A Soul Ensnared

Nineteen

August 2, 2013

Stepping into the hallway from the foyer, Sonya reached down, and slipped out of her heels. For the past three hours, her feet had screamed with agony, begging to be released from their steeply angled confines. Although she was used to wearing heels throughout the day, she wasn't accustomed to the rigors of Tournament, which included twelve hours of walking the course and five hours of mingling throughout the evening. A groan escaped as she realized she still had two more days and nights left.

Tomorrow, she decided, I'm putting on kitten heels.

Rubbing a hand over her face, she padded down the hall, drained from the exertion of the day. She had remained through the menial tasks of cleaning up and preparing for tomorrow, and had just sent the staff home for the night. Because Tournament only occurred once a year, everyone was expected to work overtime. Sonya didn't let her status exempt her from pitching in at the end of the night. After she checked her email and prepped for tomorrow, her day would be complete. She could grab her bags, lock her office, and go home, where her soft bed awaited.

Two more days, she told herself as she padded down the long corridor. Just two more, and then I don't have to worry about another tournament until next year.

A tinny sound drew her attention long before she saw the light streaming from Noah's office. As she drew closer, she could hear the familiar twangs of the guitar, and noticed his door had been propped open. There was a smile on her face as she pulled out her keys and opened her office door. Stepping inside, she dropped her keys on the entrance table, put her heels on the carpet, and padded toward her desk.

It had been difficult, telling Noah the truth of her heart. He hadn't liked what she'd had to say, he had hated it, but he had respected her words. Not only that, she reminded herself, but he had accepted them with both grace and humor.

They had forged a new friendship yesterday evening, talking until Audrey awoke. Sonya had called for ice cream at the first sight of blue eyes, just as she had promised. When the little girl polished off the bowl, Noah had taken her onto the dance floor, letting her balance on his feet while they swayed to the music.

Sonya had taken the time to mingle. In between shaking player's hands and congratulating them on their successes that day, she'd watched him with renewed vision. He was a doting father, a solid businessman, and a good friend. He could have responded to her words with anger. He could have said he wanted nothing more to do with her. Instead, he had allowed their friendship to continue, and she was grateful for that. She'd ended the night feeling satisfied that he forgave her, even after she led him to believe the wrong conclusions.

Sitting down, Sonya pulled out the tournament schedule, and looked at the lineup of players for the next day. One of the favored pros would be playing in the afternoon, which meant a surge in the crowd's attendance. It had been on her mind earlier to email her vendors concerning an increase in food and beverage, but the idea had been forgotten as she journeyed from tent to tent, making sure her favorite businessmen were attended to throughout the day.

The thought came to her now, and she awakened her mouse to compose the necessary emails. She knew the more the crowd drank, the more they would eat, so she wrote the first email to her beer vendor, Timothy.

Timothy,

Sorry for the late email. Ping me back before ten tomorrow. I'll be on the course, but I'll
have my cell on hand. Last year, we ran into a problem that I thought I had corrected for
this year's tournament. However, the turnout this year is exceeding the projections from
last year. Great for us, great for you, but it's also making me a bit frantic. We need to
adjust the supply for the weekend, and I need for you to fax an adjusted contract ASAP.
I'll talk numbers to your supplier in the morning, and we'll sign the new contract as soon as it comes in.