Campaigning for Love (7 page)

“Oh.” Her awe over receiving such a delicate and beautiful flower impaired her tongue.

“Oh? You’re kidding, right? Like you don’t know who sent it,” Gina accused. At her blank look, Gina ordered, “Hurry up and read the card before I die of curiosity.”

“How did you keep from doing that already?” Katherine teased as she set her briefcase in a chair and reached with nervous fingers for the white envelope with her name stenciled in black.

Thanks for putting up with me. I thought about cut flowers, but they fade. I wanted you to have something that would last. Nick.

She worried her lip and ran a finger along one of the satiny petals.

Gina hovered at her shoulder. “Well?”

“It’s from Nick.” Katherine tucked the card in her pocket, knowing Gina wouldn’t let an opportunity to snoop go by if she left it out.

“I guess that means the weekend went better than you thought it would.”

His gift, and the note attached, tugged at something deep inside her, but Katherine forced it back and held tight to the hurt and pain from her past. She used them to remind herself she couldn’t trust him. Flowers and sweet words were easy, and Nick Delaney had all the moves of a charmer down pat. He wanted to make a good impression on the judge. And maybe he even wanted to soften her up.

“It was fine.” She moved the flower to her credenza and checked the soil’s dampness. “You and I need to go shopping today.”

“You don’t shop,” Gina reminded her. “You think lunchtime trips to the mall are for debutantes, not us regular working girls.” Gina quoted Katherine’s favorite excuse when invited along for a lunchtime visit to the world of foofooism.

“If I’m expected to go to the awards dinner and listen to Uncle Charles’ speech, I need a new dress. Especially since Nick will be at our table.”

“You’re his date?” Gina’s mouth curved into an appreciative feline grin.

“Stop drooling. No, I’m
not
his date. He maneuvered it so I have to ride with him. His father wanted him to take Abby Blackmon but if he takes me he won’t have to get a real date.”

“He said that? To your face?” When Katherine nodded, she added, “He is a jerk.”

“Yep, he did and he is.” She rested her hands on her hips and notched her chin. “So we’re going shopping and I’m buying the most debutante-worthy gown I can find.”

Gina’s eyes took on a wicked sparkle. “Are you going to let me do your hair? You know I love playing dress-up.” She reached out and unclipped Katherine’s thick mane of hair, twisting and twirling it around her fingers. “There are so many things I can do with all this.” She held a handful in front of Katherine’s face.

“Sure. I don’t have court Friday. We’ll take a half day.”

“Great. Lunch today is my treat. Right after we find you the perfect dress.”

Shopping wasn’t bad. She just had better things to do with her limited free time than indulge in such extravagance. Only a good cause could force her to participate in the ritual. Uncle Charles giving a speech at an awards dinner fell under the “good cause” category. The chance to pop Nick Delaney’s eyes out was a bonus. But that was selfish. And petty. Katherine smirked. She was human after all.

She and Gina found the perfect dress at the first store they visited. Both of them were smiling when they got back to the office, Katherine with a new floor-length gown and all the accessories, per Gina’s insistence, and Gina with new shoes and matching handbag to go with a dress she’d already purchased.

Katherine took her dress home at the end of the day and hung it on her closet door, where it would stay until Friday night. The shiny fabric caught her eye each time she came out of the bathroom. She tried to ignore both the dress and the tiny knot of tension winding tighter each day as Friday crept closer.

The dress was beautiful. There was no doubt about that. But the thought of stepping out of her comfort zone just to prove to Nick she was as good as him—and possibly failing because she had no idea what she was doing—upped her anxiety several notches.

Alice’s advice would’ve been to stand tall and look him in the eye. She could do this. She equated her preparations for the evening with the Bible’s command to gird your loins before a battle. She let out a determined breath and prayed for victory.

She’d missed her senior prom thanks to Edward Delaney’s arranged transfer, though she would have spent the night holding up a wall like all the other outcasts. Foster kids were not members of the popular cliques. But if she’d gone to a dance back then, she’d know what to expect now. A girlie girl she was not.

