Carmen Green - Valentine's Dream

“You loved him very much, didn’t you?” he found himself asking, holding his breath as he awaited an answer.

There was no response from Grace beyond her turning her head to rest a cheek against his jaw. The warm fanning of her breath was against his neck. That was, oddly, enough for Carter.

Neither of them heard the office door quietly open and then close a moment later.

Chapter 1

“Grace, it’s Brian. Come in.”

“Yes, Brian. I’m here.”

“I thought I’d let you know what’s going on. We have a few problems.”

Grace Haley moved slowly and unnoticed on the periphery of the crowded party as she answered the call on her walkie-talkie. She was on duty at the evening gala, overseeing the arrangements and details, while three hundred formally dressed guests were occupied with boisterous conversation and laughter. Their collective joie de vivre was fueled by several open bar stations, as well as unlimited glasses of champagne being served by a circulating waitstaff. The din was so loud that the music of the quartet playing at one end of the hall could barely be heard. Grace pressed her earphone tightly to hear above the noise.

“Go ahead,” she said, talking as discreetly as she could, hoping not to draw attention to herself.

“The ladies’ room outside the hall is out. I’ll have to close it off until maintenance can deal with a malfunctioning stall.”

“Get a sign up as soon as you can. We’ll reassign the men’s room to the ladies for the rest of the night and direct the men to the lower-level restrooms.”

“Okay.”

“And let the attendants on duty know ASAP about the change so they can inform guests looking for the facilities.”

“I’ve already notified the supervisor...”

Grace positioned herself in the shadow of the Ionic pillars just inside the entranceway to the hall, where a meet-and-greet reception was being held for employees and guests of a large financial institution. She’d passed by several times, checking out the arriving guests. She was familiar with the sponsoring company and knew one of the employees from an affiliate office.

From where she stood, she could also take in most of the main hall and the attendees. Her gaze roamed absently over the gathering. In a brief parting of several people across the open space, she suddenly caught a fleeting glimpse of a tall black male guest and did a double take. A sudden stomach spasm signaled recognition. Then she lost sight of him.

“...arranged beforehand.”

“Sorry, Brian. Say that again,” Grace instructed, searching for that face that had stirred to life part of her past, giving rise to disturbing and conflicting feelings within her.

“I said one of the corporate bigwigs wanted to know if the guests could walk through the exhibits on the main floor. I told them it wasn’t possible because there wasn’t adequate security on duty to cover those areas.”

“Good response, but tell the attendants to keep an eye out, anyway. So far, everything seems to be going well,” Grace commented while she began her slow patrol again. She observed the guests intently, even as she wondered if she’d imagined what she thought she’d seen.

“We’ve had the usual stuff happen. Spilt drinks and squashed canapés, glasses and plates left all over the place. Somebody got sick near the corridor to Gallery 3, but it’s been cleaned up.”

“Thanks,” Grace said, giving up her search. She’d made a mistake. “I’ll be outside the rotunda as the guests are directed to dinner. I’ll notify the caterers to begin breaking down the bar as soon as the hall is empty. Is that everything?”

“Caught a couple who’d sneaked into one of the exhibition halls.”

“Nothing embarrassing, I hope.”

Grace watched as a tuxedoed staffer from the communications office maneuvered his way to her, silently indicating a need to talk with her.

“I’m told it was limited to kissing and hugging...”

“Brian, hold on a minute. What is it?” she asked the staffer.

“Sorry to interrupt. There’s someone who says he’d like to speak with you. He’s over there.”

He pointed, but all Grace could see was a densely packed group of people engaged in their own conversations.

“What about?”

“He didn’t say.”

“Did he give you his name?”

“No, but I think I can take you to him.”

Grace shook her head. If it was important, if it was who she thought, he’d find her again. She held up her hand to the staffer.

“I can’t leave now. If you see the gentleman again, give him my apologies. Maybe Steve Milton can help him. Steve should be with the caterers.”

“I’ll go check,” the staffer said as he walked away. At that moment she could hear a gong being sounded to signal to the guests that they were to proceed to another hall for the formal sit-down dinner.

Grace spoke again into her walkie-talkie. “Brian, I have to go.”

“One more thing. Security has calculated that there are probably fifty to seventy-five more attendees than the guest list allowed for. I had two of my staff using counters as people checked in.”

“Review the numbers, and give the development office a head count in the morning. Let them decide what to do about any added expense.”

When Grace finished relaying instructions, she was already in motion, hurrying off to make sure the guests were being properly ushered into dinner. She tried not to let her attention wander.

She stood to the side as the main hall emptied and the guests filed past her into the rotunda. She allowed herself a few moments to study the beautifully dressed women while indulging in a private game of picking out the dresses she liked the best. She smiled to herself as she also realized that she no longer had occasion to wear anything so elegant. While she was nicely dressed in a simple, black, cocktail-length dress appropriate for the event, she certainly couldn’t compete with the glamorous women guests decked out in expensive designer gowns.

It took almost twenty minutes for everyone to find their table and then covertly switch places with one another as invariably happened. The caterers then served the first course, offering each guest a choice of red or white wine with dinner. The noise dropped to a low hum, and Grace breathed a sign of relief. She’d managed to keep things moving through half the evening without any serious mishap or griping by the sponsors.

Part of Grace went into a new alert mode as she took in the seated guests. She resisted the urge to try and identify any one person. Ten minutes into the first course, she signaled for the attention of a technician, waiting discreetly behind a screen with the audio-visual equipment to make sure the microphones were ready for use.

At one of three main tables where the corporate higher-ups and their wives were prominently seated, one man suddenly stood up. Grace automatically turned her attention to him. The lights were very low, and the room was softly illuminated by cleverly designed centerpiece candles on each table. She could not see his features clearly but didn’t need to. She experienced instant recognition and a feeling that was akin to fight or flight. Grace was quickly able to overcome the surprise factor and had time to compose herself before she heard him call out her name.

Someone else did the same from several feet away. Grace turned around as the catering supervisor approached to request instructions on what to do with the leftover food and the extra bottles of liquor. When she’d finished conversing with him, she pivoted slowly and found herself face-to-face with the man who’d called from across the dinner hall.

She lost her sense of time and place. She remained controlled, but her smile was stiff, her hands cold. She rested her gazed upon him, cold and distant.