A Family For The Billionaire ✅

9.

"I really don't see why we need to do this," Aston said as Aubrey approached over the cracked and broken sidewalk, "it's not necessary."

And here she though she's loosened him up a little. Especially after the surprisingly personal meeting at the coffee shop a few days ago. Of course, the way he'd conceded the design choices with a curt, "You know better than I" should have reminded her he didn't want a say in everything.

"It's not necessary to educate yourself about the charity you are promoting with your big-ticket-event?"

"I told you the charity was your choice."

She could just get right to the point, but why not enjoy teasing him for a minute? "What's the big deal? So you spend a few hours down here on Saturday. What else are you gonna do? Work?"

They shared a look, his blue eyes narrowed as if he was contemplating retribution for her sarcasm.

"Just consider this part of your job," she said, "trust me, I've been to dozens of these charity events. You're gonna get asked lots of questions about City Sanctuary mission. Do you want to appear ignorant?"

"I could refer them to you."

"And still appear ignorant. Especially to the Smiths"

He grimaced, probably because he knew she was right, "It should be enough that I'm donating money."

"Don't sulk, Scrooge. You just might enjoy yourself."

His eyes widened just a notch at her tone, but she ignored it and headed for the entrance. The parking area was hidden from view of the building by a tall retaining wall that supported the elevated ground the original church had been built upon. Excitement filled her as they made their way to the break in the wall for the stairs leading to the lawn. There she caught the first glimpse of the ancient stone chapel. Though the additions made the architecture of the original building, which had stood since just a few decades after Savannah was founded, they didn't detract from the atmosphere, either.

Aubrey followed the gravel path with ease, having developed a familiarity with the place after years of volunteering here. She greeted the regulars as they passed. She'd always felt safe here. The mission's destitute clientes had never scared her. She'd experienced more fear among Savannah's elite, to be honest.

Everyone she greeted along the way to the entrance followed the same patter : a smile and hello for her, then a quick suspicious glance at the man behind her. Strangers to the mission were often regarded that way, at first, but this was probably enhanced because she'd never been here with a man. Usually she was alone; only occasionally did she visit with her sisters.

They entered through the main registration lobby, where Aubrey paused, "This is the area where most public traffic comes in, "she said, "overnight guests are assigned their spaces, and those who need other services are directed to the areas or personnel they need.".

She waved to the couple who usually handled the front lobby on Saturdays, then led Aston to the first large hallway," the building was originally a church, and had been added to over the years. This makes it a little confusing for newcomers," she gestured to the left, "There are offices down here. A couple of classrooms where we hold seminars or tutoring. And then there's a closet at the far end where we store used clothes to hand out."

After giving him a minute to process, she turned right, "The main dining area is at the back. I'll take you there in a little while. It was the melt recent area to be updated, because part of it collapsed during the last hurricane that came through. A tree fell on it, so we had to do some structural repairs."