“Hi,” I reply and then whisper, “We’re looking for the library.”
“Oh, yes, it’s so cute. Down the hall to the left. Pull the brass candle holder to open the secret door,” she says.
Ava’s eyes widen, and she grabs my hand. “Thank you, Fletcher’s mom,” she says as she drags me to the hall.
Fletcher’s mother laughs, and I give her a sheepish grin as I’m yanked into a back hallway that’s encased in dark wood. There are paintings on the walls and an occasional side table. Eventually, I see two brass wall sconces.
“Which one?” I ask Ava.
She purses her lips and puts her hand on her chin. Finally, she points to the one on the right. I reach out and try to turn it. It doesn’t budge.
“This one,” she says excitedly, pointing to the other one. “Look!” she points at the wood trim, and I do notice it’s not as flush.
I turn the sconce and the door pops open. I push it all the way open and find a light switch. Flipping it on, we step inside. It’s a two-story library that looks straight out of a movie.
“Wow!” Ava says.
“Yes, this is definitely a wow, Peanut,” I agree. I make a mental note to tell Roxy and Jocelyn about this later. Those two booklovers need to see this.
“Come on, let’s key hunt,” she insists as she begins picking things up and looking under them. I have to say, the ambiance of the room sort of lends itself to solving a mystery. I find myself looking too, nearly as excited as Ava. Until I look at my watch. Shit.
“Kiddo, we gotta go. We need to change, so we aren’t late,” I state. “We can come back another day.”
“One more minute,” Ava says.
“Nope. We spent twenty here already. Let’s go,” I insist.
“Fine. But you promise we can come back in here. I want to show Mommy,” Ava says.
“I promise,” I say as she takes my hand, and we head back to get ready for dinner. As we approach the villa, all I can think about is Carly and how we just matched on a dating app. And now that Kasen swiped on her, she’s going to know that too. This should be an interesting night. I just hope it doesn’t end in disaster.
Dessert is being served, and Carly hasn’t said a thing yet about the dating app. I wonder if she’s even checked her phone. Slowly, couples start dancing in the middle of the room. Ava is dancing with Al. He swings her around, and she giggles.
“I should go rescue Al. I need to get Ava to bed soon,” Carly says. She walks over to them. Al whispers something to Ava, and she grins in my direction. A second later, Carly cuts in and waves Ava in my direction. Al and Carly twirl around the dance floor.
Ava runs over to me and hops into my lap. She leans up and cups her little hand around my ear. “Mr. Al says you need to cut up,” she whispers.
I laugh and lean back. “I need to what?” I ask.
“Cut…up?” she says as she cocks her head to one side as if trying to remember his exact words.
“Cut in?” I ask.
She nods enthusiastically.
Chuckling, I set her on a seat next to me and stand. “OK, but just for a minute. It’s almost bedtime.”
She groans. “But it’s a special night, so I get to stay up later.”
“And you have, but tomorrow is the wedding, so we all need a good night of sleep. You can stay up later tomorrow, OK?” I say as I walk toward Carly.
“Fine,” she grumbles and drinks her third Shirley Temple of the night.
My gaze locks on to Carly as I step up beside her.
“May I cut in?” I ask.
Al winks at me and steps back. “Perfect timing. My old knee is about to give out,” he says as he looks toward Ava, who’s placed her head on the table. “Why don’t I tuck in our princess and you two enjoy the evening?”
