Page 87 of Men of Fort Dale: The Complete Series

He looked over the hall full of decorations, soldiers, and guests, all beginning to fill the tables and make their way toward the bar.

The din started picking up, slowly drowning out the soft music playing in the background.

That was about what he expected, and once all the formalities and speeches were over, he knew it would only get louder.

After, would come the dinner, and then everyone would start drinking in earnest, assured that all would be well once they had a full stomach to soak it up.

Nito chuckled. “I remember last year?—”

Nito’s eyes slid to the tables being set up for the food. “No food poisoning this year, right?”

Nito chuckled. “You sure?”

“Yes.”

And he was, completely. Along with running an entire base, the added stress of juggling the gala arrangement usually left him fumbling. The same added stress had been thrown into the hands of previous assistants he’d had, with mixed and typically disastrous results.

“This year, I have help, and a great deal of it,” David said.

“That so? And you didn’t before?”

“Not quite like this. My current assistant is very capable and has done a great deal to alleviate the burden on me.”

“You’ve always had an assistant.”

“This one is different.”

Nito hummed thoughtfully. “The others weren’t quite up to snuff then?”

David chuckled. “They were capable, well, most of them were anyway. However, this one is above and beyond and very dedicated to ensuring everything is done precisely.”

He had yet to catch sight of Christian, though he had received a message from the younger man when he’d arrived.

It had been followed by more messages, updating David on everything Christian was up to and what he was focusing on.

It brought him no small amusement to think of Christian out of sight, checking every little detail.

“So, no problems then,” Nito said.

David shook his head. “None to report.”

Then again, he suspected Christian wouldn’t pass them along.

In David’s experience, he tackled problems head-on rather than bring them to David’s attention.

Only when Christian was unable to think of a solution on his own, or because of his lack of authority or access, did he bring the problem to David.

Sometimes, David worried that Christian was taking too much on himself, but he couldn’t argue with the results.

“Well, everything certainly seems to be moving smoothly so far. I will give you and your wunderkind that,” Nito said with a glance around the spacious room.

“I agree. I can’t say I have any fault to find.”

“And it certainly looks grander than usual in here. Were the rugs meant to give the idea of the sea, or was that accidental?”

David smirked. “Intentional.”

And the green cloth covering the tables, hemmed with a tawny brown, were intentionally meant to give the idea of little islands. It was a far more subtle idea than the god-awful tropical theme the year before.

“Whose?”

“My assistant, of course. Christian has an eye for that sort of thing.”

“Oh, on a first-name basis, are you?”

David forced a smile, cursing himself inwardly. “The man has been at my side for almost a year now. A certain level of familiarity and camaraderie is to be expected.”

“True, though I don’t think I’ve heard you refer to any of your former assistants so informally.”

“None of them have been quite as remarkable.”

“Well, if what you say is true, this one is certainly worth keeping around.”

David looked sidelong at his friend. “Please tell me you aren’t about to start fishing for his transfer to your office.”

Nito laughed. “No, no, I won’t poach your precious assistant. And if he’s as dedicated to his job as it sounds, it would be poaching too. I can’t imagine I could convince him to transfer willingly.”

“No, you couldn’t,” David said with a knowing smile.

Nito looked around. “Speaking of casual, where is Philip?”

David kept a straight face. “I believe he is currently entertaining the other esteemed guests in a private room. I’m sure they will show up within the hour.”

“Half-drunk just in time for your speech.”

“Undoubtedly.”

“Good that Philip is doing his part.”

David nodded but said nothing. In truth, he should have been able to rely on Philip more than Christian for the arrangements.

While Philip’s job description centered around the base’s operations, it should have also included setting up the Gala.

Oh, sure, Philip had sent him a long list of ideas and suggestions, but most of them had been absurdly expensive and ostentatious.

There was no need to bring in the best of the best, from decorators to food companies, just for the Gala.

The Gala was a show, of course, and it was meant to display what Fort Dale had to offer while also providing a night of socializing, fun, and free refreshments.

