“Contrary to what you might believe, I’m not an idiot.”
He reached for my hand, coveringit with his and earning attention from every inch of my body. “I have never once thought you were an idiot, Addison.”
“No?”
“No. I’m sorry if I’ve made you feel that way. My desire to solve this case has taken over my ability to be charming, apparently.”
I bit back a smile. Well, he was wrong on that account, because that was certainly charming. He removed his hand from mine and finally tooka bite of his sandwich.
“Thanks for lunch, Jake,” I said, still wrapped up in the way he looked in my house. “This is nice. Feel free to bring me a peace offering anytime.”
He chuckled, shaking his head as we ate in companionable silence. I took a sip of water just as my phone rang from the kitchen counter where it was charging. “Excuse me,” I said, and rounded the island to grab it. “AddisonAllen.”
“Hey Addison, it’s Brittany Cabot.”
Brittany was heir to her father’s chemical company and worth close to two billion dollars. She had just gotten herself an equally moneyed and rather boring fiancé. Don’t get me wrong, Jonathan was a lovely man... he was just so dull. No personality, no humor... no over-sexed hair. Dull.
“Hi Brittany. Long time, no hear.”
“God, I know. This weddingmight kill me.”
I smiled. “You’ve got this.”
“I’d have it better if you’d plan it.”
“Oh, honey, I don’t have the time. The fundraiser for the Allen Performing Arts Center is taking all of it.”
Mother’s newest venture was the restoration of a historic building on Broadway that she was turning into a Performing Arts Center for the less fortunate. She felt everyone should have access to opera.Personally I felt everyone should be spared opera, but the buildingwasbeautiful and should be on the National Historical Register, so I agreed to help make it happen.
Brittany sighed dramatically. “That was the other reason for my call.”
“Well, then I’m your girl.”
“We’d like to buy a table.”
I hummed in disappointment. “They’re all booked, I’m afraid. I do have about twelve plates availableto purchase, but they’re not all at the same table.”
“What if we doubled the donation of each plate? Would you be able to move a few folks around so we could sit together?”
“Let me look,” I said, pulling the seating plan out of the basket on the counter. “I’ll tell you what, Britt. You triple it, and I’ll make you that deal.”
“You drive a hard bargain, Addison, but we’ll take it,” she said.“And by the way, we were willing to go up to fifty thousand.”
I laughed. “I’m sure you were, but we Allens aren’t greedy, so thirty thousand is adequate.”
“Damn girl, you’re funny.”
“I do try.” I smiled. “Is there anything you have in a closet somewhere you want to donate?”
“I actually have a Hermès Vintage Crocodile Kelly 35 handbag.”
“Shut up! 1960?”
“Yes.”
“Why the hell would you givethat up?”
She chuckled. “Because I need a tax write-off more than I need that purse.”
