Page 43 of I Choose You (Wilder #2)

I had just started unfolding the tablecloth for the third table and flung it over the table when I heard the clickety-clack of high heels approaching.

My mother came over to where I was working and took hold of one side of the tablecloth while I held the other.

We rested the covering in place neatly. As I unpacked the box and placed the items on the table, she organized them and put everything in place.

We worked in tandem, revolving around the table as we got everything set into place with efficiency.

Watching her shuffle around the table, setting the table decorations, brought up an old memory that I had completely forgotten.

I was young, maybe ten or eleven, sitting in a room a lot like this—only smaller—watching my mother skitter around, getting everything in order.

“There was a time, you know, that I had to do all of the setup for these events on my own,” she said.

“I remember. You would run circles around everyone else,” I said. She followed me to the next table, repeating the same process.

“Never run, dear. It’s so uncouth,” she said, a smirk tugging at her lips.

I huffed a laugh, shaking my head. Did my mother just make a joke?

“Thank you, Katy. You can put those on the tables. Use the empty boxes here to start making more packages, will you?” my mother said.

I looked over my shoulder to see the young woman, Katy, standing still with two boxes stacked in her arms.

“Of course.” She hurried to put the other boxes down on the next tables and pick up the discarded ones I had put together earlier.

“She seems a little skittish,” I observed.

The corners of my mother’s mouth twitched. “Yes, well, I don’t think she’s seen the senator’s family doing the setup before. It’s probably making her nervous, like she isn’t doing her job well.”

“That wasn’t it at all,” I hurried to say. The last thing I needed was to get the poor girl in trouble after I basically forced her to let me help. “I came here to help, and I wanted to be useful. She’s doing a great job.”

“I never said she wasn’t. You may have heard that, but what I said was that she was probably nervous and might feel like she isn’t doing her job well. That’s not the same thing, Claire.” Her pointed stare had me looking away.

She was right. Somewhere along the way, I had begun to think less than highly of my mother. I was so used to only hearing criticism that I expected nothing more from her, painting her with a broad brush that maybe wasn’t as accurate as I believed.

It took us hours to get everything in order.

After seeing her boss and her boss’s daughter working on getting everything set up, Jackie, my mother’s assistant and event coordinator, jumped into the fray as well.

A few people from the venue popped in to take care of the audio and visual components, ensuring there was no tripping hazard of wires or cables for the speakers to get to and from the podium.

I sat on one of the chairs to take a much-needed break when I skyrocketed out of my seat.

“The chair covers!” I exclaimed. We had used every item in the back storage room. I didn’t recall seeing any chair covers in there.

Jackie’s face fell. Tears welled in her eyes before she ran to the back storage room to check again. Katy’s eyes were as round as the dinner plates as she glanced between my mother and the door where Jackie had just run off to.

“Sit down, dear. Relax,” my mother sighed. “It’s too late now. If we don’t have them, then we will just have to make do without them.”

Who was this woman? Just earlier today, she was on the phone berating someone about the exact color of them, and now she was willing to “make do” without them?

Jackie came back five minutes later, shaking her head slowly.

“I’m so sorry, Melanie. I have no idea how this could have happened. I’ve called the vendor, but they aren’t answering. I don’t know what to do.”

“First things first—dry your eyes. The supplier will be closed at this time of day, and I’m sure no one is working tomorrow. If we make no mention of it, no one will be the wiser.”

* * *

The gala, as my mother was calling it, was a huge success.

As predicted, no one had mentioned the lack of chair coverings, much to no one’s surprise.

As the dinner wore on, I started to feel restless.

After spending all weekend working on Andrew’s assignments, getting this event prepared, and having to mingle and smile all night, my social battery was drained, and I was tired and burnt out.

It sucked that I was four hours away from home.

Well, away from Calla Bay. All I wanted was to curl up next to Reid and drift off to sleep with his hands threaded in my hair.

“Baby, I’m so glad you’re home,” a voice purred behind me. I cringed and pulled myself away as Will tried to wrap an arm around me. “Smile,” he said. His bright white teeth were on full display as his catlike grin was plastered on his face.

“What?” My nose was scrunched up, but I had nowhere else to go after having pulled away from him already.

His nearness now made me feel like I was backed into a corner.

A reporter walked to the front of the table, snapping pictures.

“Back up, Will.” My voice held a venomous undertone.

At the same time, I smiled politely for the camera until he got his shot and moved on.

“You’ve changed since we’ve been apart. You’re so much angrier now.”

“Ha.” My mouth hung open like an abandoned ventriloquist doll. “I’m not angrier now. I’m happier now than I’ve ever been. I’ve simply found my voice in recent months, and I no longer feel the need to silence myself for the sake of others, including you.”

His head pulled back at my words, the shock of my fury surprising him. “Find someone else to parade around on your arm, Will. I know what love looks like, and I’m not settling for anything else. Certainly not you.”

I could see my mother making her way over to us, but she stopped to talk to some of the donors.

Good. I really didn’t have the patience to deal with her meddling right now.

I was tired, and despite telling Will how happy I was, I was angry that he was in my space.

Things were going really well with my mother this weekend, and I didn’t want it to end on a sour note when she tried to force Will’s company on me.

Whatever conversation she was having didn’t last long, and before I knew it, she was walking up to my table.

“Melanie, this night was a clear success. Congratulations on a job well done, as always,” Will said. His slimy charm was giving me the ick. His rehearsed smile, his fake tan, his too-white teeth… what did I ever even see in him?

“Thank you, Will. I was actually hoping to steal a moment of your time. I have some people that I’d like you to meet.”

Will jumped at the chance to expand his social network. My mother wrapped her hand around Will’s bicep as they started to make their way through the throng of people to the other side of the room.

She looked over her shoulder at me, offering a quick wink before shooing me away. Instead of having Will’s company thrust upon me, she was effectively saving me from dealing with him any longer. As soon as they were out of sight, I grabbed my coat from the coat check stand and headed out.

Screw the time it would take; I was heading home.