"There you are my girl," he boomed, pushing through the people standing around him to get to me. My cheeks burned as everyone in the room turned at the sound of his voice.
I smiled when I saw him and he opened his arms wide. Close to three hundred pounds and six foot six, while I was all of five foot three, and one hundred and fifteen, we made a comedic pair. He picked me up and hugged me like a bear.
"Hey, hey!" I said when he held me up. "Watch it – I fell and hurt my ankle."
He placed me gingerly back down on the ground, kissing both my cheeks in that Continental manner, a huge arm around my shoulder, helping me limp into the room. Immediately, a group of men surrounded us and Nigel introduced me to them all.
A few minutes later, Peter, my father's chief of staff for his campaign, came by.
"Kate what happened?"
"I fell in the back alley."
"Are you all right?"
"I'm fine."
"Your father's in a conference call. Can I introduce you to a few people?"
Nigel let go of me and now Peter escorted me around the room, letting me lean on his shoulder for support.
It was then I saw 'Dr. Delish' – Drake – standing with a man I met two years earlier before I went to Mangaize with Nigel.
Dave Mills was an MBA type who worked in fundraising. He also happened to hit on me, blatant about wanting to take me home at the end of a long booze-filled party. I refused him and his advances.
"I'm Justice McDermott's daughter," I'd said, hoping that would scare him off.
"You need lovin', too," was his reply.
He was attractive with blond hair and brown eyes, well-dressed and erudite. He was a catch. But he was far too glib for my tastes. He'd hit on me each time we met after that. I could almost predict what he'd say and it bothered me, as if he couldn’t see me as anything other than fuck material.
He placed his beer down on the table and stood up straight, ad
justing his jacket when Peter led me towards them, me limping along beside him.
"Drake, Dave, may I introduce—"
Before Peter could introduce me, Dave stepped forward. "Ahh, the lovely Miss Bennet," he said in an affected British accent. "Um, I mean the lovely Kate needs no introduction."
"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a man in possession of a good fortune must write out a check and make a donation to the cause," I said in an equally affected British accent, not wanting to miss the opportunity to tease him and also continue with the Pride and Prejudice reference.
Dave laughed. "Well played, Ms. McDermott, well played."
At that, Drake made a face of surprise. "You're Katherine…"
"Oh, this is Kate McDermott," Dave said, gesturing to me. "Kate, this is Dr. Drake Morgan, brain surgeon, bass player, philanthropist. I assumed you already knew each other."
"I met, but didn’t really formally meet, Ms. McDermott," Drake said, his voice soft. "I've known you by reputation for years. My apologies for not introducing myself."
"By reputation?"
"Your father told me about you, and I read your articles on Mangaize."
I smiled briefly, surprised that he knew who I was.
Dave turned to me. "Dr. Morgan's father Liam fought with your father in Vietnam. Drake volunteers with Doctors Without Borders," he said, sounding mock officious. "I run his foundation, which donates surgical equipment. Drake goes to war zones where civilians have experienced brain trauma and fixes them up."
It was then I realized who Drake was and I turned to him, totally surprised. "My father's spoken of you before." I smiled. "It was Dr. Morgan this, Dr. Morgan that. He thinks you're practically a saint."