Page 54 of A Secret Escape

“There he is!” the man booms, slapping Marcus on the back.

“Gentlemen, this man right here is the reason you are all here tonight,” he says, turning back to the group he was talking to.

“This man,” he continues, “not only saved my restaurant, but transformed it into an overnight success! Marcus!” He pulls him into a hug. “How the bloody hell are you, mate?”

“I’m good Raj, it’s great to see you,” Marcus says, shooting me a quick eye roll that makes me giggle.

“You’re looking well,” Marcus adds. “I’ve seen the Amber Royal’s doing great. I hear you’re planning a second location? ”

“Oh yes, business has been fantastic! All thanks to you! Our second location is opening at the end of the year, and we’re making plans to open three more!” he exclaims.

“That’s brilliant Raj. Congratulations,” Marcus says, taking a sip of his drink.

Raj’s eyes swing over to me, widening dramatically.

“Marcus! Now who is this stunning young lady you’ve brought with you tonight? Not your daughter, surely?” He lifts my hand and kisses it gently.

Marcus and I both laugh. Raj is full of energy and impossible not to like.

“This is my girlfriend, Lila,” Marcus says, the smile on his face beaming.

Raj’s expression turns to one of amused shock. “No! Girlfriend? But she’s so young!”

I laugh, blushing as Marcus wraps an arm around me.

“Yea, who knows what she sees in me,” Marcus says. “But I’m a very lucky man.”

“Very bloody lucky,” Raj says, pointing a dramatic finger at him. “You hold on to this one,” he continues. “She’s a keeper - I can tell.”

“Absolutely Raj,” Marcus says. “You’re right about that.”

He takes another swig of his drink and looks around.

“Hey buddy, it’s been great to see you, but I’ve got to make the rounds before the service starts. Have you got your eye on anything for the silent auction?”

“Oh yes,” Raj says, his eyes lighting up. “I’ll be going for the jet ski lessons! You know, I’ve never done that! ”

Marcus laughs, giving Raj a pat on the back. “That’s great. You keep well Raj, I’ll catch up with you in a bit,” he says and leads us back towards the bar.

“He was… lively,” I say with a chuckle as we get out of earshot of the group.

Marcus laughs. “That’s one word for it.”

We set our empty glasses on the bar and pick up a second round.

For the next half hour, we circle the room, repeating mostly the same conversations over and over again.

Marcus introduces me to several groups of people, encourages participation in the silent auction and chats about projects he’s been working on.

I don’t say much, mostly just watching him with rapt fascination.

He’s magnetic. His body language tailors individually to every conversation, even his accent slightly changing depending on who he’s talking to.

I spot Angela and Carter at a nearby table, chatting and sipping their drinks and I make a mental note to catch up with them later.

I’d warned them I might not have much time tonight, and they’d teased me about pretending to suddenly be above them, but Angela has been nothing but supportive - constantly commenting on how happy I’ve been lately. And she’s right. I am.

Eventually, the room falls to a hush as Catalyst’s CEO, Howard, walks onto the stage. I’ve only seen him in person once or twice. He’s a stocky man with grey hair and a charming smile, and he’s wearing a dazzling dinner jacket that sparkles in the light.

He taps the mic a few times, welcomes everyone, thanking them for coming, encourages bids on the silent auction, then announces that dinner is about to begin.

Marcus gives my arm a gentle squeeze – his subtle cue that it’s time to wrap up our current conversation .

“It’s been lovely catching up, Dawn,” he says to the woman in front of us. “But we must find our seats now. Enjoy your evening.”

The woman smiles and shakes his free hand. “Thank you. And it’s been lovely to meet you, Lila,” she says, shaking my hand with a warm smile.

“You too,” I reply as Marcus leads us away.

“You’re really good at this,” I say, turning to look at Marcus as we find our name cards on the centre table.

I’d been quietly observing him all evening – the way he uses people’s names so naturally, he makes everyone feel seen.

He has this quiet command over conversations, knowing exactly when to lean in, when to close.

Men and women alike are drawn to him, hanging on every word like it’s gold. And I can’t blame them.

“Years of practice,” he says, flashing that million-pound smile.

