Page 9 of You'll Be the Death of Me

Dell gave him a tight smile. “Thefree boozeis a selection ofhandcrafted artisan cocktails. We’re not serving Jäger shots and spiked punch like it’s a frat party, Tommy.”

Tommy chuckled. He held up his hands. “Don’t insult the food or drink. I should know this by now.”

“Yes, you should,” Dell said with a tilt of her head. “Andof coursethe cake matters. We went with red velvet as a replacement, by the way. The color will complement the rose centerpieces.”

He playfully scrunched up his nose and leaned over to kiss her cheek. “You’re so cute. That’s why I left all this stuff to you. Your eye for detail is impeccable.”

Dell tried to hide her annoyance with his dismissive comment. Instead, she smiled as their server appeared and uncorked a bottle of white wine. Dell put her hand over her glass before he could pour and looked up at him. “Could I actually get a glass of pinot noir, please?”

“Of course, ma’am.” He swiftly nodded and whisked off.

Tommy gave her a look saying the move wasn’t lost on him.

“Dell, darling, how are your parents? I trust they are well?” Evelyn asked. She swirled her wine around her glass before elegantly sipping.

“They are, yes,” she said dutifully.

Jason’s comment from earlier about her marrying Tommy because her parents wanted her to plowed through her mind like a freight train. The truth was, she’d met Tommy only because of her parents. The two of them had basically been shoved into each other’s arms at a charity gala—Tommy in a tux, Dell in a gown—while their parents beamed at them from the sidelines. Now they were about to don more formal wear and link their lives together forever.

Dell grabbed her wine as soon as their server returned to fill her glass and gulped to quell the thought.

“I’m glad to hear it,” Evelyn said. “Your mother is still busy with her charities?”

“Always,” Dell said with a proud smile.

Patricia Rodgers ran several nonprofits, many of which Dell donated her own time and money to. In fact, her entire trust was destined to be split up among charities someday. She recalled the shocked look on Tommy’s face when she’d told him this, as if he couldn’t believe someone could be so generous.

She reached for his hand on the table now and gave it a squeeze. “We’re scheduled to volunteer at the South Bay Food Bank tomorrow, if you’d like to join, Evelyn.”

Tommy shot her a tight smile like he didn’t exactly look forward to getting out of bed on a Saturday morning to volunteer. He gripped her hand tighter. “You’re going to give them all your money. Do you have to give them our weekends too?” he muttered.

His mother tittered a laugh. “Tom, your wife can do whatever she wants with her inheritance. You’re fortunate to be marrying someone so generous.”

“Thank you, Evelyn,” Dell said with a note of sincerity. The fate of Dell’s inheritance had been a sticking point while drafting their prenup. In her mind, it had been no question the money would go to charitable causes, but Tommy had protested. They should save it. Invest it. Bequeath it to their future children. But Dell had enough money set aside for those things already, so the bulk of it was going to otherwise good use. She was happy to have her future mother-in-law’s support.

Dell could feel the topic’s remnant tension hanging over thelunch table like a thick fog. Thankfully, their server returned with their plates, and the topic changed. Dell told Tommy and Evelyn all about the meal she had planned for Pierrick Moreau that night. Evelyn nodded along encouragingly; Tommy grunted in approval between bites of his deconstructed cheeseburger. Then they moved into plans for their honeymoon, which carried them through the rest of lunch. They’d chartered a small yacht and would be island-hopping through the Indian Ocean for two weeks. By the time they finished lunch, Dell was smiling over their future.

Her glow was quickly doused when they stepped outside to a small crowd on the sidewalk. Word had gotten out the mayor was lunching in public.

A chorus of “Madam Mayor!” struck up around them, and a few flashes went off.

Tommy threw a protective arm around Dell’s waist and aimed them away from the throng of reporters and a few activists accosting his mother.

“What are you doing about rising rent prices?”

“What are your plans to address the drug problem in the south city?”

“When will we see the construction on Van Ness end?”

The shouts and demands hit Dell with a dose of reality and served as a swift reminder of what family she was marrying into.

Tommy slipped his hand into hers and led her away, leaving his mother to do her civic duty. Dell heard Evelyn calm the crowd with a subtle raise of her voice as she and Tommy climbed into the back seat of the sleek car waiting to drive them to the next stop in Dell’s busy day.

Chapter 3

After a dash across the peninsula, Dell impatiently paced inside a posh law office housed thirty stories high in one of the Financial District’s skyscrapers. The Bay Bridge loomed gray and mighty outside the enormous window. She could see all the way to Berkeley.

“Babe, sit down,” Tommy said from the leather armchair where he sat sipping the sparkling water they’d been offered.