Canvas Skies (Reliance on Citizens Makes Us Great!) (18 page)

“I owe him one!” Guy said. He smiled at
Aimee. “I wasn't sure how to get out of that one without causing a
scene.”

“You were already causing a scene,” said his
mother. “I didn't raise you to be a pushover. You're in line to
take over the company. Buck up!”

Guy's jaw tensed. He grabbed my hand and led
me to the small stage where a five-man orchestra played a merry
tune. He jumped up, removed the microphone from its stand and
hopped back down. Then he walked directly to the center of the
dance floor and left me staring after him. The music stopped.

What? Now? Like this?

Guy smiled at me. People turned to look. I
glanced around and took a deep breath. My palms grew sweaty. Guy
held out his hand, and I joined him.

He spoke into the microphone so his voice
rang out loud and clear. “Ladies and gentlemen, I would like you
all to take part in this memorable occasion.” He dropped to one
knee and reached into his right jacket pocket for a small box. He
flipped it open and held it toward me. Then he simply said, “Will
you?”

I do believe I played my part well. I felt
heat rush to my cheeks, and I brought my hands up to cover my
mouth. I'm sure my eyes sparkled. “I will!” I reached out my left
hand, and Guy slid the ring onto my finger. He stood, gathered me
in his arms and kissed me in front of everyone.

The orchestra struck up a romantic melody,
and we danced. I heard the applause but kept my eyes focused on
Guy's face. We continued to dance until dinner was officially
announced.

As the newly elected head of the RFO,
Beatrice stood to give the official welcome. “Ladies and gentlemen,
thank you for joining us tonight. As many of you know, this cause
is dear to my heart. Many of you have children of your own. You
recognize how important they are for the future of Tkaron. Indeed,
for all of Terene. We are raising the next generation of leaders
and can only do that with your help. Please, enjoy dinner, and then
take some time to become familiar with the auction items.”

We'd chosen to sit at a fairly large round
table. Hisoka and Aimee were to my right, and Guy was to my left. I
didn't know the other two couples who'd chosen to sit with us, one
older and one younger.

The older woman smiled at me. “What a
romantic proposal. May I see the ring?”

I smiled and blushed but held out my left
hand. The other three women at the table leaned in for a closer
look.

“It's beautiful!” the younger woman said.
“It looks antique. Doesn't that make it worth more, Mom?” She
turned to the older woman who nodded.

“Yes, it does. Is it antique, Richard? A
family heirloom perhaps?”

“It is.” He smiled. “It belonged to my
maternal grandmother and before that to her grandmother and so
on.”

I pulled my hand back and studied the ring.
“I'll treasure it! Always!”

“I know you will.” He responded quietly but
not so quietly that the others couldn't hear. “That's why I gave it
to you.”

“You must be glad you moved to Tkaron.”
Hisoka stared at me.

“Yes, everyone's been so friendly and
helpful,” I said. The other two couples smiled in my direction.

“Tell us about Vanover,” Hisoka continued.
“Aren't the people there friendly and helpful too?”

“Yes, of course they are. But after my
parents' accident...” My breathing became ragged, and I hung my
head. I thought about my parents and welcomed the pain. Tears began
to fall. I lifted my napkin from my lap and dabbed at my eyes. “I'm
sorry, it's still too fresh. Excuse me.”

Aimee joined me in the ladies' room a minute
later. She found me at the sink, rinsing my face with cool water.
“Are you alright?”

“What the hell is he doing?” I shook off my
hands and reached for a small white towel on the countertop.

“I don't know, but I think he'll stop.
Everyone else is giving him a hard time about it. How can you do
that?”

“Do what?” I looked at her in surprise.

“The tears. They seemed so real.”

“It's easy. I just think about Mom and Dad.”
I turned back to the mirror.

“Oh.”

I reached into my purse for my makeup and
began to fix the damage. Just then the door opened. It was Adira.
She walked right past Aimee and stood to my left. She studied her
reflection in the mirror.

“What's wrong? Shouldn't you be happy?” she
asked.

I pointedly ignored her as I finished with
my mascara. I returned it to my purse and pulled out a tube of
lipstick. Aimee followed suit.

