Alexa, one of her assistants, mouthed a question at Tori and she nodded her response. Then Alexa pitched in to help Heath. “I have a few minutes before I have to head over to the park to make sure the set up for the opening ceremony is on track. I feel awful that you guys are stuck doing all these bags.”
He shrugged. “Looks like you all have your hands full.”
After collecting one of each item in a tote, she set it in a large box with the other bags Heath had put together. “Always. She turns down brides from other parts of the state all the time. Tori does amazing parties, and apparently, the word’s gotten out. Everyone wants her.”
So did he but not in the way Alexa meant. He smiled to himself. What Tori had created here was impressive. Hell, all he had to do in his job was either throw, catch or hit one ball. She had to juggle a dozen of them at once. “Why doesn’t she expand into a bigger market, like Orlando or Jacksonville?”
Alexa stopped what she was doing. “I don’t think she’d like all the competition. She told me once she likes being a big fish in a little pond.”
Callie, another assistant, came in with lunch from Kitty’s Cantina, a welcome break. After they finished the bags, it was time to head to the opening ceremony.
Tori huffed as she rooted around in her purse. “I can’t find my keys.”
Heath pulled the ring out of his pocket and held it up for her to see. “I’m driving, remember?”
She smacked her forehead. “Right. We’d better go, or we’ll be late.”
“Tori,” Callie called from her desk. “There’s a lady on line two who insists she must speak to you now. She’s getting married in a few weeks and says she’ll pay whatever you want to plan the reception.”
“A few weeks? Nothing like waiting until the last minute. Tell her I’ll call her back,” Tori said.
Callie shook her head. “Tried that. She won’t take no for an answer.”
Tori threw Heath an apologetic smile.
He waved away her concern. “No worries. Talk to the lady.”
While Tori tended to her new client, Heath took the opportunity to step outside and phone his agent.
Jim skipped the hello and went right for the punch. “What the hell took you so long to call? I have to tell the team manager something today.”
Heath’s lunch rumbled in his gut. If the team learned Heath needed Tommy John surgery and wouldn’t be able to pitch for a year or more, they were within their rights to end his contract. And there was always the chance the surgery wouldn’t work, and his career could be over. He cringed at the sobering thought. “What are my options?”
“You’re contractually obligated to inform them about the surgery, so I’ll draft a letter. Beyond that, you could request a year off and hope they’ll go for it. Or we could put out the word to other teams.”
Jim was a Harvard educated lawyer, and Heath trusted him implicitly. “I’ll do whatever you advise.”
“I say we let them play the first card.”
His livelihood and lifestyle hung in the balance. He sucked in a deep breath. “Okay. Let me know as soon as you hear back.”
Tori came outside a minute after he’d hung up. They were already almost half an hour late.
When they arrived at the Sherwood House, Heath marveled at the set-up. A giant tent was decked out with balloons and streamers to the east of the large maze. There had to be at least a thousand guests milling around inside and out as a jazz band played in the gazebo.
A distant memory barged into his mind.
It was Labor Day, shortly after he’d made varsity on Cat’s Paw Cove High’s baseball team his sophomore year. The marching band was doing a concert at the gazebo, and he and his teammates were hanging out, enjoying the annual event. He had his arm around Jessica, a girl he’d gone out with a couple times, a girl he’d liked a lot.
Someone shouted his name. Dread rose up inside him as he turned around to find his father stumbling toward him, drunker than usual.
Heath offered up a prayer that his father would go away before anyone noticed.
“That’s my boy,” his dad slurred as he pointed at Heath.
An awful sinking feeling turned in his gut. He wished the ground would open and swallow up his dad, take him away forever.
Jessica extricated herself, and the crowd seemed to back away from him as his father came closer. The coach intercepted his father and quietly asked him to leave, which he did. But it was too late. All his friends—the entire team—had seen what his father was.
“Did you hear me?”
Tori’s voice yanked him back to the present.
