Page 31 of Time Served in New York
“Is it a closely guarded secret or something?” Jenn asked.
“If it is, it’s not gonna be for long,” Hook whispered. “From what the boys were saying, this shit’s gonna at least make the local news.”
“Oh, most definitely,” I assured him. “And, if I had to guess, it will be an internet sensation by tomorrow morning.”
“Why do you say that?” Jenn asked from beside me.
“Squeeze in so I can get everyone in the picture!” the waitress said as she took a step back. “Smile!”
I looked directly into the camera and smiled. We waited as she took a few more before she handed it back to Janna.
“I’m going to post this on all my pages! I’m so excited!” Lisa said as she bounced excitedly in her seat.
“She got a few thousand followers,” Janna boasted. “I’d say she’s a local celebrity.”
“No,” Lisa said humbly. “I’m not a celebrity by any means. I run a page about local history, and there’s a lot of interest in that.”
“Yep,” I whispered to Jenn as Janna started typing in our names to tag us in her photo. “Shit’s about to spread like wildfire.”
“Because of Stamp? It might go viral because of his show.”
“There’s that,” Frankie agreed with Jenn as she leaned closer to join our conversation. “But when the local history buffs following her see it, I assure you it’s gonna blow up.”
“Because of your families?”
“Because our friend Paula must have just risen from the dead.”
“Oh shit,” Jenn whispered.
“Zachary and my brothers as well as Frankie and her brothers have kept my secret for a long time, but we knew it would come to light when I came back for the wedding.” Jenn looked shocked, but then her eyes got even wider when I said, “Earlier today, when I told the saleswoman my name was the first time I’ve introduced myself like that inyears.”
“How did it feel?”
I smiled before I took a deep, calming breath. “Terrifying and awesome at the same time.”
9.
MAYLEE
“How’s Boo enjoying the new digs?” Blue asked as she sat next to me on the couch. “She’s living the high life with a nanny in the penthouse and all the good stuff.”
“She had a nanny in our Vegas penthouse, so this shouldn’t be much of a change for her,” I explained.
“I’ve always wondered about that,” Blue pushed. “You went from living the high life in Vegas with fine restaurants and luxury shopping at your fingertips to Tenillo. There aren’t any swanky restaurants or fancy places to shop, no bright lights or big city accommodations.”
“Now that’s my home,” I said firmly. “It’s Boo’s home.”
“Well, yeah,” Blue said sarcastically. “I just thought it would be a sort of a culture shock for you.”
“Over the years, I learned to become very adaptable. Besides, it’s not like I moved from my penthouse to a shack in the swamp with no running water or AC.”
“That sounds horrible,” Blue admitted with a grimace. “Jude keeps saying he has property in a swamp somewhere and that we should go stay there for a few weeks. All I can imagine are mosquitos big enough to suck a pint at a time and gators that want payback for all the purses, shoes, and luggage that have been made out of their brethren.”
I laughed at her description and lifted my foot to show her the light green Prada slingbacks I was wearing. “If there’s ever an uprising, I should stay far away from anywhere crocodiles live.” Movement outside the window caught my eye, and I asked, “What are they doing?”
Blue laughed. “It looks like they’re teaching the New Yorkers how to shotgun a beer.”
“Good grief,” Brea said as she walked up behind the settee where we were sitting. “They haven’t even made it to the first hole yet.”
