for it.”
As the night went on, I sat in awe of the company I worked for. The event was primarily directed toward their owning Saint John’s hospital and ensuring it would be recognized as one of the best hospitals for cardiac and neuro patients, if not the best. I sat through all of the presentations, fully absorbed by them. Who would’ve thought sitting through something like this would be so informative and intriguing?
If that wasn’t enough, Jim had stolen my heart on yet another level. The charismatic businessman had me—and the entire room—connected to every word that came out of his mouth from the moment he approached the podium. I should’ve known he was this smooth with words, this direct with his approaches, and this passionate about his company.
I’d never met this side of Jim until tonight. I’d been more caught up with the man who ate big macs with me, who role-played as my husband in England, and who took care of me after fleeing his car for the nearest cemetery. The Jim and Mitch who dropped whatever he was doing to pick up my daughter—that was the man I knew more than this one. It sounded ridiculous, but I found myself fascinated with him as a whole now, and the respect I had for him had grown by leaps and bounds.
“The bar is open.” I tapped Ash on her shoulder after Jim thanked everyone for their time and the closed out the last of the presentations. “Would you care for something non-alcoholic?” I smiled at the beautiful young woman who was married to Jim’s younger brother.
Her swollen abdomen complemented her petite figure. They say that women have that beautiful glow while pregnant, and that was apparent on all of Ash’s features. Her brown eyes sparkled, her smile was brilliant, and most of all, the young woman had a fun and caring aura that radiated from her. I felt like I’d met a kindred spirit in the small amount of time we’d talked while Joe was doing my hair. I almost felt like I instantly had a wonderful family or group of life-long friends, and I’d only spent a few hours with them.
Ash chuckled and pushed her chair back. “After two hours of sitting, I need to walk or something. I’m dying here.” She cracked a smile that easily made anyone who looked at her smile back. “I’ll head to the bar with you. After the remarkable presentations tonight, everyone in this room will most likely bombard Jake and Jim now,” she said as we stood together. “I definitely think Mitchell and Associates won the crowd over tonight.”
“I completely agree. Jake was fantastic; maybe that’s why Jim’s afraid he might get flattened by a bus tonight.” I laughed.
“That was classic,” she said with a grin. “Let’s hope I don’t need him to cross the street for anything I might crave tonight.”
“Aside from Jim’s goofy analogy, I have to agree with Jim about how important it is that Jake shares his knowledge.” I grinned as we stood behind people waiting to approach the bar. “His presentation actually made me feel more comfortable about coronary disease if that’s possible.”
“Before he and I were an item, he saved my dad’s life,” Ash said as we made our way to the bar, people moving away after getting their drinks. “Jake really is the best there is, and I’m not biased. I guess I have to agree with Jim’s bus-flattening Jake analogy tonight too.” She laughed her sweet laugh and took a sip of the ginger ale she requested.
The bar itself was adorned beautifully to match the splendor of the room, complete with a crystal counter that was backlit with a magenta glow. This entire event was as fancy as it got.
“How long have you and Jake been together?” I asked, interested in the adorable couple’s relationship.
She grinned when I sipped the martini I ordered. “Well, honestly, when we first met, I thought I was only having a one-night stand with some sexy guy named Mitch. That was the name he gave me anyway, and it turns out that alias he used that night is poor Jim’s nickname.” She rolled her eyes and laughed, “I think he does that shit to intentionally piss off his brother sometimes.”
“Mitch? My daughter is fascinated with Mitch as her good friend.” I laughed and rolled my eyes. “Jim met her and tried to help her gain some trust with him by saying that people call him Jim or