Page 69 of The Encounter
Maddie nodded. Jace’s hand settled on her knee under the table and gave it a small squeeze.
“I do. There are just two of us at the company. It’s still fairly small. Kailynn is my boss and the owner, and then I handle the marketing.”
“What kind of clothing does she make?”
“She does a lot of formal dresses. Actually, the dress I’m wearing now is one of her designs.”
All the women glanced down at Maddie’s dress.
“Would you mind standing again, so we can see?” Sandra asked, giving her a hopeful look.
“Of course,” Maddie said. She stood and stepped back from the table so they could see the gown and slowly turned in a circle to show off the drop back. She felt like a princess in the gown.
“That’s incredible,” Sandra said. “Does she take custom orders?”
Maddie took her seat again. “You know, I’m not sure. We’ve never discussed it. I could talk with her if you’d like something.”
“I own a boutique downtown, and I would be interested in stocking some of her items if they are all as amazing as this one,” Jen said.
“Wow! That’s great! I can talk with her about it on Monday.”
Maddie didn’t know what to expect attending this gala with wealthy families, all with connections to Jace, but her heart warmed at the general welcoming vibe they gave her.
Jen opened her small clutch and pulled out a business card. She passed it around the table until it ended up in Maddie’s hands.
The card readFashionista Boutique—Where your dreams of clothing are realized.
“Thank you! I’ll pass this on to Kailynn,” she said.
The conversation jumped over to the foundation and Maddie listened in, but her eyes kept straying to the activities going on around the ballroom. People mingled everywhere. The kids all spoke animatedly at the excitement of the event, their eyes as big as saucers.
The voice boomed over the speakers once again.
“Hello everyone! And welcome to the Saint Anne’s Children’s hospital benefit. We are so happy to have you here.”
The emcee explained how the benefit helped to pay for medical treatments for children whose parents couldn’t afford it. Several of the hospital’s doctors provided services pro bono, and this event helped with the costs of supplies. A slideshow of photos played on a projector near the stage.
“The silent auction closes in fifteen minutes, and then we’ll serve dinner before the live auction begins.”
Maddie turned toward Jace. “Do you mind if I go check out the silent auction?”
“Of course not. I’ll join you.”
They excused themselves from the table and made their way over to the auction set up in the corner. People had flooded over there and formed lines, so they waited for their turn to approach the tables.
“Well, hello again, you two,” Samantha’s voice rang out behind them.
Maddie refrained from rolling her eyes and plastered a smile on her face.
If Maddie knew of any journalist who was out to do harm, it was this woman. She screamed bad news.
“Hello, Samantha,” Jace said politely, placing his arm around Maddie’s waist once again.
Maddie slinked hers around Jace’s as well, feeling almost smug that she had him at her side, while Samantha looked on with jealousy.
“Hello,” Maddie said. While she hadn’t dealt with any journalists directly herself, one thing she had learned while being in New York was that they could make or break an image to the public.—Even if the information they published was false.
A tabloid had done exponential damage to a company she worked alongside in New York. An acquaintance of hers worked for the company itself, and the backlash the company received over a false claim that they were getting their line of clothing made with child laborers in China had destroyed their sales. The company tried to fight the false claims and could prove they weren’t true, but by then they had lost a good portion of their loyal followers, who were no longer interested in learning the truth. Some people don’t want the truth and only believe the falsities they read.