“Is Richard cheating on you already?” Adira
said.

I gritted my teeth.

“He will, you know. Being engaged and then
married, especially to someone like you. It will add an extra
element to playing the field. It makes the game more exciting.” Her
eyes flashed.

I turned toward her and exploded. “What is
your problem?”

“I'm just looking out for my good friend,
Richard. I've known him much longer than you have, and simply put,
I don't think you're his type.”

“And you are?”

“I didn't say that. We just like to, play.”
She smiled wistfully.

I was rapidly losing control. It would be so
easy to...and she was Elite anyway. I could find good reason and
make it look like an accident. Aimee grabbed my arm and pulled me
away. The door swung closed behind us.

“Don't!” she whispered.

“You're right. It would look
suspicious.”

“Not to mention that it's just plain wrong.
Don't you get that?”

I clenched and unclenched my right hand,
trying to relax. In our absence, our salad plates had been removed.
Everyone else had already moved onto the main course. The
conversation stalled as we approached. I sat and looked at my
plate. The steak and green beans looked and smelled delicious, but
I could only pick at it. I noticed Aimee was doing the same.

Once the conversation started up again,
Hisoka leaned behind Aimee and spoke quietly. “I'm sorry. For the
record, your reaction looked real.”

“It was real, you bastard!” I whispered
back.

His eyes widened.

After dinner, Beatrice gave another speech.
I wasn't paying much attention. Mostly, I was still fuming, but
then I heard my name, and Guy nudged me.

“Sometimes the best ideas come from new
sources.” Mrs. Burke was looking directly at me. Why is she doing
that? “Miss James. We talked about your brilliant idea all through
dinner.” What idea? “And we'd like to announce a new ad hoc
committee.” The crowd hung onto her every word.

I leaned over to Guy. “What does that
mean?”

“It means it's a temporary committee, at
least for now,” he said.

“One that will be responsible for directing
a portion of our funding to orphanages. The first amount will come
from our auction here tonight. It's not often that Elite children
are sent to orphanages, but it does happen on occasion. And Miss
James is absolutely right. Those children need just as much help,
more in fact, than their counterparts being cared for by extended
family and in foster homes. We simply cannot afford to neglect them
any longer.”

I looked around the room. People nodded in
approval. They smiled in my direction.

“Thank you, Kendra, for bringing this to our
attention. We'd be ever so grateful if you would head the new
committee. Will you accept?”

I didn't know how to respond. Guy squeezed
my hand and leaned over. “If you accept, just stand up and say
so.”

I pushed back my chair and stood. “I'm
honored. I accept.”

During the drive home later that evening, I
expressed my reservations. “What am I supposed to do now? It's not
like I could have said no, not with everyone staring like that and
now I'm stuck.”

Guy rested his arm across my shoulders and
leaned his head against mine. “Why do you feel stuck exactly?
You'll be able to do so much good!”

“Yeah, for the Elite, but other children
need help too.”

The driver eyed me curiously in the rear
view mirror.

When we arrived back at the apartment, there
was not a reporter in sight. I grinned. “Walk me in?”

But Guy wasn't smiling. He whispered,
“They're watching.”

My eyes grew wide. “Are you sure? That's
just creepy.”

“I'm certain. They wouldn't miss this, not
tonight.” He looked around. “There!” He pointed. “And there!”
Around the corner of the building and up on the roof across the
street. At least two vid'recorders were trained on the limo right
now.

“I'll walk you to the front door, and that's
where I'll say goodnight.” Guy leaned in and softly pressed his
lips against mine. I returned his affections and wound my arms
around his shoulders in a gentle hug. Then he opened the door and
helped me out of the limo.

The corners of Hisoka's deep brown eyes
crinkled when he smiled. I laughed as his fingers trailed down to
my waist. He picked me up and spun me around and around as the
music slowed. I held tight to his shoulders but needn't have
worried because Hisoka lowered me slowly and gently until my feet
touched solid ground.