“What?”
She chuckled. “I said that’s the deputy mayor, Robert Quincy. Mayor Lancaster recently had a baby, and she’s still out on maternity leave.” She tipped her chin toward a large gray-haired man in a Hawaiian shirt and khakis marching toward them.
And he didn’t appear happy. “You were supposed to be here an hour ago.” The deputy mayor folded his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes at Tori.
“I’m so sorry, sir. It couldn’t be helped. But it looks like my assistant got everything set up okay, right?” She hooked Heath’s arm. “Have you met Heath Castillo yet? Heath, Deputy Mayor Quincy.”
The man gave him a half smile as he shook hands with him. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m a big fan. The whole town is.”
“Thank you. Nice to meet you, too.”
Mr. Quincy stepped closer to Tori and lowered his voice. “Is your mother planning to be here? I’ve saved her a seat next to mine at the head table.”
She grinned at him. “She’ll be here if she’s not already.”
“Good, good.” He strode away as if on a mission.
“Tori!” An attractive blonde waved Tori down. Suddenly there were two of them. Twins, he realized.
“Hey, Tori,” one of the women said. “Sawyer and I would like to meet with you about getting our wedding plans started.”
The other blonde—who was dressed more conservatively than the one who’d spoken—nodded. “Guess who’s the matron of honor?”
Tori hugged both women then faced Heath. “Mallory and Jordan are new in town. Ladies, meet my old friend, Heath Castillo.” She pointed first to the one in jeans. “This is Jordan. She works at Cove Cat Café, and she’s mostly responsible for the fact that I’m fostering so many cats.”
Jordan shook his hand. “Nice to meet you, Heath. And don’t let Tori fool you. She secretly wants to adopt pretty much every kitty at the rescue. Every time I find a potential home for one of her cats, Tori nixes the idea.”
He didn’t doubt that for a second, but Tori shook her head.
“Not true,” she said. “This is Mallory, Heath,” Tori tipped her chin toward the other twin, who gave him a warm smile.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Mallory leaned closer to Tori. “I heard you planned this whole shebang, hmm?”
Tori shrugged. “My assistants helped.”
Mallory’s smile faded. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. “I’m feeling some weird energy.” She took Tori’s hand. “Is everything okay?”
Color rose in Tori’s cheeks as she let out a nervous chuckle. “It’s fine.”
“Has anyone been bothering you?” Mallory asked.
“Only this guy.” Tori elbowed Heath and laughed.
“Mal, the guys just got here. Come on.” Jordan pulled her sister away. “Catch you later, Tori. It was nice meeting you, Heath.”
“Same here.”
Tori took his hand and led him through the crowd with only a few stops for him to sign autographs or shake hands with some fans. Were these the same people who’d known his family years ago, who understood that he was from the wrong side of the tracks? Yet everyone he met at the event, all the regular citizens and local politicians, they all treated him respectfully.
Someone hooked his arm. “There you are.” Vivi Craig gave him
a hug. “You remember Isabel, right?”
Isabel practically shoved Tori aside to give him a kiss on his cheek. “Heath Castillo. I knew I should have gone out with you in high school.” She giggled as she latched onto his other arm.
“I don’t remember asking you out.” He freed himself as he searched for Tori.
She stood a few feet away, arms folded tightly as she watched them. He pulled her to him and kissed the top of her head. “I only had eyes for one woman.”
Isabel skimmed her gaze over Tori and sneered. “Her?”
Tori squeezed his arm. “We kept things on the down low back then.”
Vivi and Isabel exchanged a startled glance.
Tori pointed to the other side of the tent. “There’s my mother. Would you excuse us?” she said to the women.
Without waiting for their response, Heath and Tori headed toward the dignitaries table. He prayed her mother wouldn’t make any snide comments about Tori’s appearance. If she did, he might have to put her in her place.
Charlotte Sutherland ushered them over. “How do I look?” She spun around, showing them her designer dress. As usual, she was perfect with not a single lock of hair out of place.
