since she worked with them. Andy and Ben worked in the accounting area
and the other was April. Christina found April’s usually annoying presence
to be slightly comforting. April’s light brown hair was curled prettily, and
she had on a black dress and a cardigan that didn’t emphasize how tall and
gangly she was. She laughed and chatted happily with the others at the
table. Obviously, she had people skills that Christina somewhat lacked.
She didn’t exactly want to gain them. She hated talking to people she
didn’t know. It was, for the most part, a vast waste of time. No one ever had
anything interesting to say. Most people carried on with self-absorbed
conversations that she could definitely do without hearing.
All throughout the evening, Christina had thought about the work she
could be getting done instead of sitting there eating meat that was
overcooked and desserts that were so sweet and sugary they were probably
purchased from some convenience store down the street, unwrapped, and
sprinkled with sauce on a huge plate to make them fancy and appealing.
Ugh. How much of the hundred-dollar ticket is that charity actually
going to get and how much of it is going to fund the nasty food and shitty
magician?
She stared at April, who was chatting freely with the two guys she was
sandwiched between and thought instead about her speech. She’d written
something corny. She knew it was beautifully written, full of clichés, and
the normal business nonsense that people liked to hear spouted off.
She wondered if anyone knew who her dad was. Since she hadn’t been
approached by anyone who had an armful of business cards and a sob story
or a start-up pitch for her to pass along, she figured that she was pretty
much safe. She sat there and debated about whether to use her last name
when she introduced herself or not. Although, this was Austin and New
York was a long way away. She should be safe. She knew she was third in
the lineup and the boring part of the evening hadn’t even started yet. She
wondered how many people were going to come after her. The only thing