Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 91461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
“Thank you, um…”
“Jory. Jory Harcourt. And you are?”
“Pam Dumont. I write for the Times.”
“That’s awesome. Come back and tell me all about it.”
“I will,” she said, beaming at me.
Aja had Douglas Hemmings, who ran a nonprofit that taught ESL at youth centers, and Brenda Cooley, assistant to the mayor, chatting with her about secondary education in private schools. The thing was, they all started talking originally because Doug had an awesome phone case that Aja asked about.
Dane talked to a man about an initiative for the wetlands, and a gorgeous textile heiress who wanted to start her philanthropic journey. The heiress asked what Dane had bought for his wife—she saw the ring—for Valentine’s Day, and he went into his rant about the absurdity of the day. She agreed, and the wetlands guy was thrilled to find like-minded individuals.
Sam explained to several guests that the marshals service in Chicago was there for Chicago and all of its people. They would stand with their state, their city, their governor and the mayor. As far as I could tell, everyone appreciated hearing that.
Duncan walked people that he met over to Aaron, and I watched my friend stare at his husband in surprise and happily be introduced.
Jackets came off, people sat with napkins on their laps under plates, and glasses cluttered end tables and coffee tables. Everyone held a plate for someone else, helped carry, and scooted over to make room. There was a lot of bonding going on. I collected many phone numbers and gave out mine.
Several women were chatting about their husbands, and as I always liked to hear anyone gush about their partner, I joined in.
They all had their phones out, showing off how gorgeous their guys were. There were lots of hot men in suits, more than a few in tight jeans with shirts barely buttoned.
“Sorry,” I said, grinning crazily, “but I’ve got you all beat.”
“There’s no way,” a gorgeous blonde told me, and I had to admit, her husband looked great up on a horse with a cowboy hat on, smiling rakishly at her.
I turned my phone around to her and the others, and there was Sam Kage, leaving the house two days earlier, for a morning raid to arrest drug smugglers with the DEA. He had on a pair of cargo pants that hugged his ass, a long-sleeve shirt stretched tight across his wide chest hugging his thick biceps. The star was hanging in the middle of his chest, his aviators were on, his baseball cap on backwards, and the thigh holster was on his right leg, that, in the video, he was sliding the gun into. When he turned and saw me, suddenly there was the aw-shucks smile.
“Oh…wow,” the blonde barely got out.
“I love that as soon as he saw you, he went from Superman to big softie,” Aja said with a sigh. “But I have maintained from the start that your man is fine.”
“Is he…here?” another woman asked with a little squeak at the end.
I pointed him out, called his name, and they all waved with me. His grin was wide when he returned the gesture.
Later, there was a totally improvised game of charades in the living room that Dane and Duncan picked teams for. Aaron looked a bit nonplused but also, very happy. It was, all in all, the best dinner—with strangers—that was ever held at Duncan and Aaron’s.
As the party was winding down, I went to take Sam a slice of pecan pie with ice cream, but he didn’t want that. What he did want was me, sitting beside him, head on his chest, arm around me, as he talked to Duncan. He rubbed his chin in my hair, snuggled me in tighter, and listened. As I looked around, I noticed how many people I had spoken to in the course of a single remarkable evening, who were smiling over at me now.
I forgot sometimes that I needed to be more open. Not just with my neighbors and the people I worked with and saw every day, but with strangers. Especially at the moment, in this time, a community was what was going to keep us all sane. People looking out for other people. Helping hands were so necessary, and not just for the big things, but for the little things as well. Building and connecting with others was vitally important. And yes, it was inconvenient at times, because didn’t we all just want to stay home and watch Netflix? But in the end, it was so very worth it to put yourself out there.
When everyone else left, Aaron thanked us all. I enjoyed watching both Dane and Sam give him a hug.
When we got home, Sam went upstairs, and I remembered I had to send some quick emails. One of them, I had to wait for a response back before I could shoot it off to the printer. I hit my playlist on my computer, and “Love Train” by the O’Jays came on. I was dancing around the kitchen when I did a quick spin and noticed my husband with his phone out.