Sarah and Allison The Party part II
Sarah opened the door just as her father reached it. Her mom was next to her, Allison next to her parents, and Rikki next to her mom. "Good evening, gentle sir. Enter with your guests and be welcome."
"Thank you, gentle lady. May I present Mr. and Mrs. William Brown of Brown Security Associates?" Turning to the Brown's, "This is my daughter, Sarah."
Sarah reached out to shake Mr. Brown's hand, "Pleased to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Brown. I've been looking forward to meeting you all week. May I present my mother, Dr. Alice Black?"
Mr. Brown replied, "Pleased to meet you both."
"My name is Allison White. This is my father, who is with the University of Connecticut Information Technology Department, and my mother."
"Pleased to meet you."
"My name is Rikki Laveque and this is my mother, Jessica."
Mr. Brown's eyes opened a bit wider. He obviously recognized Jessica's name, "Pleased to meet you both."
Rikki continued, "The buffet and drinks are to your right and seating to your left. One of us will join you in a moment."
"Thank you, my dear," and they moved off.
While they were passing the Brown's down the line, Sarah's dad was introducing Mr. Paul Newuman and his wife. Mr. Newuman was a partner in the law firm and would be working with him on the Brown account.
The girls had done their homework. They looked up Brown Security Associates on the Internet. They looked up their main competitors and how they differed. Since Allison's dad specialized in computer security, they looked into that. The three girls treated this like they were applying for a job, which, in a sense, they were, for their dads and Rikki's mom.
After everyone had had a chance to get a drink and go through the buffet, Sarah approached Mr. Brown, "How do you and your wife like our small slice of life?"
"Very much. It seems to be a wonderful town. I understand you're a cheerleader at your school. How do you like that?"
"Yes, at Central High School. I like it a lot. Allison and Rikki are both athletes at West Catholic."
"Oh, really. What sports?"
"They're both playing soccer right now. Allison is a starter on the basketball team and Rikki probably will be too. There is a rumor about softball in the spring."
"I know cheer leading and athletics take a lot of time. How are your grades?"
"Both Allison and I are in the top 10% of our class. Rikki hasn't been here long enough to establish a rank yet."
At the same time Sarah was talking to Mr. Brown, Rikki was introducing Mrs. Brown and Mrs. Newuman to her mom. Allison was talking with her dad and Mr. Newuman.
Sarah was near the phone about 9 o'clock when it rang, "Black residence. How may I help you?"
A voice on the other end said, "This is the hospital calling for Dr. Black."
"Just a moment, I'll get her." Sarah caught her mom's eye and motioned with the phone. Her mom excused herself and took the phone from Sarah. She spoke for a moment, hung up, and went upstairs. She came back down with her clothes changed and stepped over to her husband, "That was the hospital. There's an emergency I need to help with. I'm sorry I can't stay Mr. Brown, but I leave you in the capable hands of my daughter and her friends. Hopefully, I'll meet you again soon."
"I'm sorry you have to leave too, Dr. Black. Hopefully everything will be OK."
Getting her coat and bag out of the closet, Sarah's mom kissed her on the cheek, "I'll call when I know what's going on."
"Good luck, mom."
"Thanks, darling."
Sarah's dad stood off to the side and considered things. The party was going well. Mr. Brown had talked to Allison's dad about computer security. Rikki was introducing him to her mom now. Mrs. Brown and Mrs. Newuman were engaged. You would think the girls had been hosting parties for years.
He watched their dance, almost a choreography. Sarah would talk to someone while Allison escorted another to the bar or buffet and Rikki waited. Then they would shift. And shift again. And again. Sarah and Allison both nursed the glass of wine they'd been allowed. It looked like the Lenoir Valley Winery red that they enjoyed.
Rikki was closest to the door when the bell rang. She knew all the guests were here but answered it anyway. "Daddy?"
Gustav Laveque stood at the door, "Good evening, daughter. May I come in?"
"Of course."
Sarah's dad came around the corner at that moment, "Rikki, who was at the door?"
"Mr. Black, this is my father, Gustav Laveque. Father, this is Mr. Alistair Black. This is his home."
The two men shook hands, "Mr. Black...Mr. Laveque."
"How can we help you?"
"I had to be in town on business and came to collect my daughter so she could spend some time with me." Turning to Rikki, "Go get your coat."
"I'm sorry. Rikki has other commitments tonight. She's helping me host a private party for a potential business client and I believe she has plans with my daughter and her friend tomorrow. You're welcome to stay and join the party."
You could tell Rikki was getting embarrassed, "If you'd let me know you were coming in Father, I might have been able to change my plans. But I did promise Mr. Black that I would help him tonight. His wife is a doctor who's been called away on an emergency and his daughter, her friend, and I am hosting the party. I would like to be able to keep my word."