“You look great, Mama. The mayor was looking for you. He wants you to sit with him.”
Charlotte’s gaze swept the area. “Oh, I found him. I guess I’ll sit with him since he went to the trouble to save me a seat.”
Tori leaned closer to her mother and spoke next to her ear, but loud enough that Heath heard every word. “He’s very sweet. Why don’t you give him a chance?”
Charlotte shook her head. “I’m not ready.” She glanced at Heath then back at her daughter. “Dwayne Chambers asked about you, Tori. His mother is one of my bible study friends, and he’s a doctor, a pediatrician. And I think he’s interested in you. I just saw him a minute ago. Where did he go?”
Heath gritted his teeth. Then, realizing what Charlotte was doing, made an effort to blow off his irritation. Of course, men were interested in Tori, and she had every right to date. He just wished her mother wouldn’t throw it in his face.
Tori let out a long-suffering sigh. “I’m not ready, either, Mama.”
He held back a grin at her response, not sure which made him happier—that Tori had stood up to her mother or that she wasn’t interested in the man.
“There he is,” Charlotte said. “Dwayne? Over here, Dwayne.” She waved over a tall, redheaded man wearing a Panama shirt with khakis.
“Enjoying yourself?” Dwayne spoke to Charlotte, but his dark eyes skimmed over Tori.
Heath wanted to tuck Tori behind him, but he’d look like a jerk if he did. So he scanned the crowd instead. Everyone was dressed casually, except a short, thin man wearing a suit. And the guy was glaring at Heath with beady eyes that gave him the creeps.
Heath narrowed his eyes at the man, which did the trick. The guy melted into the crowd.
“I’m having a wonderful time,” Charlotte told Dwayne. “Which I knew I would since my daughter put this whole event together. Isn’t she something?” She took Tori’s arm and dragged her closer.
Tori offered her hand to the doctor. “Hi, how are you?”
He gave her a toothy smile. “Better now. I doubt you remember, but we met a few years ago at a fundraiser at your mother’s house.” Dwayne finally let loose of her hand.
What a poser. Heath squared his shoulders but resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
“Right, yes. I remember,” Tori said.
Heath could tell she didn’t.
Charlotte gestured toward Heath. “Oh, and this is Heath Castillo, the guest of honor.”
The men exchanged a stiff nod.
“Tori, your mother tells me you graduated from Duke. I attended med school there. Maybe we can grab coffee soon and compare notes.” Dwayne handed her a business card.
Color rose in Tori’s cheeks as she tucked the card into her pocket. “Yeah, sure. Sounds like fun.”
Charlotte elbowed Heath. “We should be getting to our seats. The ceremony will be starting any minute.”
He didn’t want to leave Tori alone with Dwayne. What if the dude was a weirdo? Logic reminded him the man was a prominent doctor and Tori was surrounded by a thousand people, but still.
Charlotte pressed a kiss to Tori’s cheek. “See you later.”
The deputy mayor waved them over to the head table, and Tori slipped away, thankfully without Dwayne. Heath sat between Charlotte and one of the city council members and the ceremony began. Quincy gave a longwinded speech before introducing Heath.
He wished Tori was there with him, but she appeared to be purposely staying in the shadows, attending to details that didn’t seem to need her. After his turn at the mike, he scanned the crowd for her and spotted her near the food table, talking to one of the uniformed servers.
Suddenly the corner of the tent closest to her collapsed.
Panic erupted in a heartbeat. People shouted and screamed as they rushed toward the nearest exit. It looked like a stampede.
He couldn’t see Tori anymore. His heartbeat thumped as he climbed over the table to get to her, praying she was okay. People shoved him, trying to escape the pandemonium. Where the hell was she?
Chapter Six
No, no, no. This couldn’t be happening. Tori took refuge under one of the long food tables as chaos exploded all around her. She pulled in a breath laced with food smells and body odor.
