Page 85 of Enchanted to Meet You

Then Mrs. Giovanni tasted the food. The ensuing battle to get her family’s membership fee back was like nothing Connecticut had seen since—well, possibly the witch trials of the sixteen hundreds. The West Harbor Yacht Club was still trying to recover from Mama Giovanni having gone scorched earth on it.

Ever since, whenever I entered the building, I felt a little chill down my spine. I had a feeling Derrick might have felt it, too, since when he held the door open for me and I shivered going into the warm building, he looked down at me with a quizzical expression on his face.

But before I could explain, Rosalie was there before us, a tablet in her hand and a hands-free Bluetooth headset curled over one ear.

“Jessica!” she cried, looking startled, her blue eyes as brightand shiny as the floor-length gown she was wearing. “You came! I’m so . . . happy to see you.”

“Thanks. I’m... happy to see you, too.” Before I knew what was happening, a glass of champagne had been thrust into my hand from the tray of a nearby waiter, who’d been passing by.

“What?” Rosalie asked.

“I said I’m happy to see you—”

“No, not you, sorry.” Rosalie reached up to touch her earpiece and spoke to whoever was on the other end of the call she was receiving. “No, that’s not where I said I wanted them. I want them front of the stage.Front of the stage.”

“Okay,” I said, saluting her with the champagne. “Well, we’ll just—”

But she reached out and gripped my arm. “No, wait.” Into the headset, she said, “That’s right.” Then to me, she said, “Did you get it?”

For a second, I didn’t know what she was talking about. Then I realized. “Oh, the car! Yes! Thank you.” It was killing me, but I had to do it. “That was very kind of you. And Billy. It was kind of both of you. You didn’t have to.”

She did have to. She really did.

“I’m glad you like it.” Rosalie smiled frostily—though for some reason I felt it was more at Derrick, standing behind me, than at me. “I’m so glad. It seemed like the least Billy and I could do after all of your recent... troubles.”

Hmmm. Same old Rosalie.

“Yeah, well, it was really nice of you,” I said. “Good to know we can let bygones be bygones.”

“Of course we can.” Rosalie was as chilly as the ice princess fromFrozen. “And thankyoufor coming. I think you’re both going to enjoy what I’ve got in store for you tonight.”

I didnotlike the sound of that. I could tell by the crook of his mouth that Derrick didn’t, either.

But before I could ask Rosalie what she meant, a tall older woman in a wine-colored jacket and wide-legged trouser suit—that I had sold to her—came hurrying over from the bar.

“Jessica!” she cried. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here! Howareyou?”

“I’m fine, how are you,Mayor?” I raised my eyebrows at Derrick to make sure he caught my emphasis on the wordmayor. He nodded subtly back. “Did your wife give you the letter I—”

Her bright eyes twinkled at me. “Of course she did. What a little go-getter you have in that mentee of yours! Next thing I know, she’ll be gunning for my job.”

I laughed. She had no idea. “Well, I don’t know about that.” Esther’s aspirations were probably far higher. President, maybe. “Mayor Dunleavy, may I introduce you to Derrick Winters?”

“How lovely to meet you.” The mayor’s gaze ranged across Derrick the way Pye’s gaze ranged across birds he saw out the window. He wasn’t something she wanted to eat so much as thoroughly tear apart and internally explore. “I’ve heard so many good things about you. You’ve really thrown the people of this town into a tizzy, haven’t you?”

Fortunately it was so loud in the bar, thanks to the crush of people and the very noisy jazz trio, that I was sure Derrick couldn’t hear a thing she was saying. He only smiled politely, which seemed to please the older woman.

“Here, let me get you both a real drink,” the mayor said. “Randy.” The mayor waved in the direction of the barman. “Randy, two more vodka sodas, please.”

“Oh, no need, Madam Mayor,” I said quickly. “We’re very happy with—”

But it was too late. Two vodka sodas appeared on the bar andwere quickly snatched up by a broad-shouldered man in a tuxedo. Because he was standing with his back to us, I didn’t see who he was until he turned around.

Billy.

“Your drinks, Madam May—” He froze upon seeing me and Derrick, the grin he’d been wearing vanishing completely. He seemed to pale beneath his spray-on tan. “Jess. I—I didn’t know you were coming to this.”

“Oh, well.” I plastered a smile across my face. “You know me. I’ll do anything to support the youth of West Harbor.”