“Yeah.” Chuy looked out through the screen door at the beat-up ’78 Buick Electra parked on the street. “We’ll definitely blend in with that thing.”
“Just do it, Chuy. I need to go home and change.” She took in his paint-splattered jeans and wife beater shirt. “You should put your suit back on.”
“I don’t have to dress up for them.”
“You need to so we can blend in. Everyone’s probably going to be in tuxes or evening gowns. You don’t by any chance have a tuxedo, do you?”
“I have a tuxedo t-shirt.”
“Never mind,” Naomi said, exasperated. “Put your suit back on.”
“Please, Naomi. Be careful,” Welita said.
Bear barked.
“Calm down, Bear. I’m opening the door.” The door squealed open as she spoke. “Welita, we’ll be in public the entire time. I’m just going to have a few words with her. She was the one who came to us, remember?”
Lash stopped listening to the conversation when he heard a high-pitched growl around the corner. He stepped away slowly, wishing again that he had some of his powers back.
He heard the sound of the motorcycle starting up and cursed. There was no way he’d be able to keep up with Naomi without flying.
He needed to get back to his apartment and try to find out the location of the Plaza. He carefully took a step and a blur of reddish-brown fur headed straight to him. The Chihuahua yapped and jumped at his feet, and Lash looked wide-eyed at the tiny dog.
I was worried about that? He chuckled. Despite all the jumping and annoyingly high-pitched sounds she was making, Bear was a cute dog.
Lash bent down to pet her. She bit his finger.
“Shit!” He jerked away his hand. The dog gave him a funny look, like she was laughing at him.
“I guess that means we’re not going to be friends,” he said to her.
“Bear? Bear! Come back inside,” Welita called out.
The dog turned its head in the direction of her owner’s voice, looked at Lash, growled, and barked. She then turned and ran back into the house.
He sighed. This was going to be a long assignment. Gazing into the evening sky, he said, “And thirty-five years wasn’t enough laughs for you?”
***
Lash tugged at the collar of his tuxedo as he stood in the corner of the ballroom. It had taken him two hours to find a place that rented tuxedos and grab a taxi to drive him to the Plaza. He thought he’d be too late when he arrived, but Naomi and Chuy were nowhere to be found.
He walked around the periphery, taking in the number of people dressed in their finest. Toward the back of the ballroom, a large stage was set up. A black podium sat in the center, holding at least a dozen microphones, each ready to pick up every single word uttered.
A short woman in a long flowing pink gown walked to the podium and stood for a moment, waiting for the room to quiet down. “Ladies and gentlemen, the Houston Children’s Hospital thanks you for your donations. I’d also like to give a special appreciation to Mr. Luke Prescott for the Prescott Foundation’s generous donation.”
The room broke into applause, and Lash saw a distinguished-looking man standing next to a woman he assumed to be the senator. The man bowed slightly to the woman at the podium.
“As you know, the hospital is near and dear to Senator Sutherland’s heart,” the woman continued. “The senator and the Prescott Foundation have been our biggest supporters. Every penny spent provides quality health care for impoverished children in the city. Please help me welcome Senator Jane Sutherland.”
The senator shook the woman’s hand and stood behind the podium, waiting for the applause to die down. “Thank you, Lilith.” Her soft voice echoed through the room. “It is an honor for me to be here tonight. We all know the fine work that you do for the children of Houston.”
Lash looked around the room as the senator continued with her speech. He expected Naomi to step forward. Minutes passed, and she was nowhere in sight. He wondered if she had changed her mind. He was about to leave when he heard a commotion in the back of the room. He didn’t have to turn to know who it was.
High-heeled shoes clacked on the floor as Naomi marched toward the front of the room. Lash stood slack-jawed at the sight of her. This did not look like the girl in the torn shorts and t-shirt he’d seen a few hours earlier. Her black dress hugged her hips, accentuating her curves. She wore her hair up, curled wisps falling down her neck and along her forehead, framing a pair of blazing eyes. She was breathtaking.
“Senator,” Naomi called out when she reached the front of the room.
Lash mentally slapped himself to attention. This wasn’t the time or place to be noticing stupid things like how the dark curls around her temples highlighted the sheen of her skin or how his fingers itched to trace the little patch of freckles at the base of her neck.