“Well, who wouldn’t?” Yvette questioned. “Girl, you are stunning. Can I see the back of your dress?”
Addison beamed as Yvette chatted with her a little longer about her dress and shoes. Things I knew nothing about.
We answered a few more questions from other reporters we passed on our way in, everyone wanting to know more about Addison. They weren’t the only ones. I knew I had to pay attention to the event. But in the back of my mind, I couldn’t help but remember that I was going to get to know her really well tonight.
We wandered around the gala for about an hour, looking at the silent auction items and introducing Addison to people I knew. Everyone looked surprised when I introduced her as my girlfriend. I had never brought one of those before, but she seemed to get along with just about everyone. Except for one, of course.
“Well hello, neighbor,” a voice said behind us. Addison and I turned around to see Danielle with her husband, Luke. I should have known they would be coming to an event like this. It was one of the most sought after events in Dallas for women like Danielle to attend.
“Danielle, Luke,” I said, nodding their direction. I glanced at Addison and noticed her eyebrows were slightly raised. Probably in recognition of the name.
“Nice to see you again, Jason,” Luke said kindly, reaching his hand out to shake mine. Then he reached for Addison. “I don’t believe we’ve met. Luke Green.”
“Oh, um,” she said nervously, returning his shake, “I’m Addison Bryant. Nice to meet you.”
“I didn’t realize you’d have a date with you this year, Jason,” Danielle said with just a bit of snark in her voice.
“Oh, I’m not just his date,” Addison said, her confidence returning quickly as I snaked my arm around her waist and pulled her close to me. “I’m his girlfriend.”
Danielle’s eyebrows shot to the sky. “Good for you, Jason,” Luke stated strongly. “It’s about time you found yourself a good woman. Life is so much better with a strong partner by your side. Take it from me. I have the best woman in my life.” He leaned over and nuzzled into Danielle’s neck. She didn’t seem to even notice. She was too busy keeping her narrowed eyes on Addison.
I didn’t like that look at all. It made me wonder what she was up to. I was really hoping she didn’t turn the flirting up a notch now that I was in a serious relationship. I liked Luke. And I didn’t want to have conflict with him if I had to call the cops on his wife.
Fortunately, we got the signal to head to the ballroom for dinner before the conversation started to get any more uncomfortable.
“Well, it was nice to see you,” I said. “I’m sure I’ll run into you in the lobby.”
We said our goodbyes and turned away.
“So that’s her, huh?” Addison said quietly in my direction.
“Yeah,” I replied. “See what I mean?”
“Ohmygod, yes! Did you see the daggers she was throwing in my direction? How does her husband not pick up on that?”
“You know, I honestly thought he knew and just ignored it,” I said as we walked through the ballroom door. “But after seeing that, I’m starting to wonder if he’s just another clueless bastard she’s snowed.”
“Poor guy,” she agreed. We found our table and place cards. We were sitting with the president of a local bank and the general manager of a local TV station. Both appeared to be in their fifties and both of them had their wives with them. Deuce and Vanessa were also at our table, which made both Addison and me happy. It was really nice that my best friend’s wife got along so well with my girlfriend.
We had a great meal of Caesar salad, smoked salmon, asparagus covered with hollandaise sauce, and sautéed zucchini and squash. For dessert, we had chocolate cake. It was good, but it wasn’t even close to being enough food for me. Fortunately, Addison was stuffed by the time she took two bites of her cake. It’s not hard to guess who ate the rest.
Two hours after we sat down, we had finally finished our meal and enjoyed the results of the silent auction. I had won a four-day trip to an exclusive ski resort in Colorado, including lift tickets, ski rentals, and a private condo on the mountain. And by “won” I mean I had just bought myself a really expensive trip. I figured I could talk to Addison about taking Jaxon this ski season since he seemed to like the idea of snow so much.
When the gala finally started wrapping up, we booked it to the limo. We’d had fun, but we both were anxious to start the rest of our evening.
“Did you have a good time?” I asked as we settled into the back of the car.