Emelia had watched Trevor up on the podium speaking from his heart. She was bursting with pride for him. It was a pull like a magnet that had an intense grip on her. She couldn’t stop wanting him. And yesterday, when he’d taken care of her and helped her finally free herself from Grant, it was like all her emotions for him multiplied.
There was something different about Trevor. Something beneath the surface of his bad boy rock star reputation. He had that charitable kindness, a passion for a cause much more significant than himself.
She was entranced by watching him up on a different kind of stage this morning at the brunch. He was clean-shaven, and his dark hair was a little dishelved. Every time she was near him, her heart raced. Her cheeks flushed. She lost control of her emotions.
Emelia loved getting to know Trevor. It was as if little by little, he was allowing her to strip off his layers of mysteriousness. He was dark, brooding and handsome. But underneath that hard exterior, there was a delicious softness inside of him that Emelia felt compelled to explore.
She was one of the few who could see through that filter of the bad boy persona. Well, her and the rest of the people in the room, listening to him talk and tell stories about his passion for feeding into the aid and rescue of foster children in need.
Emelia didn’t know much about Trevor’s childhood, but she was aware that he too had been a foster kid at one point, and somehow or another the story was that he moved in with Roman and his family in middle school. Apparently, Roman’s family had become foster parents themselves in order to take Trevor in. It was a selfless act, and as Trevor spoke, she could hear the gratitude in his voice about the kindness of those willing to dig him out of the trenches.
“He’s so charming, right?”
Emelia had been sitting at a table with people she didn’t know. She smiled at the fifty-something lady sitting next to her with silver hair, red-rimmed urban glasses and a dreamy expression on her face.
“Yeah.” Emelia chuckled and nodded politely. “He’s not bad to look at.”
“And he really seems to care so much.” Another woman chimed in with her two cents. She was probably in her mid-fifties too, with dark, severely cut hair. “He’s not like all those fake celebrities.”
“I actually know him,” Emelia said.
“You do?” The silver-haired lady raised an impressed eyebrow. “In person?”
“Yep.” Emelia nodded with a beaming smile. “I am on tour with him.” Though, now that she and Grant had broken up, she wasn’t really sure what her place with the band was anymore.
“What’s it like traveling the country?” The woman with the midnight colored hair quizzed.
Emelia leaned back in her seat with a deep sigh. She smoothed her sundress with her hands and smiled nostalgically. “It’s incredible. I love experiencing all the different cities. There is so much beauty in the world, out there and ripe for the taking. I’ve always loved travel, so this opportunity was just perfect for me.”
The silver-haired lady adjusted her glasses as she studied Emelia with purpose and intrigue. “You’re very lucky,” she groaned as if she were suddenly a teenage groupie.
“I know.” She was fully aware of her blessings, and she never wanted to take them for granted.
She could watch Trevor talking, or singing, on a stage of any kind, no matter what, all day. Then, Trevor had ended his speech by stating that he hoped he could make a difference in the world, and it all started with donations, big or small. The crowd cheered and clapped, giving him a diplomatic standing ovation that made even Emelia’s heart swell.
A hoard of people was standing around after the speech, and Emelia found herself getting lost beneath the dozens of faces. She didn’t recognize anyone. She still felt the remnants of her illness, a little weak, a little dizzy. But she wasn’t going to miss out. When she had seen Trevor’s note, she’d jumped at the chance to come.
She wanted to scope out Trevor, hunting him down so she could offer her congratulations on his success at today’s event. There were dozens of socialites and fancily dressed people. She hoped she fit in with her plain sundress and gladiator sandals.
Then, Trevor emerged from the crowd and came straight at her, scooping her up in a hug that melted her heart. She breathed a sigh of relief and hugged him back.
“I have to go meet with a couple of people in the back. You okay to keep mingling for a little while yet?”
“Of course. Do whatever you have to do.”
With a quick kiss on her cheek, he left. She grabbed a champagne flute, made her way to the buffet where a variety of snacks had been laid out.
“The chocolate covered strawberries were always your favorite.”
She spun to the sound of Grant’s voice. He stood slightly to her left, hands in his pockets, a crooked smile on his mouth.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
He shrugged, stepped forward and plucked a berry off the tray. “Nothing. Just wanted to see our important, self-inflated boss at work spilling his heart. Too bad he’s a hypocrite.”
She narrowed her eyes, the urge to flee consuming her. Not bothering to excuse herself, she side-stepped Grant and moved to leave.
“I wouldn’t get to cozy with him, Emelia. It’s only going to hurt you in the end.”
His voice was tight. Warning flags went through her mind.
“Are you threatening me?”
He bit into the strawberry, made a show of it, slowly, juice running over his chin.
“I don’t know. Am I?”
Her nostrils flared, her chest constricting. Grant pulled some stupid shit sometimes, but this passive-aggressive anger thing he had going on was actually frightening.
“You need to leave.”
“Nope, nope I don’t. Everyone was invited to this little soiree. So if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to continue mingling.”
He gave her a wink and disappeared into the crowd, tossing the half-bitten strawberry back at her.
It landed at her feet; the top chewed off like a tiny missing head.
Emelia kicked it away. Nothing good was going to come of this.