There hadn’t been any classes on prepping for a big social event in law school, which put her at Gina’s mercy. A scary prospect in and of itself. Gina’s imagination was way too vivid for Katherine’s peace of mind. Gina had cast herself as the fairy godmother and wanted Katherine and Nick to play Cinderella and Prince Charming.

With a tired sigh, she dismissed her apprehensions. Tomorrow night would be nothing more than an elegant dinner spent with Uncle Charles, Aunt Melvia, Jeremy, Gina and, she sighed again, Nick. She would only be alone with him for the short drive to the hotel and back. The rest of the time, she’d be with friends. She could do this.
God, please help me
.

This wasn’t a date. Nick had said so himself. This was an attempt to use her to look good in front of Uncle Charles. That reality snapped in two the ball of tension building in her stomach. In its place was the familiar burn of determination. She’d show him what he’d thrown away and smile when she stepped over him after he fell at her feet begging for forgiveness.

The next afternoon Katherine soaked in a tub filled with lavender scented water with cool slices of cucumber resting over her eyes. She buffed and pampered herself more than she ever had in her life, and it was all Gina’s fault.

She’d convinced Katherine she needed to experience the whole effect to get into the debutante act properly. “It will relax you. Put you in the right frame of mind to be around Nick for several hours while he’s in his element. It’s a means of leveling the playing field,” Gina had argued. And Katherine was so gullible she fell for it.

Gina arrived armed with what looked like a mobile salon. She draped Katherine in a smock and got busy. She misted, twisted, curled and pinned until she’d achieved her vision. Finally, she handed Katherine a mirror so she could see for herself.

The look of surprise and the sound of awe that escaped her newly plum-tinted lips were Gina’s payment.

“I told you,” Gina boasted.

“Wow. You’ve made me look...I don’t know how to describe it. Beautiful is too tame a word for this.” Katherine turned her head from one side to the other, using the hand mirror to get a better view. When her eyes met Gina’s, she fought the sting of tears. “I don’t know how to thank you for doing all this.”

Gina tweaked a hairpin. “Be sure and tell me what Nicky Boy’s reaction is when you open the door. That will be reward enough.”

Half an hour after Gina left, Katherine was coming down the stairs when she heard a car door close. The doorbell chimed at the same time her cell phone rang. With her head down, rummaging for the phone in her evening bag, she opened the front door.

“Hello,” she said by way of greeting to both the caller and her visitor.

“Uncle Charles, yes, he’s at the door.” Katherine smiled and handed the phone to Nick.

He didn’t move. She wasn’t sure he was breathing. His gaze was stuck to her. She held the phone to his ear where the judge’s voice boomed. The sound brought him back to reality and he clasped the phone with his hand.

“Yes, sir, we’re ready.” His smile could have lit up half of Pemberly, “She’s beyond stunning.”

Katherine’s stomach fluttered.

“We’re on our way.” He clicked the phone off and handed it back to her. “Wow. You look gorgeous.” He beamed another mega-watt smile. His eyes roamed over her, taking in the eggplant-colored evening gown. He took her hand and turned her in a circle. “Absolutely stunning.”

His compliment had her heart thudding in her chest. But she wouldn’t let his words sway her. She reminded herself he had an agenda. She was a means to an end for him, nothing more. It wouldn’t pay to get all dreamy-eyed now.

“Thanks. We should go or we’ll be late.”

He offered his arm and led her out to his car. He opened her door and waited until she positioned the long skirt of her dress around her legs. He’d left the SUV at home in favor of a dark BMW sedan. Neither one spoke on the short drive to the hotel as Nick maneuvered through the heavy downtown traffic. She focused on hiding her nervousness, struggling not to fidget whenever he glanced her way.

An usher at the door directed them to their table. Abby Blackmon was sitting next to Jeremy. He stood and greeted Katherine when they walked up. “Katherine, you look beautiful.” He gave her a casual hug. “Have you met Abby?”

Katherine smiled and said thanks before turning to Abby. “Yes, Abby and I have worked on several charity boards together. How are you doing tonight?”

“I’m well. It’s great to see you again, Katherine. I love your dress.”

Gina arrived, followed by Judge Pierce and Aunt Melvia, along with members of the selection committee. Dinner included grilled chicken served with seared pineapple, rice, and asparagus, along with garden salad and dinner rolls. Close to time for dessert, the committee members and the judge excused themselves to take their places on the raised dais.

