Sure, Sir… Of Course
“Because—” Eric began, but didn’t finish.
“She’ll be there,” Principal Jones cut in brightly, her voice pitched high with enthusiasm. She was smiling widely, though for her own reason.
Eric simply nodded. “Alright.” He turned and started walking down the hall, his two colleagues moving with him in flawless sync.
Susan was left standing there, still staring at the golden card in her hand, her lips slightly parted. Beside her, Jones’s smile refused to fade.
--------------------
Hours Later...
The fading orange of the late-afternoon sun had already given way to the soft violet hues of evening when Susan stepped out of an Uber. The air was cool, tinged with the faint salt of the nearby bay. Her red purse swung lightly at her side as she walked up the short wooden steps to the porch of the small two-bedroom apartment she shared with Katy. The faint creak of the old steps sounded under her heels.
She dug into her purse, lips pursing in concentration as her fingers searched through the familiar tangle of keys, lip balm, and crumpled receipts. The metal jingled in her hand as she singled out the correct key from the bunch, slid it into the lock, and gave it a practiced twist. The door yielded with a faint squeak, letting her into the cozy dim of their living room.
Katy was curled up like a cat on the couch, a chunky beige blanket cocooning her, her head tilted toward the flickering TV light.
“You won’t believe what happened today,” Susan burst out, her face bright, voice light but charged, like it was carrying a secret she’d been holding in all afternoon.
Katy shifted, sitting up, one eyebrow arching in mild curiosity. “What happened?”
“Guess,” Susan teased, closing the door behind her with her hip, the grin stretching wider across her face.
Katy’s lips curved into a small, knowing smirk. “You know I’m terrible at guessing. What is it? You finally got that Oxford master’s scholarship you applied for?”
“No, not that.” Susan’s grin didn’t falter for a second, her eyes practically glittering.
Katy leaned forward, her curiosity now fully hooked. “Then tell me.”
Susan slipped her hand into her purse and, with a small flourish, pulled out the golden invitation card. She held it between two fingers and extended it toward her roommate.
Katy took it, tilting her head. “What’s this?” Her eyes scanned the ornate lettering. “It looks like some… invite card.”
“It is,” Susan confirmed, dropping onto the couch beside her. “It’s an invite from Joseph Hudson himself to an exclusive red carpet event in Sacramento.”
Katy froze mid-blink, her mouth hanging slightly open before she spoke again. “How did you get this?”
“His men came to the school to give it to me,” Susan said, the words spilling out with a mixture of disbelief and excitement.
Katy threw the blanket aside, springing to her feet so abruptly the blanket tumbled to the floor. “Like a… date or something?” Her voice pitched upward in shock, her jaw practically grazing the carpet as she stared at the golden card.
“I guess so.” Susan’s voice grew higher, filled with giddy disbelief. “Me… going to a red carpet event with the Joseph Hudson? This is insane. I don’t even have anything to wear.”
Katy snatched her phone from the couch, eyes still darting between the card and her screen as she began typing rapidly. “Let’s see… oh my God—Susan! This is an annual political conference. Dignitaries from all over the country will be in attendance!”
The realization hit Susan like a soft punch in the stomach, her excitement blending with a new wave of nerves. She whispered to herself, her voice small: “A lot of famous and influential people will be there… This can’t be happening.”
“Can I come? Can I tag along?” Katy asked, her excitement now matching Susan’s.
“Like… as a plus one?”
“I’ll be quiet, you won’t even know I’m there,” Katy promised, bouncing slightly on her toes.
Susan bit her lip. “I don’t know. If it were up to me, I’d want my best friend there. But… I don’t know if he’d… you know… allow a plus one.”
“Ask him,” Katy pressed immediately.
“How? I don’t even know how to reach him. There’s no contact info on this invite card.”
“What?” Katy dropped back onto the couch and examined the card again, flipping it over. “You’re right, there's nothing here.”
“That’s what I’m saying.” Susan sighed, sinking into the cushions.
The two sat there, talking, speculating, laughing, until the minutes blurred into an hour. Susan’s energy eventually ebbed away, her body giving in to exhaustion. She curled up on the couch in her work clothes, her breathing evening out until she slipped into sleep.
The apartment was quiet until a sharp, unmistakable sound sliced through the stillness—screeching tires out front. Katy’s head snapped toward the window.
Then— three gentle but deliberate knocks came from the door.
“I’m coming,” Katy called, her voice low. She padded toward the window first, peeking out from the side of the curtain.
Her eyes went wide. Parked across the street under the pale wash of moonlight were several black SUVs, their glossy bodies gleaming under the streetlamp. Her heart thudded in her chest as she tiptoed to the door and pressed her eye to the peephole.
Her breath caught.
“Oh my… f—” she whispered under her breath. “It’s Joseph Hudson.”
She fumbled with the lock and pulled the door open. There he stood— tall, impossibly composed, a polite smile playing on his lips. He wore a crisp white vintage shirt, the top buttons casually undone to reveal the edge of a perfectly sculpted chest. White shorts and clean sneakers completed the look. Behind him, his men stood in their familiar black suits, an unyielding wall of silent presence.
“Is this Miss Stone’s residence?” His voice was deep, smooth, and carried the kind of weight that made Katy’s stomach twist. His piercing blue eyes met hers, holding her gaze with such intensity she felt the urge to look away almost immediately.
“Ye—yes, sir,” she stammered, the words tumbling out clumsily. Her composure was gone, replaced with a thin layer of awe. She glanced over her shoulder toward the couch, where Susan was just beginning to stir, her eyes blinking open in confusion.
“May I come in?” Joseph asked, the politeness in his tone not hiding the fact it wasn’t really a question.
“Sure, sir… of course.” Katy stepped back quickly, her voice barely above a whisper.