The Night Blossoms by Leylah Attar

Author:Leylah Attar [Attar, Leylah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: novel
Publisher: Pitch73 Publishing
Published: 2022-07-27T16:00:00+00:00

“Professor Roza, you can’t show up without your significant other and not expect me to take advantage.” Mrs. Singh, the chair of the hospital fundraising committee, linked her arm through his. A networking genius, she steered them toward the event coverage personnel in the ballroom.

“Smile.” She angled her head, turned, and smiled again. “There. Now my husband will be jealous and shower me with attention all week.”

“One week?” Rafael leaned in, kissed her cheek, and paused long enough for a few more flashes to go off. “You should be adored every day.”

“After forty years, I need to up the ante.” She offered her other cheek.

Rafael laughed and obliged.

“I think that’ll cover me for the month.” Her eyes twinkled as she showed him to his spot. “Your other guests have already arrived.”

“My other guests?”

“Daniela Bustamante and her husband, Fred.” She gestured toward the couple at his table.

“Yes, of course.” Rafael glanced at them. “Thank you, Mrs. Singh.”

“Thank you for being a valued donor. You still have an empty seat at your table. It would be a shame to let it go to waste. Can I send someone to fill in?”

“Absolutely.” Unbuttoning his jacket, Rafael sat across from his guests. “The more, the merrier. Right, Professor Bustamante?”

“Right.” The woman gave him a bright smile.

“Are you feeling better, Fred?” He asked her companion.

“Oh yes. Much better.” He smoothed the sleeve of his cardigan. “A bit chilly, though. It’s the air-conditioning, you know? Hot outside, cold inside. One never knows what to wear.”

“Let’s cut to the chase. You’re not Professor Bustamante,” Rafael said to the woman. She was at least a decade older. “And you’re not Fred.”

“No. We’re not.” They stared back at him.

“Did the two of you crash the gala?”

“Well.” The man leaned over and lowered his voice. “It’s our first time in Los Angeles and…”

“We just wanted to see what was going on,” his partner piped in. “We were walking on the beach and spotted the car by the entrance. Flowers spilling out of the hood, the windows, the trunk. So bright and whimsical. Everyone was flocking to take pictures, so we thought we’d take a few shots too. Then we spotted Marwan Hussein.” Hand on her heart, she closed her eyes and sighed.

“And Diane Bergen,” the man continued. “And that singer… What’s her name? The one who toppled off stage because her headgear was so heavy.”

“We just wanted an autograph. When the lady asked if we were on the guest list, l mumbled something, and well…here we are. I’m Judy, by the way. And this is my husband, Ken.”

“Rafael.” He extended his hand.

“Rafael, we’ll leave as soon as your guests arrive.”

“No need,” Rafael replied. “Fred is recovering from surgery, and Professor Bustamante didn’t feel like attending without him.”

“So, we can stay?” Judy stuffed her handkerchief back inside her purse. “I don’t have to turn on the waterworks, Ken.”

“We were all set to play absentminded seniors,” her husband confided. “It gets us out of sticky situations.”

“No doubt you get into a lot of those.

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