“On behalf of the selection committee I would like to thank all of you for attending tonight’s Citizen of the Year awards dinner. I’m Judge Charles Pierce and it’s my honor to present this year’s award. The recipient has lived in this and some of our neighboring communities all her life. But she never received the advantages some of us took for granted while growing up. She didn’t have a stable home environment, and in fact, found herself entrusted to state care before she turned ten.”

When he began his speech, Katherine had stopped eating, granting him her undivided attention, knowing how excited he was about presenting the award tonight. But when his speech touched on the recipient’s tragic upbringing, a hot pressure gripped her chest. The air squeezed from her lungs. She threw a panicked glance over to Aunt Melvia. She was smiling back at her while tears slid down her cheeks.

And that’s when she knew. He was talking about her. Revealing the pathetic story of her life for the whole town to hear. She wanted to run, but made herself concentrate on taking slow, even breaths. She didn’t look around. Too afraid she’d see the looks of pity on their faces as the judge trotted her life out for inspection. She forced herself to listen to the rest of the speech, trying to detach herself from the story.
Pretend it’s one of your cases
.

“This year’s recipient didn’t take the disadvantages she faced as anything but a challenge, a chance to prove the system wrong. She maintained excellent grades in school. In her senior year of high school, she met a woman who became her mentor. Who challenged her to be anything she wanted, who convinced her hard work would take her wherever she wanted to go.”

She tried not to squirm while he listed all the charities and other community causes she volunteered with.

Nick leaned over and whispered in her ear. “You realize he’s talking about you?”

She nodded but kept her head down. As Uncle Charles wound down from his long list of her accomplishments, a new dread filled her. They’d want her to walk up there and accept the award. To thank them for their pity. They expected her to say something. Her mind was blank. She had no idea what to say to all these people. Why had she given in and filled out that stupid form?

“The reason they let me have the honor of presenting the award this year is because the young lady I’ve been describing is a family member of mine, so to speak. My cousin by marriage, Alice Harper, adopted Katherine Jenkins right before she turned eighteen. Katherine is a children’s advocate serving in family court under my jurisdiction. She’s more than an attorney, more than a friend to this community. She’s more than a children’s advocate. She is a true advocate of love for all people, willing to help anyone in any way she can. So, without any further bragging from me, may I present Pemberly’s Citizen of the Year, Miss Katherine Harper.” He stepped back, applauding. As his eyes met hers, he smiled his pride at all she’d accomplished.

The heat of a blush rushed across her cheeks. Unsure what to do, she looked around the table. Jeremy and Nick stood and escorted her to the stage. Jeremy kissed her on the cheek and Nick kissed her hand before leaving her at the steps to the dais.

Uncle Charles wrapped her in his arms, giving her a crushing hug. In a soft voice meant for her ears alone, he said, “I’m so proud of you. I promised Alice I’d do this, but I wanted to even before she asked me. We are so blessed to have you in our family.”

Katherine fought against the emotions welling up, refusing to cry over the judge’s private words in front of these strangers. She accepted the plaque and looked out over the room full of guests. They had risen in her honor and were still clapping.

“Thank you very much, Uncle Charles.” She offered him a watery smile. “And thank you to the members of the selection committee. I know there are numerous people who have done so much more than I have. I think we should honor them, as well. The things I do, the people I help, I don’t do for an award, or even a thank-you. I do it because I see a need.” Her voice took on an impassioned earnestness. “And if I don’t do it, who will? My mom, Alice Harper, taught me to look at what I can do, not what I can’t. Everyone who volunteers in our community does that. I accept this award tonight in memory of my adoptive mother and on behalf of all the volunteers who work tirelessly throughout our community. Thank you.” She raised the plaque high and smiled before she went back to her seat.

Event staff moved the tables aside to make room for dancing. When the band opened with a slow classic, Uncle Charles led her onto the floor for the first dance. The mayor and his wife, along with several other council members, joined them. As the next song began, Jeremy led Abby onto the dance floor, and Nick claimed Katherine’s hand while the judge sought out Aunt Melvia.