The Scars That Burn

Chapter 45

Three months later

The bell at my front door rings, alerting me that Travis is here to pick me up.

"I'll get it. Go put your shoes on." Jeffery says getting up from the couch, setting his champagne down.

I walk to the closet in the corner of my temporary studio apartment. I can't wait to get out of this place. It's nice but it's such a bachelor pad.

I pull out the strappy cream Louboutin stilettos that I bought especially to match this dress.  It is a stunning red, off the shoulder gown with a dangerously high slit. It is one of my favorite dresses I have ever worn and Jeffery helped me get it from a stylist friend he met.

I was so excited that he came back for tonight. I hadn't seen him since San Fran when he came up for a weekend. I had missed him so much through all of the men drama a few months ago.

"Wow. Becca. You look...absolutely stunning." Travis walks over to me and plants a kiss on my cheek.

I smile at him. "You don't look so bad yourself."

"I know." He winks and then laughs. "Alright car is waiting downstairs. Shall we should head out?"

I grab my clutch and take one last look, making sure I didn't smudge my lipstick.

The three of us climb into the limo and settle in. Travis grabs the bottle of champagne he had chilling for us and starts to pour.

"How'd your dad's speech come out?" Jeffery asks Travis as he takes the glass from him and then passes it to me.

"Good I think. He didn't really go over the whole thing with me but I got bits and pieces." He looks at me. "He talks about your sister and her success in the one part. How much she is doing already for their field, he's really proud of her."

"Any chance she shows up last minute?" Jeffery asks me and I shake my head no.

"I thought I could get her to since Dr. Hanson is being recognized but she couldn't." I sigh. "I wish she would though. Just once so she could see there is nothing to be afraid of."

Travis and Jeffery both nod but are silent. They can't relate so there's not much they can say.

We chat about various things and arrive at the venue. With everything going on, I wasn't part of the planning this year. I was too busy. Jennifer wasn't either since she's in San Fran. She ended up staying and is now head of our paralegal team there. I'm so proud of her but I miss her skills terribly. I have yet to find an assistant that matches her talent.

We exit the limo and head into the crowd that has formed around the entrance. People are everywhere and it seems a little chaotic. I bite my tongue of my criticisms. I am just a guest tonight and I won't say a thing.

They ended up choosing the Hilton Grand Ballroom due to the rising number of people wanting to attend the gala. It seemed a little hokey to me but I guess there isn't that many places that fit two thousand people in Manhattan.

We walk in and follow the signs directing us to go to the elevators as the ballroom is on the third floor. The doors open and a group of us make our way in. I glance around and find two women making eyes at Travis and Jeffery. Ha. Good luck ladies.

We exit and make our way down the hall to ballroom. We can see ahead that they have a bar outside and people are surrounding it. We make our way through the crowd and into the room.

I fight the urge to scream. It looks like a wedding reception. The walls are backlit purple and there are just rows and rows of tables. This is not the gala that people have come to expect.