Page 58 of Wright Together

“Thanks. I told my brother you were out of his league, but he decided to ask you out anyway,” she said with a grin. “Good choice on his part.” She leaned in with a wink. “You can do better.”

I snorted and glanced at Whitt to see him rolling his eyes.

“Harley,” he ground out.

“All right. I did my due diligence. We should get out of here.”

I slipped my hand into the crook of his elbow, and we filed out of the house behind everyone else.

Whitt leaned down. “I’m sorry about her. She’s a menace.”

“She seems sweet.”

“She’s like a sour candy really. Sweet on the inside, but you have to get past the sour exterior.”

“Harley and I have that in common,” I said, deadpan.

He laughed in surprise. “I’m not sure I like comparing you to my sister.”

I bit my lip. “That’s fair.”

We hopped into the back of the limo with the rest of our friends, fitting snug in a corner, Whitt’s arm draped casually across my shoulders. Champagne flutes were passed around even though we were only driving the ten minutes to Wright Construction to use their penthouse restaurant for Jensen’s mayoral fundraiser.

I’d been in a limo once with Arnold when he took me to Vegas for the weekend. I could rate that experience as a one on a scale from one to ten compared to this. I’d never known precisely what I was missing by not having friends like this. And here, in the back of the limo, drinking champagne and enjoying the gentle ribbing about Whitt and me, I could see how my entire life could have changed had someone accepted me.

I finished a glass of champagne and passed it back to a giggling Nora as we drove up to the front door. It was strange to step out onto the familiar pavement. Wright Construction was a staple of the community, and until I’d started working here, I’d never been inside. Now, I was here as a guest for a fancy dinner. All of it felt surreal.

“You ready?” Whitt asked, holding his arm out.

I took a deep breath and then nodded, agreeing to so much more than he could know. “Let’s do it.”

The group piled into the elevator and took us up to the restaurant that Wright was famous for. It took up the entirety of the top floor of the building with windows around the entire perimeter for a spectacular view of the sunset as it fell over the Texas Tech campus.

Nora sighed in delight next to me. “The campaign event planner is spot-on.”

The place had transformed from the business locale it typically was used as to an elaborate and elegant dinner party, complete with a dozen circular tables decorated with fresh flowers. Waiters, dressed in black suits, carried trays of champagne and hors d’oeuvres. Hollin snagged a little finger sandwich and held his hand up to stop another waiter carrying champagne. Piper rolled her eyes at him, but she took the proffered glass.

The rest of our group took drinks, too, and then headed across the glossy hardwood floor to the table with our names written in calligraphy on small white cards. I swayed lightly to the soft classical music coming from a string quartet. My stomach flipped as I looked around the room—the fancy party, the abundance of florals, and all the important people in town. I couldn’t believeIwas here.

“This is incredible,” I told Whitt.

“Jensen knows how to throw a party. That’s for sure.”

“I need to go talk to the planner,” Nora said with wide-eyed wonder.

West laughed. “I’ll go with you.” He grinned at his brother before disappearing after her.

“He’s smitten,” I said.

“No shit.”

I laughed. “Why do you sound disappointed?”

“I’m happy for him. He’s like a lost puppy when he’s in love.”

“It’s cute.”

“I think so, too,” Harley said. She smacked Whitt’s arm. “You could use a little more lost puppy in your life.”