The problem, as so often with Philip, lay in what was considered important.

David had tried to understand that, for Philip, the importance of his duties and job lay in good presentation.

After all, Command really only cared if things went wrong, with only the occasional notice of an exemplary job well done.

But it had begun to wear on David’s nerves, whose duty, in his mind, was to take care of the men and women in his charge.

Those viewpoints rarely found common ground, and David couldn’t wait to get Philip out of his hair and into a position where he would be far more comfortable and flourish.

“As well as he can,” David finally said.

Nito eyed him, snorting softly. “Don’t think I haven’t forgotten our previous conversation.”

“I wasn’t attempting to remind you, either. If I wanted to do that, I would say so...admittedly, not here and now.”

“No, I suppose not. I’m still giving it thought.”

David looked around, realizing he should socialize before the Gala officially started.

It was one of the few things about the evening he enjoyed.

Stuck in his office as often as he was or on calls and in meetings, he very rarely had the chance to meet the soldiers he was in charge of.

For them, the Gala was a social event to be enjoyed and soaked up, and it meant he saw them at their most relaxed.

It was the one way he knew he was doing something right.

“By all means, give it thought, and then even more. Meanwhile, I am going to attend to my social duties,” David said, setting his glass aside to step down from the dais.

“Have fun. I’m going to continue drinking quietly in a corner.”

“I’ll consider doing the same after the speech,” David said.

David leaned, practically sagging over the bar as he eyed the trio of bartenders. He had to admit, there was something hypnotic about watching the three men as they dodged, weaved, and swerved around one another with little more than the occasional word of warning.

When he finally caught one’s attention, he ordered himself a whiskey, double if they would, on the rocks.

His entire speech had gone off without a hitch and with the same predictable pattern.

Open with a greeting to all in attendance, bring special attention to the higher-ups who’d come, and begin the magnanimous speech that applauded the efforts and successes of Fort Dale.

It was nothing special, and the only difference between each year’s speech was the detail of the achievements.

He made sure to keep it short, knowing damn well no one came to the Gala to listen to him drone on.

Speeches weren’t his forte, but despite memorizing most of the speech, he always walked away tense and with a dry throat.

“Thank you,” he said as he was handed his glass within seconds.

It wasn’t the whiskey he kept in his private supply but damned if that first sip of liquor wasn’t the most welcome sensation he’d had all night.

He turned his gaze to the rest of the hall, watching as the meals were brought to the tables, along with drink orders.

It had been Christian’s idea to spend a little extra and bring in servers for the drinks to prevent the inevitable traffic jam with large groups and an open bar.

David frowned, realizing he hadn’t seen Christian all night.

It made sense when Christian was busy running around behind the scenes, keeping the details neat and orderly, while David kept to the front of the house.

But he would have expected the younger man to have appeared by the time the food was served, but he had not seen a glimpse of that familiar blond head.

Taking his glass with him, he walked around the large room.

His eyes darted left and right, looking at tables where people stood talking.

Though he checked everyone, David’s worry deepened as he never once spotted Christian.

He made another circuit, waving and greeting people, but still couldn’t find him.

Messages from Christian had stopped shortly before the start of the speech, so David had no idea where the man had disappeared.

Slipping through the door behind the catering tables, David stepped into the noisy kitchen. Mindful that he could get in the way, he stayed to the edge as he looked around and again found nothing.

One of the passing chefs looked up. “Everything alright?”

“Looking for someone,” David said.

The man frowned. “If you’re looking for the slave driver, he said something about getting some air.”

David chuckled. “I see things have been interesting.”

The man grunted, turning away with what sounded like muttered curses.

Smiling, David exited through the side door and into the hallway.

He knew the building well, having had to host an annual Gala and other smaller functions, but its main purpose was to feed the soldiers on the base.

He didn’t get to visit casually as often as he would like, but he’d done it enough for over a decade to know the layout.

Which meant he also had a good idea where Christian had disappeared to.