“The fireworks display is an annual tradition. The neighbors send thank-you notes,” Wick said, and old man Heyward laughed, knocking his ballcap back. His eyes twinkled, and the lights overhead buzzed as if in approval of his good mood.
“We’ll do it up right, Mr. Guidry. I have new ideas for this year. Yes, I do.”
Wick nodded eagerly. “Take notes will you, Maurice?”
“Sure,” I said out of habit, then scrambled out to the car and back again with a notebook.
I couldn’t believe Wick stood there for the next hour and a half and let the old man ramble, but he did, with all the excitement of a kid at Christmas.
“My son and grandson will help me on the day, of course. They do most of the work these days, but I’m the brains of the operation.” Old man Heyward winked at me.
“You’ll do the red ones that look like stars, right?” Wick asked, for the third time.
“Yes, yes,” old man Heyward said, nodding. “But we do have some new tricks this year.”
By the time we left they had three pages full of ideas that I emailed to old man Heyward’s son, and I absolutely didn’t want to know how much this would all cost. Even if Wick could write off the party as a work function, it would still be a positively obscene hit to his bank account.
That night I went to his house and stayed over because it was too late for me to consider going home, which for some reason always felt like the most responsible choice. Anything I did that was fun must be bad, or at least, that was what the critical voice in my head said. The sky didn’t fall in, though. It was so late when we got to bed that all we did was cuddle, and there was nothing better than Wick snuggled up against my chest. He’d started using me as a pillow and I loved it.
There was something related to the summer bash that needed to be done every single day after work, right up until the evening before the party. I had no idea how, but I found myself at Walmart in gray sleep shorts and an old T-shirt buying skewers at nearly one in the morning because the caterers had run out and were in a tizzy. I also wasn’t entirely certain how this had become my problem, except I had an inability to say no when it came to anything work related.
Wick poked around on the candy rack beside the register, and of course he was adorable in his plaid sleep pants and spotless white tank top. He’d even found a pair of flip-flops somewhere to slip on, and I wouldn’t have thought he owned such a thing if I didn’t see them on his feet. He let out a shout of triumph, then held up Reese’s cups. His grin was wide even if there were dark smudges under his eyes, and my heart squeezed. I nodded, and he tossed the candy onto the conveyor belt.
“Ugh. I’m beat,” I said.
He laughed and leaned against my side, and his warmth and muscles were a balm to my brewing foul mood. “It’s like this every year. Always something. Why were we here last year at midnight?”
“Bug spray, because the guys setting up everything were getting eaten alive. They work overnight roasting pigs, so you’d think they would’ve known better.” I shook my head, and he rubbed the back of my neck. I grunted and leaned into the attention.
“Ah, yes,” he murmured.
“And you came with me then, too.” I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye.
He shrugged and grinned. “What can I say? I enjoy spending time with you.” He leaned in and brushed his lips over mine, and my heart kicked up into high gear. He’d never done anything like this in such a public place, and the woman who had started ringing out our purchases giggled, though it didn’t sound as if it was in a mean way. I felt a little like I was going to sink through the floor, but he only turned and smiled at her, being his usual engaging self as he paid for everything.
I felt both exposed in a dangerous way and humbled that someone like him didn’t care who saw us making out. I knew I was still working through things in my head, but I didn’t quite know what to say when he had all the bags hooked in his right hand and offered me his left one.
“I don’t think I’m going to be able to sleep,” he said, still sounding far too awake as we headed toward the front doors.
“Maybe I can help you with that.” I couldn’t believe those suggestive words had come out of my mouth, but he only grinned and tugged me along faster.
The next day the party didn’t technically begin until 5:00 p.m., but at half past four the lawn and house were both packed with guests. Apparently no one had heard of being fashionably late, or maybe it was the allure of a free top-notch dinner that had everyone in a tizzy. I was being run off my feet by Mrs. Riggins, who did help with the preparations despite her resolution not to do a single thing. Since she wasn’t in charge, every problem someone needed an answer for became mine, so I had to personally race out to grab Sterno cans and extra extension cords—and that was only the tip of the iceberg. It was after six o’clock before I had a chance to take a break, and when I did, I immediately searched for Wick.
The lawn was decorated more beautifully than some weddings I’d been to, with long tables covered in red cloths. Poppies made up the floral centerpieces and candles in hurricane vases stretched in a line on either side. The effect of the shimmering flames was mesmerizing. There was a firepit going with seats arranged around it, and an outdoor dance floor, which was currently only occupied by a single elderly couple shuffling along to a relaxed jazz song played by the live band. I recognized the singers from the bar Wick and I had gone to after we were measured for suits, and I loved that he’d hired local people.
But where the hell was the host?
The party wasn’t restricted to the grounds, and the interior of the Guidry mansion had been decorated to match the outside. There were snack tables at intervals and caterers circulated through all the downstairs rooms that overflowed with guests who were only too happy to socialize. I was starting to sweat by the time I found Wick in the large ballroom at the back of the house. I’d only been in the glamorous mirror-walled room once, during the prior year when he’d decided to open it up. A string quartet played a familiar song to a fast beat, and there were a few couples dancing while everyone else milled and mingled.
My heart stilled, then picked up pace at top speed when I caught sight of Wick. He was devastating in a black suit. The color made his silver hair pop, and for a moment all I could focus on was the way he flashed his perfect smile at whoever he was speaking with. He stood along a wall with a tumbler of amber liquid in his hand. After a few seconds of ogling my boyfriend, the full picture slid into focus as Indy Yves took a step closer and beamed up at Wick like he hung the sun and the moon.
My heart dropped to my toes.
Indy looked fantastic in a lilac suit. I’d never seen anything like it, but it made him seem like an anime character come to life, especially with his neon-purple hair. Jewelry sparkled at his throat and drew the eye to the slim lines of his neck. I wanted to go over and say something to Wick because he’d asked me—or more like threatened me—not to work all night, but even though we’d been sleeping together and we’d made love several times in the last week, I couldn’t get over how pretty Indy was. Anyone looking at them would assume they were a couple before they would think Wick and I were one. I rubbed my chest and went to check with Mrs. Riggins to make sure no more fires needed to be put out.
Time got away from me and darkness settled over the Guidry Estate as I ran around trying to help Mrs. March find her cell phone. She was the wife of one of the more important clients at Émeraude Technologies, so I felt compelled to come to her rescue; however, the stunningly beautiful brunette in a dazzling black velvet dress had no idea where she’d been this evening, and it seemed as if she’d been everywhere and nowhere all at once.
I almost swore at her when she laughed and pulled the phone out of her clutch purse after I’d emptied two garbage cans and peered under about a thousand chairs.
