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“Maybe I will. Limited holiday special.”
“Please don't.”
“No promises.”
She leans across the counter. “Now, are you going to stand here staring at your phone all night, or are you actually going to enjoy yourself?”
“I've been here for five minutes.”
“And you've already checked it twice.”
“Once.”
“Three times if we're counting the elevator.”
I narrow my eyes. “Are you spying on me?”
“It's a gift.” She gestures toward the room. “Go mingle, publishing girl. Make important connections. Become wildly successful. Remember me when you're famous.”
I lift my glass. “Always.”
“Delaney!” Angela waves me over from a cluster of people near the bookshelves. She's wearing a dark green velvet dress, her silver curls pinned loosely away from her face. “There you are, sweetheart.”
“Hi, Angela.”
She pulls me into a quick hug. “You look lovely.”
“Thank you. So do you.”
“Oh, this old thing?” She smooths a hand over her dress. “I've had it for years.” Which is exactly the sort of thing Angela would say while looking effortlessly elegant. “Are you enjoying yourself?”
“I am. Avery made me a drink that's probably going to get me into trouble.”
Angela laughs. “Well, pace yourself. There's someone I'd like you to meet.”
She turns toward the couple standing beside her.
The man is tall, with dark hair, a tailored charcoal suit, and the easy confidence of someone accustomed to walking into a room where people know his name.
The woman beside him is beautiful, with a warm smile and a very noticeable baby bump beneath her fitted emerald-green dress. One hand rests against her stomach while the other holds a glass of sparkling water.
“Delaney Beckett, this is Beau Montgomery and his wife, Lucy.”
Oh. That Montgomery.
I straighten instinctively. “It's nice to meet you.”
Beau offers his hand. “You too, Delaney. Angela's been telling me good things about you.”
I glance at her.
She smiles innocently. “All true, I assure you.”
Lucy laughs.
“Don't let him intimidate you. He spends half his life convincing people he's much more serious than he actually is.”
Beau looks at his wife. “I'm standing right here.”
