“Let’s just try to pace ourselves, darling,” I said, in my best mothering tone.
“I’m just saying,” Savilla said, still on the subject of me and my future as she took a sip of hot toddy, “you’ll have everything you need right here.” She hesitated, catching Lacy’s glance and adding almost as an afterthought, “if that’s what you want.”
I appreciated the last sentence, and wondered if Aunt DeeDee had also sat down with her for a chat about laying off the pressure just a smidge.
Savilla took a deep breath, and her smile settled easily back into place. “Okay, so we need to get to our first stop soon.”
I’d planned a schedule that would take us to our old haunts in town when we were teens, and I’d written each stop in the form of scavenger hunt clues that Lacy could solve before we moved on to the next place. Since Bella Rivera hadn’t yet shown her face—blessedly—I thought we might sneak out without her tagging along. I was about to pull out the first clue when four other women walked into the Carriage House, startling us all.
It was Patty Swanson along with Bella Rivera and the cousins, Myrtis and Charlotte.
“Lacy, we found you,” Patty exclaimed, having fully recovered from her outdoor conversation with Anton.
I watched as Lacy peered around them, hoping to see Anton trailing along behind them—and leading them right back out the way they’d entered.
“Anton’s off with the menfolk,” Patty said, answering Lacy’s unasked question. “But he told me where I could find you. Of course, I figured that you’d all want to get to know each other since we’re about to be family.”
After hearing Patty argue with Anton about how she didn’t actually want Lacy to be in her family, I had the urge to tell her off and send all of them packing back to Texas.
“This is a closed party,” Jemma said, her head to one side as she studied the other ladies before pointing at Bella. “Except for maybe you.” She walked over, picked up a handful of hair from thewoman’s shoulder, and inhaled. Jemma’s eyes glowed as she stayed only inches from Bella’s face and she said seductively, “Yes,youcan stay.”
I’d assumed that Jemma only dated men, but once again my stereotyping of beauty queens was all wrong. Jemma was obviously smitten with Bella, who was backing away, worry lines deepening on her face with every inch.
“Don’t be silly,” Patty fluttered. “I don’t plan to stay! I wouldn’t want to be a buzzkill if you gals are getting up to something… illicit.”
Lacy shook her head at her future mother-in-law, and I could see in her expression that despite Patty’s awfulness, Lacy still cared what the woman thought. “We weren’t planning anything like?—”
“—but I knew you wouldn’t want Bella or Anton’s cousins to miss out,” Patty interrupted, speaking over Lacy.
Bella glanced around the room, likely trying to find Anton, while Myrtis grabbed a drink and took a long swig.
That’s when I spotted Will Hurt sneaking in the back door, his eyes fixed on a jacket he’d left behind.
As Patty prattled on about how everyone should be welcoming this weekend, Will went to grab the long coat. And I saw Charlotte fix her gaze on him and move toward him. He gave her a slight smile, and she took his arm easily, pressing into him and whispering something in his ear.
The entire interaction was ten seconds, maybe twenty, but it was long enough to notice a connection between the pair.
I frowned at the sight of the two of them—Will was married to one of my childhood peers, after all—but when I glanced around, no one else seemed to notice that Will and Charlotte obviously knew each other. But how?
I had the urge to scurry over and tell Charlotte to take her long-nailed paws off of him— which was strange. Although I’d grown up with Will’s wife, Valerie, and although they’d both been guests at the homecoming reunion that turned murderish last October, I had no particular interest in the two of them. Still,married is married, and Charlotte had no right to flirt with Will. He was a family man.
My instincts had no time to play out though. A moment later, Will and his long coat were gone and Charlotte was slyly grinning to herself.
“So, I’ll just leave the three of them here,” Patty said. “And you can show them what a good time Aubergine has to offer.” She began to back out of the Carriage House, calling the last words out almost like a threat. “Who knows? Maybe we’ll all decide to settle down here someday.”
As Patty Swanson gave one final smirk before exiting, I noticed Lacy’s expression—which told me all I needed to know. She needed to see Anton. Now.
“I’ll be right back,” I said, excusing myself. I caught Savilla’s eye and motioned for her to stay close to Lacy.
The three additional women—Myrtis, Charlotte, and Bella Rivera—seemed unbothered by Patty Swanson forcing them to be an addition to the wedding party’s festivities. Or perhaps they’d seen her manipulate enough situations that they knew the drill: Fall in line or get left behind.
I started toward the place Anton was supposed to be that evening: the Billiards Room. I calculated the fastest route, taking a staff elevator, and as I stepped onto the second floor, I almost ran straight into him. He was pacing back and forth in the hallway, his face both surprised and bothered.
I could list off the things that might be troubling him, starting with his mother at the top.
“Thank God I found you,” I said quietly, looking around to make sure no one else was nearby as I pulled him toward the balcony overlooking the gardens, a place where we would be assured of privacy.
“You were looking for me?” Anton asked distractedly, before realizing that if I was seeking him out, then something must be wrong. “Is it Lacy? Where is she?”