We sit down just as servers begin pouring wine. I can’t help but wonder if they’ve figured out the perfect ratio of alcohol to generosity that gets people to spend big money on an auction when they’ve already spent over ￡1,000 per plate just to be here.

The food arrives moments later and it’s exquisite.

We had pre-ordered our menu choices ahead of time and I had opted for a selection of things I wouldn’t normally eat otherwise – a starter of seared scallops with pea puree decorated beautifully with edible flowers, followed by a rack of lamb with crushed potatoes and sauteed greens for the main.

A pianist plays softly in the background, adding an extra air of sophistication to the evening.

As the plates from the main course are cleared away, and servers walk around further topping up wine glasses, Howard walks back onto the stage .

He thanks everyone for coming again and thanks the venue and the kitchen for the amazing food and the pianist for the music.

He then proceeds to hand out a string of awards, calling out a slew of names of various staff throughout the company, recognising them for their achievements throughout the year.

Most names I barely recognise and figure they must be higher ups in other departments.

Just as I’m starting to wonder if Marcus is going to get recognition for his part in organising the event, Howard holds up one final envelope.

“This last award,” he says, “goes to one of our most valued Creative Directors in the business – he is someone many of you have worked with personally over the years, and his knowledge of the restaurant industry is second to none. In fact, he’s worked his way up all the way from a mere apprentice when he joined Catalyst over twenty years ago, to being our Senior Creative Director today, and he has been instrumental in making this entire night possible. Marcus Andersson, come on up here!”

I turn to Marcus, my heart bursting with pride. His expression has a nervousness in it that I haven’t seen all evening as he stands, smoothing down his jacket.

He hadn’t mentioned anything about getting an award. I wonder if he didn’t know about it, or if he had intentionally kept it secret.

I leap to my feet, clapping and cheering as loud as I can as several eyes turn to look at me.

Marcus takes the stage, shakes Howard’s hand and accepts the envelope before leaning in and whispering something in Howard’s ear.

Howard smiles, steps aside, and gestures for Marcus to take the mic.

Marcus looks out at the crowd, that gorgeous smile gleaming as his voice fills the room .

“Thank you, Howard, for this wonderful evening. And thank you to everyone here tonight. This event means so much to me. Catalyst is an incredible organisation and it has been a pure honour being able to work with all of you and partner with all the incredible businesses represented here tonight over the past twenty years. And to my colleagues who received awards tonight, I congratulate each and every one of you. Every one of you works so hard and every single person in this company deserves an award.”

He pauses, takes a deep breath, then looks right at me.

“Now, I know you’re all itching to get your desserts, so I promise I won’t hold you much longer, but I just wanted to say a few quick words and to present one final gift for the evening.”

He takes another deep breath, pauses, then looks directly at me.

“Lila, can you please join me on stage?”

Wait… what?

My heart stops.

A murmur spreads across the crowd as several heads turn to look my way, a slow round of applause rippling through the room as I stand, my cheeks burning.

I’m completely frozen inside, my brain racing.

What in the world is he giving me an award for? Why hadn’t he said anything about this?

But that smile – his smile – guides me forward like a lifeline.

A spiral of thoughts rushes through my head as I make my way to the stage, trying to keep my legs from trembling. Marcus holds out his hand to help me up the steps as I glare at him, silently screaming ‘ what the hell are you doing’ from behind my frozen smile.

He laughs, and up close, I can see there’s a clear nervousness in his eyes as he looks at me, but his smile beams brighter than ever, the bright stage lights illuminating his perfectly white teeth.

I stand, facing him, not knowing what to do as he takes my hand and turns to the audience.

“Most of you don’t know Lila. Some of you had the privilege of meeting her tonight.

Lila works on the social media team, which is an often underappreciated role.

Lila, and her teammates Angela and Carter, are the ones behind the scenes, making all of you look good online.

So I want to say thank you to Lila, and Angela and Carter, for the incredible work you do. ”

Marcus pauses as the room fills with applause and my face blushes an even deeper shade of red as I hear Angela and Carter’s cheers from the crowd. If this is an award about us… why am I the only one on stage?

As the applause settles down, Marcus continues. “Now, most of you won’t know this, but a little over four months ago, I asked Lila if she would join me for lunch one day.”

He turns to face me and I notice his hands are shaking ever so slightly.

I’ve never seen him this nervous before.