Nana’s expression shifted. For a moment, calculation flashed across her face, the kind of look she got when she’d found a promising investment opportunity. She studied Vixen with renewed interest.
Oh, no. Nana liked her. That was either very good or very bad.
“Perhaps you’re not entirely wrong,” she said, with approval lurking in her eyes. “I’m Beatrice Roth. And you are?”
“Vixen. It’s a pleasure, Mrs. Roth.”
Just Vixen. Because people like Vixen didn’t have last names. They didn’t need them.
“The pleasure is all mine,” Nana replied, and she actually sounded like she meant it. “Now, I’d love to continue this conversation, but I’m afraid we have a different matter to attend to.” Much to my horror, she turned toward me. “Come, Hazel. I’ll take you to meet Ignatius.”
My stomach dropped. The blind date. The whole reason I was wearing this dress in the first place.
“But, Nana, the cookies—”
“Don’t worry, darling.” Vixen patted the box she was carrying, as if reassuring both the cookies and me. “I have everything. I’ll get it all set up for you.”
She flashed me a thumbs-up and a wink that somehow managed to be both encouraging and slightly mischievous. Then she was gliding away with the cookie box, moving through the crowd like she owned the place.
Nana’s hand closed around my elbow with surprising strength for a woman her age. “Come along. Ignatius is very punctual, and I won’t have him thinking I raised a granddaughter who doesn’t respect other people’s time.”
As she steered me through the crowd, I tried to summon the optimism that Vixen and Nana seemed to radiate. Ignatius would be nice. The cookies would be a hit. The dogs were adorable. Everything was fine.
But a traitorous part of my heart just wished I was back at The Cocoa Bean. Back to seeing Brok refuse a second cookie while Barnaby vibrated on a stool, demanding more.
As always, Nana navigated the crowd with ease and managed to safely extract us from the chaos. She delivered us to a small gazebo, slightly separated from the rest of the gala. There, a handsome man in an elegant suit was already waiting. But… He wasn’t exactly twiddling his thumbs.
Instead, Ignatius Gray stood at the center of what could only be described as a canine fan club.
A golden retriever pressed against his left leg, gazing up at him with devoted eyes. A scruffy mixed breed had claimed his right foot. And a determined terrier puppywas attempting to scale his slacks like they were Mount Everest.
No wonder Nana liked him if the dogs worshipped him to this extent.
As Nana and I approached, he turned toward us and met my gaze. His eyes were… gold? I didn’t think I’d seen that shade of brown anywhere in a person before. “Ms. Roth, you made it,” he said with a bow. “I’m honored to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much about you from Mrs. Roth.”
Unexpectedly, Nana barreled over his formality. “Now, don’t embarrass me in front of my own granddaughter, Ignatius, dear. I told you you can call me Nana.”
Ignatius laughed, flashing a charming, warm smile that made the puppy increase its efforts. “I would never dare. I know better.”
As Ignatius finished his sentence, the terrier puppy finally landed in his arms. Ignatius cradled it without missing a beat, as if small animals pouncing on him were a normal part of conversation.
I had to admit I was a little impressed. “You seem very good with the dogs, Mr. Gray. Is that how you met Nana? Through the gala?”
“Not quite,” Ignatius replied. The mixed breed at his feet rolled onto its back, exposing its belly in surrender. “Though I suppose the way we crossed paths was just as eventful.”
“We met during my second divorce,” Nana explained with a tiny, satisfied smile. “Ignatius was my lawyer. Ruthless in that courtroom.”
Oh, dear. Well, that explained a lot. Nana’s second divorce had been legendary. She’d walked away with the beach house, the yacht, and half of her ex-husband’s investment portfolio. The man who’d managed that had to be a shark. There was more to Ignatius than just a simple dog lover.
“It was my pleasure to work with you, Mrs. Roth,” he offered. “Just like it’s my pleasure to meet your wonderful granddaughter.”
It didn’t sound like a polite platitude. He genuinely seemed to mean it. Nana’s smile softened. “Ignatius’s cases often lead him to work abroad, which is why we don’t see nearly enough of him. But we’re so fortunate, Hazel. A recent case brought him to Oakhaven, and I just knew I had to take advantage of the opportunity.”
Right. Because nothing said ‘fortunate’ like being set up with your grandmother’s divorce lawyer at a charity gala.
“And besides, animals just know, Hazel.” Nana gestured to the pack that had claimed Ignatius as their personal property. “They sense the quality of a human soul.”
By now, the tiny terrier had successfully untied Ignatius’s tie. I bit the inside of my cheek to keepfrom laughing. If dogs sensed the quality of souls, this one apparently thought his tasted delicious and that he deserved to be thoroughly chewed.
