Page 42 of Love From the Ashes
“All right, I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. It looks like he’s coming over here anyway, so we’ll find out soon enough what he’s up to.”
“Auntie, what a surprise to see you here this evening,” Geoff said in an exaggerated tone as soon as he reached us. He gave Ginny a peck on the cheek.
Reid frowned, and I understood why. Even I knew this was an annual event for Ginny, and she’d been attending it for years.
“Geoff, it’s nice to see you. What brings you to the gala this evening?” Ginny said. There was something in the way she looked at him for a brief second, and I couldn’t place what it was since she’d quickly adopted her usual poker-faced expression.
“Oh, I thought I’d be a good sport and support Boston’s culture scene. Who knows, it might be fun.”
Ginny smiled at him, and then I realized what it was. It was trust, or the lack of it. She didn’t trust Geoff, and I could see it in her eyes. That made two of them because Reid didn’t either. That reaffirmed to me that I needed to be wary of him.
“I’m going to join Maddie. Reid, don’t take too long. You’ll want to be at the table before they stop people from entering. Our table is up front next to the stage.” Ginny glanced at Geoff. “I’m sure I’ll see you later this evening. Enjoy the performance.” With that said, Ginny walked away.
“Well, cousin, are you going to introduce me to your guest?” Geoff’s gaze darted from my lips to my chest before he turned back to Reid.
“Sofie, this is my cousin, Geoff Engels. This is my girlfriend, Sofie Fletcher.” Reid’s jaw was tight as he gave the introductions, making our relationship status clear.
“Ahh, your girlfriend. I guess that night at the dance club worked out for you. Congratulations, Sofie looks quite the catch.”
“She is. Sofie, we should head to our table. Geoff, we’ll see you later.” Reid took my arm and led me away. He appeared to relax once we entered the concert hall and headed toward the stage.
“There she is. I’ve been waiting to meet the young lady who has Reid so enamored,” Maddie Langston said from her seat at the table.
I smiled at her comment, recognizing her from our night watching the play.
“This is Sofie Fletcher. Sofie, this is my dearest friend, Maddie Langston,” Ginny said as Reid helped me with my chair.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Langston.”
“Please call me Maddie. Reid’s practically like a son to me, having grown up with my daughter, Samantha, and our families go back years before the children were born. Speaking of children, I hope he’s bringing you to Samantha’s wedding next month. It’ll be on October twenty-second. If he’s not, come anyway, and I’ll sneak you in.” Maddie winked at me, and I could see Reid trying to stifle a grin as he gave her a quick hug and kiss on the cheek.
“Yes, I was planning on attending. That is unless Reid changes his mind and decides not to take me. In that case, I’ll have to sneak in as you suggested.” I raised an eyebrow at Reid, teasing him as he took his seat at the table.
“There’s no way that’s going to happen. Sofie will be joining me at the wedding.” Reid slid his arm around my shoulder and kissed my forehead, appearing amused by the conversation.
“Wonderful. I’ll have to share some of Reid’s boyhood stories with you while he’s not listening,” Maddie said teasingly.
“You wouldn’t dare,” Reid said, laughing.
“Oh, my dear. Yes, I would, so don’t tempt me.”
Ginny introduced us to the other four people at our table. Then a young man came to see what we wanted to drink. After taking our order for a California chardonnay, he brought us our first course and glasses of wine. Reid had preordered us shrimp Caesar salads.
“Since this is your first time, I should explain a few things,” Reid said. “The performance is more enjoyable and less nerve-racking when you know what to expect.”
“Good idea. I don’t want the whole room staring at me because I did something wrong,” I said, feeling daunted as I pictured the scene.
“You’ll be fine.” Reid held my hand under the table and gave it a little squeeze. “First, we need to stay relatively quiet so we don’t distract the performers and the other patrons. You’ll also need to make sure your cell phone is off.”
“It is. I turned it off before I put it in my purse.”
“Perfect. Now, as far as the applause goes, it’s proper to applaud when the concertmaster or first-chair violinist enters the stage. We also applaud when the conductor enters. During the performance, we only applaud at the end of a full piece of music, not in between. Watch me, and I’ll let you know when to do it. Got it?”
“Yep, I’ll do everything you do. That’s simple enough.” I grinned as I removed my hand from his and placed it on his knee. “This is going to be fun.” With Reid as my tutor, I wasn’t worried. He’d look out for me and ensure I followed the proper etiquette.
The concert began, and I made sure to applaud when Reid did. I’d never heard this type of music before and found it fun and exciting. Unable to help myself, I quietly tapped my foot to the music, garnering smiles from both Ginny and Maddie Langston. It wasn’t long before our server brought our dinner to the table. Reid and I had the parmesan-crusted chicken breast, while Ginny and Maddie had the herbed salmon. Everyone agreed the dinner was delicious.
When we finished, the servers picked up our dinner plates, and the performance stopped for the intermission. Reid led me to the champagne bar, and after ordering two glasses, we stepped off to the side to chat. We’d only been there for a few moments when one of the gentlemen at our table approached us.