You could tell that Rikki's father was not used to being stood up to. He couldn't insist in the Black's home without coming off badly. And image was very important to Gustav Laveque. He turned and went back out the door without another word.
Allison came by just as Rikki's father left. Mr. Black closed the door, "Ally, darling. Why don't you take Rikki upstairs? I'll send her mother up in a minute."
"Sure, Mr. Black." She put her arm around Rikki's shoulders, "C'mon, Rik." Rikki just nodded and let Allison lead her upstairs.
Jessica was talking to Mrs. Brown about a project she was working on when she heard her ex-husband's voice. She wasn't expecting him tonight, but Gustav had appeared unannounced before. Jessica remembered Mr. Black heading in that direction when the bell rung, so he was probably talking to Gustav. She could see Sarah and Allison, so Rikki was the one who answered the door. She was going to let Mr. Black handle things as long as no voices were raised.
Mr. Black appeared at her shoulder, "I know you heard Gustav. He's gone. Allison took Rikki upstairs. You probably should go check on her."
"Thanks, Al."
Allison saw Jessica come through the bedroom door, "Rikki, your mom is here. I'm going back downstairs and help Sarah. Take as long as you like."
She wasn't crying, but Rikki hugged Jessica around her neck, hard. "Mom, I was so embarrassed. I didn't know what to do. If Mr. Black hadn't come by when he did..."
Jessica hugged Rikki back, "Sweetheart, I'm very proud of you. From what Mr. Black said, you told your father that you had other plans and that you wanted to keep your word. Your schedule is just as important as his. If he had called ahead, we might have been able to change things, but then again, maybe not. OK?"
"OK."
Jessica kissed Rikki's forehead, "What's say we go back to the party. I believe Mr. Black said something about the hosts having a glass of wine. I think you could use it."
Just before they left to get in the limo and go back to their hotel, Mr. Brown took Sarah's dad aside, "If you talk to Ted before Monday, tell him that I'll be in first thing to sign the contracts."
"I'll pass along the word. Thanks, Bill."
"Just between you, and me, and the wall, you pretty much had things sewed up after the meetings earlier today. The clincher was tonight. If your three co-hosts are representative of this area, we can't go wrong. I hope you'll express my appreciation to them."
"I'll tell them. I appreciate them helping out when we weren't sure if Alice would be here at all or for very long. See you Monday morning."
Once the Browns and Newumans had left, Sarah turned to her dad, "Can you watch things for a few minutes while we change?"
"Sure, sweetheart."
"Then we'll finish getting things broken down."
"OK."
The four parents talked about the night's activities while the catering staff cleaned up. The girls came down in sweats and t-shirts. They offered the catering staff some of the leftovers as they put the rest away in the refrigerator. They showed them where to put the remaining wine and liquor bottles. They took the extra leaves out of the dining room table and replaced the chairs around it. They nibbled while the catering staff finished loading and left.
Sarah's dad had the three girls sit on the floor in front of him. "I wanted to thank the three of you for an excellent job tonight. If I didn't know better, I would have thought you'd been hosting parties for years. Mr. Brown gave me a message for you before he left. He said you were the clincher. He said if you are representative of this area, we can't go wrong. Thank you all."
Sarah, Allison, and Rikki cheered. Sarah's dad continued, "I think we're as cleaned up as we need to be for tonight. Everyone should hit the hay and we'll finish up tomorrow."
Allison said good night to her parents, "Well, dad. Did you have a good conversation with Mr. Brown?"
"Yes, I did punkin. I have an appointment to talk about several topics with him. See you tomorrow?"
"Probably not 'til Sunday."
Rikki hugged her mom, "Did you have a good time?"
"Yes, I did. Mr. Brown wants to talk to me about some artwork for the new headquarters building."
"That's great, mom. See you Sunday."
"Have fun, sweetheart."
While Rikki was changing into a sleep shirt, Sarah and Allison changed too. Sarah unrolled the sleeping bag from her closet, along with sheets and pillows. "What's up, Sarah?"
"We think you've worked hard enough tonight that you shouldn't have to sleep alone and the bed is too small for three. If that's OK with you?"
Allison lay down and Sarah spooned up to her. Sarah beckoned to Rikki to lie down beside her. She wrapped her arms around Rikki and drew her in. "Good night...'Night...Sweet dreams."
When Sarah's dad checked on them later, he found the three girls curled up together, fast asleep. He smiled and turned out the light.
Sometime later Rikki woke up. She was now between Sarah and Allison. Each had an arm draped across her. She hadn't felt so protected, so safe, so loved in a long time. She closed her eyes and went back to sleep.
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© 2004 Donal