Free Another Shot: A Modern-Day Ruth and Boaz Story by Brooke St. James Page B

middle. We reproduced the look, only a slightly scaled back version. I almost felt like the boosted up version was false advertising. My outfit was dark, dressy jean leggings with a brown sweater that hung off one shoulder exposing a muted gold tank underneath. I dressed it up with necklaces, bracelets, and a scarf, and added some boots that complimented the whole look.
    Laura wore burgundy. Both of us put a lot of effort into getting ready, and the ride to his house was exciting. Dominic's brother, Paul and William (one of the guys who helped us move into our apartment) were driving to Dominic's and offered to pick us up on their way.
    Maria and Big Willy would be there too, but they spent the night before to help Dominic prepare for the party. The catering was hired out, but Maria was there to help Dominic manage everything. The feast was from 3 to 7PM with the meal being served in stages between music and other random entertainment.
    In addition to his employees, Dominic had roughly twenty or thirty family members every year. Maria explained to Laura that ten or twenty of them usually ended up staying out at Dominic's for the night and crashed in one of his many spare rooms. Dominic loved hosting a big group for the night and always got in the kitchen with his dad and cooked a big breakfast the next morning.
    Maria called Laura in the morning to make sure we were staying the night, and Laura thanked her for the invitation and told her we'd think about it. We thought about it for the span of a split second. In fact, the only reason she told her we'd think about it instead of agreeing right away was because she didn't want to seem to eager.
    Paul and William picked us up at 1:30 in the afternoon, so we could get there when the festivities started at three. Paul was driving, and William offered to let Laura sit in the front. He made it obvious that he wouldn't mind being in the back seat with me, and Laura put the kibosh on that right away, saying she preferred the back.
    The ride to Dominic's went quickly, and before we knew it, we were pulling up at his estate. There was a circular driveway with beautiful landscaping, and a valet waiting to park the car when we arrived.
    Paul told him to park it in Dominic's garage, and he agreed easily before offering to help with our bags. Paul told him we had it under control, and he and William took not only their own bags, but also mine and Laura's.
    "We'll put these in the back of the coat closet for now, and you can get them once you figure out where you're sleeping," Paul said.
    We put our coats and bags away when we came in the door, and then walked through the entryway into the main living room. It was a huge, open space decorated with comfortable, eclectic furniture in rich colors. The foyer was elevated which gave us perspective on how packed it was. There were at least fifty people already there, and I got a good visual of most of them from where we were standing.
    "There are a few other rooms opened up for the party," Paul said. "I'll take you around to them so you'll know where they are. If you snoop around at all, you'll come across a lot of locked doors."
    "Oh, I'm not gonna snoop," I assured him. Laura was shaking her head adamantly, saying she wouldn't either.
    He smiled. "Dominic opens the house once his employees leave. I was just telling you not to be surprised if you came across a locked door."
    "You just tell us where to go, Pauly, and, we'll go there," Laura said holding her arm out for him.
    He smiled and took it without hesitation. "We'll show you guys around and you can decide which room you like best. You don't have to stay in one place all night, but I will tell you it's best to be in the living room when the oysters come out."
    I made a face like I didn't care for oysters, and everyone laughed.
    "You finally made it!" we heard Maria squeal a few seconds later. We all turned to her, and one by one she squeezed us and wished us happy Thanksgiving. I was last in