I would have a lot of explaining to do to Irene.
“Shall we?” Lewis asked as he held the door open.
The five of us entered the building, but as I passed Lewis, I asked, “Do you have any other surprises for me tonight?”
He shrugged and smiled. “I hope not.”
After Lewis paid for our entrance, we passed through the vestibule and entered the dance floor. The rounded ceiling was impossiblyhigh, with a stage at one end under a brick arch. Glimmering gold curtains at the back of the stage highlighted a big band, elaborate chandeliers, and two globe lamps on either side.
The room was full of people. Some were sitting at tables on the perimeter of the room, while others were dancing on the wood dance floor. Every imaginable color of gown was present, and most of the men were wearing tuxedos or evening suits. Waiters moved around the room with trays of ice, glasses, and what looked like ginger ale. As they were set on the tables, I saw more than one person pull a flask from their jacket pocket to mix with the ginger ale.
“Why don’t the police do something about the alcohol?” I asked Lewis and Thomas.
Lewis shrugged. “The owner pays the police department to look the other way.”
Thomas had his arm around Alice as we found a table, and the pair sat close. It was clear they were crazy about each other, but Alice still looked uncomfortable—probably because she thought this was the first time I was learning about their relationship.
“I love to dance,” Irene said as she took a seat. “And this foxtrot is one of my favorites.”
Lewis grinned, taking the hint. “Would you like to dance, Irene?”
She was out of her seat before he finished his sentence.
“How about you?” Thomas asked Alice, smiling at her. “Want to cut a rug, sweetheart?” Alice nodded, and as they left the table, Thomas said to me, “Don’t do anything stupid.”
I wanted to make a face at my older brother and remind him thatIwasn’t the one doing anything foolish. He was escorting our brother’s ex-mistress onto the dance floor, several months pregnant.
Their departure gave me the opportunity to study the faces of the women in attendance. There were at least a hundred. Some were sitting in the shadows, and some were on the dance floor, crowded by others.
How was I supposed to find Annie here? The best vantage point would be from the stage at the front of the room, but the only way—
My thoughts stilled. If I could get on the stage, and perhaps sing with the band, I could study the faces of the women on the dance floor. It would give me the best opportunity to find Annie.
A man approached our table, and it was clear he was coming to ask me to dance, so I quickly stood and went in the opposite direction toward the bar, not allowing myself to contemplate what I was about to do.
It took me several minutes to get an audience with the owner, and when I asked him if Ernest Hemingway had sent him a letter of introduction, he didn’t even hesitate.
“Sure did! Come on. I was in the war with Ernie. Any friend of his is a friend of mine. Let’s get you on stage.”
He didn’t give me much time to regret my decision as he led me through the crowd toward the front of the ballroom. There, he chatted with the band director, and then he told me I was up next.
I continued to scan the crowd, not certain what Annie looked like, but searching for an older woman who had some of my features. If the owner of the grocery store in Lakeville was surprised by my appearance, I assumed Annie and I shared the same likeness.
“Miss Reed?” the owner said. “The band is ready for you.”
Mr. Hemingway had apparently given him my alias, which I appreciated.
I was taking a chance that people could see and recognize me, but the room was dim, and I doubted they would pay close attention—especially when the band leader introduced me as Miss Reed.
Though I wasn’t sure what Lewis, Thomas, or Irene would think.
“We have a special guest singer tonight,” the band leader said into the microphone. “Direct from Paris, France, Miss Reed.”
Paris, France? I wasn’t going to correct him as I walked across the stage. Better to let people think I was from another country.
Several people looked my way, but many of them continued to visit around the room.
I caught Lewis’s eye from the table where we’d been sitting. His shocked expression turned to irritation, so I simply shrugged.
