Grady, Dahlia, Nick and Addie
After speaking to Jansen for a while, Grady made the rounds with Dahlia at his side. He felt like he was pretty good at his job, but these social obligations always made him feel tense. He knew how to talk to people, but when it came to fundraisers, he always felt like he was on display. It was part of the job though, and the department depended on the money. It was a hell of a lot easier with Dahlia by his side. She looked gorgeous and she certainly knew how to work a room.
When he spotted Nick at the bar with Adalyn Rayner, Grady breathed a soft sigh of relief. He could relax around an actual friend, so Grady placed his hand on the small of Dahlia’s back and leaned in to speak softly in her ear.
“Do you mind if we go say hi to Nick and his girlfriend?”
Dahlia could sense Grady’s discomfort rising and falling throughout the evening, along with his sense of resignation. This wasn’t his type of scene, that much was obvious. It wasn’t hers either, really, but she was still enjoying herself. She felt a little like an anthropologist exploring some exotic society she would never actually be a part of. Her empathy took people watching to a whole different level, and there were some fascinating emotions emanating from the folks in this crowd. Even without that, it had been fun to get dolled up -- she’d dressed for the occasion in a lacy lavender cocktail dress with a skirt that was fun to spin in, more makeup than she’d worn around Grady so far, and her hair artfully curled. Plus heels, of course. So she felt like she was fulfilling the Eye Candy duties of being his date fairly well.
As for the rest of it, she’d met so many people that she knew she wouldn’t recall their names, but some of them had felt very interesting emotionally, so those were going to stick out in her mind. Dahlia had been smiling and shaking hands and making little private jokes to Grady here and there to make him laugh. He looked damn good too in his uniform, in her opinion, and she was already looking forward to their own after party. She followed his gaze when he leaned in close, then let out a soft laugh. “Oh! Nick, your giant wingman?” she murmured as she spotted who Grady meant. “Of course! Lead the way.”
Grady laughed as he gently led Dahlia through the crowd to where Nick and Addie had just been handed their drinks. "Yes, my giant wingman." That night at the Porch had been the first and only time Grady had needed or wanted Nick to be his wingman and he had to admit that the first time was a charm.
Addie was pretty thrilled to be at the country club. It wasn't a place she visited often, mostly because she wasn't a member and didn't really have time to be. But these fundraisers were pretty fun and it was always nice to have an excuse to get dressed up. And to watch Nick get dressed up because he always cleaned up real nice. When she turned away from the bar, sipping her drink, she spotted Grady and who appeared to be his date, walking to them.
"Oh my gosh," Addie whispered frantically to Nick. "Is that the lady from the bar you told me about?"
Nick’s gaze had been elsewhere as he took the first swallow from his glass, but Addie’s whisper made him do a visual sweep and he picked out Grady without too much trouble -- in part because he had a gorgeous woman walking with him. She was dressier than she’d been at the Porch of course, but Nick recognized her immediately, and he grinned. “Mmhmm, that’s her,” he murmured just for Addie’s ears. Nick slipped an arm around her shoulders and started to escort her toward Grady and the woman so they wouldn’t all be hovering directly in front of the bar. “That sly dog, he did it. Let’s say hello.” His tone and smile were warmly amused and a bit proud, honestly.