The waiters worked the floor, plying their guests with finger food in lieu of a sit down meal. Much cheaper to serve and kinder to their already dwindling budget. Besides, Carly’s sister, an award winning chef who wanted to go out on her own with a high end catering business she’d started up, had donated her time and produce for the event in exchange for her face and company name on display. So far, it had been a great success and lots of people wanted to know more about her business. The small pile of business cards and glossy resumes had diminished since the food had started circulating.
A crackle filled the air. Their MC for the night, television personality and all round funny man, Wes Weston tapped the microphone. Hosting top class parties and awards nights made him the perfect person to approach when Ruby was looking for someone to draw the crowd in. After all, he’d adopted some of her babies and was a well-known and passionate animal advocate in San Francisco. “My time to shine, lovely people.” He bowed to the good natured applause and laughter. “Thank you, thank you. I’ll pause while you repeat that accolade. Make me feel loved all the more. Thank you.”
Once the noise quietened down, he held out his hand, beckoning Ruby to the stage. “Ruby, our hostess for the evening, come up and say a few words.”
Panic filled her throat and she gestured at him, running her finger across her throat, ready to cause bodily harm. She’d already told him that she wasn’t prepared to do a speech. He laughed her off. “Folks, Ruby is the shy retiring type unless she’s talking to one of her fur babies but let’s not sway her from coming up and saying a few words. Words that might make some of you blush, because I can see she’s so angry with me I’m going to get a dressing down. Come on Ruby. Just a couple of wise snippets from you and then I’ll get on with the highlight of the night - the auction.” The applause was thundering and she had no choice but to go up on stage. The spot light was on her as she climbed the stairs.
When she reached the mic, she glared at him. “I would kill you if I didn’t like you so much.”
He bowed and handed the mic over.
She brushed a hand over her hair, stalling until the words cemented in her mind. “Ladies and gentlemen. I’m not very good at this as you can probably guess. I’m a lot happier out at the shelter helping the animals that depend on me and my team to take them in and find them good homes, and good people like you to love them. But it would be remiss of me if I didn’t get over my aversion to public speaking long enough to thank you from the bottom of my heart for being here tonight to help raise much needed funds for Hope for Animals of San Francisco.” She paused as the applause rang out. When it died down, Ruby looked out over the crowd and spotted Simon and his best friend Tyler at the back of the room. Simon raised his glass to her. Her heart nose-dived to her feet and her throat closed over.
He’d changed over the last few years. His face had thinned, jaw line squared off. That youthful babyface had grown more handsome. Where once he looked casual in cheap knock off clothing, now he wore a well cut suit that hugged broad shoulders. His haircut professionally done, swept up instead of hanging over that high-brow she used to run her fingers over to smooth out the worry lines when his coding didn’t work or the program he worked on wouldn’t go as fast as he needed it to.
The sultry smile on his lips almost floored her. He was so handsome, so self-assured now that she was mesmerized by the vibes he put out. So unlike the geeky young man she’d walked away from.
But it was too late to second guess herself now. Especially not in the public spotlight.
She blocked him out of her mind as she tried to finish her speech. The last thing she’d expected was Carly to invite the man who’d broken her heart to their big night. Concentrate, Ruby. “The shelter is undergoing its biggest challenge yet. The lease is due to expire in sixty days and the price will no doubt be going up to match other rents in the area. I don’t blame our landlord for doing what he’s entitled to do. But sadly, that impacts the shelter more than we can handle. We can’t afford big city prices. We run on donations alone as you know.” She paused to swallow. “If we don’t raise the money, we lose the property. We will have nowhere else to go and we’ve already moved so many times. It’s not only stressful to the staff but it’s incredibly stressful to the animals. So I’m begging you all tonight to help as much as you can. Open your hearts as well as your wallets. We, the carers and the animals, need you to support us so we can continue our good work. The county needs our facility but without you we can’t continue. And if any of you would like to make an appointment to adopt, grab me and we’ll sort it out. Thank you and have a good night.”
The applause was deafening. She handed the mic back to Wes with a punch on the arm. “Sneak.”
He put his arm around her and whispered in her ear. “You know I love you and I’ll do