A young boy crawled past her then disappeared under the fallen canvas before she could stop him. “Hey, come here.” But he was already gone, and no doubt couldn’t hear her over the din of people yelling. She considered going after him, but she’d have a better chance of helping him if she could get her hands on a flashlight or lift the canvas to let in the daylight and air.
Although she was a little disoriented, she knew which way to go to reach the edge of the tent. She belly-crawled a few feet before someone lifted the edge of the fabric and afternoon sunshine lit up the darkness.
Heath grabbed her arms and hauled her out into the daylight. “Are you okay?”
She brushed herself off and nodded. “But there’s a little boy still under there, and I don’t know how many others. We have to go get him.”
“Stay here.” Sirens sounded in the distance, but Heath got right to work, rolling back the canvas and diving underneath to search for people.
Several men were trying to lift the edges of the tent nearby, so she joined in the effort. They managed to get the fabric high enough so everyone could escape. She spotted Heath helping several guests move toward the exterior and righting some overturned chairs as he went.
He turned around and gave her a thumbs-up. “Everyone’s fine. The boy’s mother has him.”
Thank heavens. The place looked like a tornado had crashed through it. Tears filled her eyes, but she immediately wiped them away. The event was a disaster, but at least no one had been injured in the melee.
Deputy Mayor Quincy’s amplified voice rose over the commotion. “Please, ladies and gentlemen, keep calm. The fire department tells me they will have the tent back up in a few minutes. No need to leave. We still have lots of activities planned.”
Tori spotted her mother near Quincy, and she waved. Her mother set a hand over her heart.
True to the deputy mayor’s pronouncement, the tent was raised. Tori, Heath, and Alexa, as well as a few volunteers, put the seating area back together. Maybe the day wasn’t a complete loss. The sun was setting, and as soon as it got dark enough, the pyrotechnics people would do their fireworks show for the remaining guests, which she guessed numbered about fifteen hundred.
“I’ll be back in a minute.” She left Heath and Alexa and headed to the park’s restrooms to freshen up. The last people she wanted to run into cornered her on the line for the ladies’ room.
“What dumb luck to have your tent collapse.” Isabel’s expression kept transitioning between barely
masked glee and false empathy. “That totally sucks to have your party ruined, huh?”
Tori stood taller. “The party’s not ruined at all. We have an amazing fireworks display planned.”
“I sure hope that works out better than the tent.” Isabel twirled a red lock of enviably straight hair around her ring finger, upon which rested a blindingly huge diamond.
“It’ll be great. Just great.” Suddenly she was back in high school with all the angst and insecurities of her former dorky self. Her pulse raced, and her hands were sweaty.
The instant the next stall door opened, she charged toward it, slipped on a discarded wad of brown paper towels and skidded into the wall.
“Once a klutz, always a klutz,” someone said.
Tori shut herself in a stall as Isabel cackled. “I’m fine, ladies. Thanks for your concern,” she said through the closed stall door. She refused to let the likes of them derail her, damn it.
After she spoke with the party rentals guy about the tent failure, she explained to the deputy mayor that the company had shored up the supports and declared the structure sound.
Quincy frowned at her. “I hope the fiasco earlier isn’t indicative of how the rest of the tricentennial will go.”
“Everything will be fine. I’ve double checked all the plans myself.” Her stomach roiled. Last thing she wanted was to disappoint him and the rest of the town.
She found Heath under a lamppost near the lake just before the fireworks were set to begin.
He rubbed her shoulder. “You seem tense. Everything okay?”
Closing her eyes a moment, she tried to relax. The vision of Heath, naked and ripped with muscles filled her head. Every inch of him was perfection. But she had no time to dwell upon pointless fantasies.
She opened her eyes, looked up into that amber stare, and she actually believed nothing could ever go wrong, or hurt her again. Heath had always had that effect on her. “I’m good, now that you’re here.” She slid her arm around his waist and squeezed him tightly.
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