Cursive - By Phoebe Lane Page 0,56

memory of Jace saying something similar to her the day they had met flashed in her mind as he gently squeezed her hand. It warmed her heart to realize that they were simultaneously thinking about the same unspoken memory. It made her feel connected to him.

"Nina, save me a dance for later," John said and kissed her cheek. "Excuse me, everyone, I want to go say hello to some people, and then convince them to donate obscene amounts of money tonight. Jace, you want to join me?"

"Coming, Dad," Jace said and turned to Aislynn. "Will you save a dance for me, too?"

She kissed him softly on the lips and nodded. She wasn't really that much into PDAs, but she couldn't resist herself even in front of his mom. Their conversation earlier that morning had sparked something inside her that she couldn't quite put her finger on yet.

I can't, or I won't?

"And be careful with that hand," he said, kissing her palm softly. Even through the fabric of her black gloves, she could feel her skin tingle.

What is this feeling?

"What happened to your hand, dear?" Nina asked, concern etched on her face.

"Oh, I cut myself yesterday and had to get some stitches."

Aislynn went on to tell her about her accident, leaving out the glorious details about her embarrassing meltdown. Evan and Ellie joined them at that point, and Aislynn felt grateful for the distraction.

"Ladies, you look fabulous!" Evan said.

"Thanks, Evan," Nina responded. "Did you go blonde just for this event, Ellie?"

"Not really. It was just time for a change. Besides, there's no way to pull off a Marilyn Monroe with any other hair color."

"And lucky for me, this blonde prefers this gentleman," Evan said, kissing her nose. "I'm just glad she only changes her hair color this fast."

"Aww, I would never trade you," Ellie said. "You're a keeper."

"Is everything okay?" Aislynn asked Nina as she anxiously scanned the room.

"I wonder where Tessa and Alex are. We're supposed to start the presentation here in a few minutes," she said.

"Oh, I just saw them walking in. Aislynn, you're really going to get a kick out of her costume," Evan said with a chuckle.

"Why is that?" Nina asked, as Aislynn turned toward the front door and caught sight of a statuesque Tessa walking in with her husband. She was dressed in a floor-length, scarlet red gown and white gloves. Alex looked dashing in a black, tailored tuxedo.

"Oh my God, it's Pretty Woman!" Aislynn said, throwing her head back in a laugh, and told everyone the embarrassing story of how Evan had saved her from the dirty, old, drunk man that had propositioned her the night they’d met.

Waiters walked by and served them all drinks, as Tessa and Nina excused themselves to take the stage. They first welcomed everyone, and then thanked Evan and Jace for sponsoring the event.

"Three years ago, I found myself waiting in a hospital room while my oldest son, Jace, was undergoing chemotherapy," Nina said, and Aislynn felt the acid in her stomach rise up and burn her chest, intensifying the sudden ache in her heart. She held on to Jace's hand and gently squeezed it under the table. She felt more like hugging him, but she told herself it wasn't the time or the place for that. She kept her eyes on Nina as she continued her speech.

"I met a lot of people in the hospital during that time, but I will never forget a young woman named Elizabeth. She was there with her eight-year-old daughter, Amy, who was also undergoing cancer treatments. One morning, Elizabeth came in looking very distressed, and she told me she had just been laid off from her job. Her boss had fired her because of all the time she had taken off to be with her daughter in the hospital.

"While Elizabeth took care of her daughter away from home, her husband had to care for their two other small children. He was having to miss a lot of work and was on the verge of losing his job as well. No jobs meant no insurance for her family, and hence no way to continue Amy's treatments. She felt truly lost." Nina became very emotional at this point, and Tessa had to continue the speech for her.

"Soon after, Nina approached me about Elizabeth's situation and decided it was imperative we step in and help," Tessa continued. "We reached out to our family and friends, and they helped us collect donations to assist Elizabeth’s family. Today,