“Come on, Dallas,” Nadine urged. “If you can work half the night on a case, you can have a drink in a bar after a gala.”
“The first one’s my job,” Eve began. And Mavis gave her the puppy eyes and kept circling her hand over her belly.
Ten minutes later, it occurred to her here was something else she’d never imagined.
That she’d all but take over a fancy bar in a fancy hotel with a rock band, a pregnant rock star, a fashion designer, a reporter with an Oscar under her fancy belt, a doctor, a former LC, and an Irish gazillionaire who happened to be her husband.
Or that she’d have fun doing it.
Maybe it was the wine—damn good wine—or the bar snacks, the spicy little nuts, the fat olives, the crunchy something or other.
But no, she had to admit, it came down to the company.
Nadine shifted to her. “Jake and I got the full tour of the house.”
“It’s something.”
“It is. It’s so frigging happy. Not just the colors, the things, the style. It’s in the damn air. Peabody and McNab’s section, so different from Mavis and Leonardo’s, but the same vibe. Happy-as-shit vibe. That blown-glasschandelier Peabody’s mother made? Jesus! I want one for my own. Mavis says they’re coming to the housewarming. I’m going to try to talk her into making me something.”
Nadine reached for some crunchy stuff while Mavis had the band doubling over with laughter.
“Don’t call me crazy.”
“I don’t think I ever have. Called you a lot of other things.”
“True. Jake and I are looking to buy a vacation place. Together.”
“Okay.”
“It’s not crazy?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. Where’s crazy?”
“Tropical, that’s what we want. Beaches, privacy. We’re going to talk to Roarke about where. Why not tap somebody who knows about all of it?”
“Okay.” So she turned to Roarke. “Best place for Nadine and Jake to buy a vacation home. Tropical, beaches, privacy.”
He leaned around Eve to speak to Nadine. “Investment property or a second home?”
“Second home.”
“Villa or condo?”
“Villa. We want a house. Ah, something big enough to have guests when we want. With a pool, beach access, close enough, but not too close to restaurants and shops, some nightlife. He’d need a music space, I’d need an office space. We’d want at least four bedrooms, maybe a guesthouse. It’s crazy.”
“Not at all. You might want to explore Saint Lucia or Turks and Caicos.”
“We’ve been looking at both of those. And Saint Bart’s. And, well, too many others. It gets overwhelming.”
“Why don’t I send you a list of what I think may suit you?”
“Really? I’d appreciate that so much. We’re both turning in circlesabout it. You found my condo, and it’s exactly right. Then when we did the tour of the new house, saw how right it is for all of them, I thought, well, maybe Roarke can find what’s right for us on this wild idea.”
“I’ll send a list, but you’ll be the judge of it.”
“Jake? I’m going to kiss Roarke.”
“Okay.”
