Rescue Me: Park City Firefighter Romance (A Bachelor Billionaire Companion)
The Lost Groom
The Undercover Groom
The Last Play Series
Last Play
The Rookie
Just Play
A Player for Christmas
Second String
End Zone
Hail Mary
Snow Valley Series
A Christmas in Snow Valley: The Christmas Eve Kiss
Summer in Snow Valley: First Love
Spring in Snow Valley: The Bet
About the Author
Taylor Hart has always been drawn to a good love triangle, hot chocolate and long conversations with new friends. Writing has always been a passion that has consumed her dreams and forced her to sit in a trance for long hours, completely obsessed with people that don’t really exist. Taylor would have been a country star if she could have carried a tune—maybe in the next life. Find Taylor at:
www.taylorhartbooks.com │ Twitter: @taylorfaithhart │ Facebook: Taylor Hart