Free A Soldier For Bella (Love Conquers Life #4) by Alison Mello Page A

year’s New Year’s Eve event so I’m hoping she can get us the club for this as well. We have a cocktail hour with drinks and hot finger foods. Then we do dinner and as dessert is being served, we’ll have the comedy show.”
    I nod my head, liking his thoughts so far. “What do we do during dinner? Anything?”
    He shrugs his shoulders at me. “Do you think we need something?”
    “Maybe not,” I answer as I try to think of something that could take place during dinner.
    “I’m thinking a hundred dollars a ticket, but I will know for sure once we know about the hall and if the comedians will donate their time.”
    “Okay, so what’s your next plan?”
    “I’m going to research some local comedians and see if I can pull some menu options from the club’s website. That way we can get a general idea of what dinner will cost us per person. I’m assuming that Sandra will be able to get us a better rate, but we’ll go by that for now.”
    “Good. Keep me posted,” I tell him. He walks back to his office. I pick up my phone and dial Tobey. I need to let him know what we’re working on and see if he’s had any conversations with Stuart House. I want to go back out there next week to see if they’ve made any progress.
    “This is Tobey,” he answers quickly.
    “Hey, Tobey. It’s Derek.”
    “Hey, man. What’s going on? How’s it feel to have your boy back?” He laughs into the phone.
    “Good. That’s one of the reasons I’m calling you. We’re working on a comedy night to raise money for the TVs at Briar House.”
    “That sounds like a fun night. Who is he going to get for comedians?” he asks, sounding concerned.
    “He’s working on that part right now. I’ll keep you posted on our progress.”
    “Good. Anything else?”
    “Yeah. How are things with Stuart House?”
    “That house is going to be the death of me,” he says with a sigh. “I know they’re neglecting the guys, but I have to figure out how to prove it and get this director removed from the house. I called to speak with him last week about some of the notes in your file, and they kept telling me that he was visiting with patients to ensure they’re happy with their care, as if that isn’t the biggest line of horse shit.”
    I chuckle into the phone. “I agree with you. What we really need is to get someone to open up and talk to us. You should have seen the look on their faces when I entered their rooms. They were so afraid of him.”
    “Don’t you worry, we’ll figure this out,” he says with determination. He cuts the call, and I take that as my cue to move on to other problems.
     
    ***
     
    Bella
     
    I’m in the elevator of my agent’s building. Using the mirrored walls, I check my appearance one last time before I arrive at the twentieth floor. My agent is a stickler for us representing ourselves perfectly all the time. I’m wearing a knee-length gray pencil skirt with a coral color dress shirt and a jacket that matches. It’s spring, so I have on these killer strappy heels that match my outfit perfectly.
    I shake my head as I think back to the last time I saw a model walk into the agency wearing less than perfect attire. The agent dismissed her. She was so upset she ran off crying. Brunswick and Brown modeling agency doesn’t take just anyone, and they expect their models to be in the best shape at all times.
    As I step off the elevator, I’m sure to maintain perfect posture and walk with style and grace to the reception desk. “Good afternoon, Ms. Campbell. How are you today?”
    “I’m well, thank you. Is Madeline ready to see me?”
    She grins. “Madeline will see you in just a few minutes, please take a seat.” She nods toward the waiting area, which has a beautiful coffee table and the softest chairs. There’s a sofa too, but I never sit in it because it’s a bit low and hard to sit gracefully in while wearing a skirt.
    I choose one of the comfy white chairs to sit in, carefully crossing my legs