My instinct was to say, “No,” but if my career was to continue its upward momentum, I needed this experience and the connections I could make. Devin was still in Europe, and I was certain that Mrs. Roarke wouldn’t remember me if she happened to be at the restaurant.
“Yes, of course. Wow. Roarke’s.”
“We’ve got most everything set up, but I need to walk through with Roarke’s staff, and this is a big deal, so I’d love it if you could attend. I want our top, top people there making sure the event goes over. Gallagher has lots of friends who have lots of friends. It comes from over fifty years in the biz.”
I nodded. “Absolutely.”
She handed me a binder. “Everything we’ve done so far is in there. I’ll see you around three? Bring your team too.”
“I will. Thank you, Nikita. I appreciate your including me.”
She smiled. “You’ll have my job before long. Just wait until I retire before taking it though.”
I laughed. “No one would take your job.”
I busied myself through the day to distract myself, but it was no use. I couldn’t stop worrying about walking into Roarke’s. Chances were no one would know or remember me, so it was crazy to be worried and yet I was.
At three o’clock, I stepped out of the elevator on to the thirtieth floor where Roarke’s overlooked the Manhattan skyline and a perfect view of the Empire State Building. The restaurant was elegant, making me think of a private men’s club with dark leather chairs, dark walls accented with gold. It had an outdoor terrace and several event rooms.
I made my way to the larger of the rooms that had its own terrace where Mr. Gallagher’s party would be.
“Ah, there you are Rena. I’m just finalizing the menu with Alison here,” Nikita said waving me over. “Here’s a list of things that you and your team to check out.”
She handed me a folder. The first item had to do with seating set up for the outdoor area. “Let’s look this over on the terrace,” I said to my little team of three.
We stepped outside into the chilly air.
“What if it rains or snows? Isn’t it a little cold for an outdoor event?” Debbie asked as we all pulled our coats around us in the chilly February air.
“They’ve got outdoor heaters, but I’ll check on rain or snow,” I said. We spent the next twenty minutes going through the list of items. Nikita was the best at the job, so there weren’t any issues that needed us to troubleshoot or fix.
When we were done, I sent my team back to the office while I hunted down Nikita again to let her know all was well.
I stepped into the large room and immediately, the hairs on my arms stood up as I walked into Devin Roarke.
“Excuse me,” he said, his voice as deep and velvety as I remembered.
“I’m sorry,” I said looking down and stepping away from him. I made a b-line to Nikita, hoping he didn’t recognize me. When I reached her, I glanced at where he’d been. He stood in the doorway; his eyes narrowed toward me as if he was trying to place me.
Asshole, I thought as I turned my attention to Nikita. I remembered every moment of our time together, and he clearly didn’t remember me. Then again, I didn’t want him to remember me. I turned my attention to Nikita because I didn’t need him figuring out who I was. I worked to ignore him as he talked to his staff, but it was hard because I was dying to get a better look.
Finally, Nikita thanked me and sent me back to the office. I headed out of the event room, trying not to look like I was running away. I’d just made it to the elevator when Devin stepped in front of me.
He gave me that affable smile he’d used to seduce me five years ago. “You don’t remember me, do you?”
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