Rather than stop completely, the orchestra
skillfully moved into the next piece. We continued to sway in time
to a new rhythm, his hands still at my waist. I wrapped my arms
behind his neck and leaned my head against his shoulder. With
Hisoka's arms wrapped around me, I felt safe and warm, comfortable.
Normal. When I finally lifted my head, I noticed that many of the
guests had left.

Hisoka smiled down at me. “Are you about
ready to go?”

I shook my head. “No, but it's probably
time.”

His hands dropped from my waist, and we
returned to the table.

“Did you have a nice time?” Hisoka gently
placed my green wrap around my shoulders. We strolled through the
lobby and out into the cool night air.

“Yes. Wasn't the proposal amazing?”

“It certainly was. Kendra seemed
surprised.”

“Well, of course she was!”

The valet drove up with Hisoka's car. Once
we were settled, Hisoka said, “I wish you'd asked me to donate one
of my paintings for the auction. Those artists brought in a nice
sum for the cause.”

“Yes, they did.”

“Why didn't you, if I may ask?”

“Why didn't I?”

“Ask me to donate one of my paintings or
sketches?” Hisoka said.

“I don't know. I guess I was too busy trying
to figure out a way to ask you to come with me.” I stared out the
window and our conversation stalled.

By the time we arrived at my apartment
building, the vidcrews were long gone. The car settled into
silence. As I waited for Hisoka to open my door, the image of a
wolf on the prowl suddenly sprang to mind. I hugged myself and
tried to quell the goosebumps that formed on my arms. Cold fingers
of trepidation wormed their way around my heart as we neared the
front door. Hisoka placed his right hand on the back of my neck and
gently pulled me toward him. I tensed and pulled away. A small
scream escaped my lips.

Hisoka tilted his head. The crinkles by his
eyes replaced by furrows on his brow. “What's wrong?”

“It's nothing. I'm fine.” It took all my
concentration to keep my breathing steady.

He stared at me intently. I didn't break eye
contact. Other than that small stunt at dinner with Keira, Hisoka
had been a perfect gentleman, so what was I worried about?

Again, he leaned in for a goodnight kiss. A
fraction of a second before his lips met mine, I turned my head to
the side. A chaste kiss landed on my cheek. What was wrong with me?
We'd been much more intimate on the dance floor. That's when I
realized...Mr. Beckett had never danced with me.

I sat in the outer office next to the main
conference room and watched the secretary pick at her bright pink
nails. It was more interesting than staring at the cream colored
carpet or the oak paneled walls.

Then the door opened.

“I'll keep you posted, but it's possible
we're wrong about this one too.” I recognized Hisoka Watanabe's
voice before he moved into view.

Prime Minister Armstrong clasped hands with
Mr. Watanabe, then turned his attention to me. “Come in, Mr.
Delaney. We're ready for you.”

Hisoka turned and smiled before walking
away. I stood and picked up my briefcase in one fluid motion.

In the main conference room, seven men in
business suits lounged around a large oblong table, in cushy black
leather chairs. Another leaned over and gathered some photos. In
addition to a handful of people I didn't recognize, were three
familiar wanted posters as well as a couple of photos of Aimee in a
formal green gown and one of Keira wearing a black and white dress
and an engagement ring.

The Prime Minister stopped the man who was
collecting the pictures. He nodded at the one on top, the one of
Keira. “She's still new in town. It won't hurt to keep an eye on
her.” Then he gestured to an empty chair before sitting at the head
of the table.

I nodded my thanks but rolled it aside.
During the formal part of my presentation, I would stand. I removed
an infochip from my briefcase and slid it into the dock in front of
me. The vidscreen on the wall lit up, and I began the presentation
without further ado. These men were busy, and I wasn't about to
waste their time.

“As you can see, over the past month, I've
hired a dozen Freelancers to break into this very building. All
came highly recommended. Each was given information about the
previous failures so they could adapt accordingly. None have
succeeded.”

I looked around. A few of the ministers were
smiling. I pushed another button and advanced to the next
slide.

“Clearly, the methods we're using are
working, a combination of highly advanced techno security backed up
by military guards. I'll continue to personally deliver updated
security codes on a monthly basis for as long as you'd like.” I sat
down.