Ms.Sommers’ own smile was nowhere near pleasant.“Fortunately.”
Ms.Terhune smiled graciously, making my insides do an excited little jiggle.I might be an actor with experience in Hollywood, but being in proximity to someone I’d been a fan of for literally my entire life?Still made me feel like squeeing just a bit.“Then find me this evening and I’ll show youBeth.”
Ms.Sommers huffed, annoyed, but didn’t say another word.
Ms.Terhune just had to raise a finger and Nate materialized at the table, shoving his wallet back into his hip pocket.“Let’s get out of here,” he muttered.“I think this place is giving me a rash.”
“Nonsense.It’s charming,” Ms.Terhune scolded, getting to her feet in an elegant flutter of bishop sleeves and scarf.Ms.Sommers was a bit less graceful, wincing as she pushed away from the table, her face already pink even in the relatively cool late morning.“See you tonight, Damien.”
I nodded—that was an order, not a question.“Definitely.”
Chapter 2
You’d think I’d behesitant to go to another cocktail party after what happened at the last one...And you’d be right.But Ben Witte was charming, and had been so freakingDarcyabout hinting that he’d like me to go with him.Very Firth but with a slight Boston accent.So off I went, dressed in an outfit Max, my ride or die bestie and international superstar heart throb Oscar winning bad ass, helped me pick out over a video call, both of us hoping against hope that I didn’t find one freaking dead body during the course of the evening.
One hour into the party and all was going well.
“You look more relaxed,” Ben noted, appearing at my side with a plate of nibbles and a glass of lower shelf champagne, offering me both.
“No bodies,” I murmured, popping one of Carmel Moon’s homemade petit fours into my mouth with a grin.Ben huffed a small laugh, sipping his own champagne rather than reply aloud.
“Night’s still young,” he said under his breath, making me gasp then choke on a bit of blue icing.
“Oh my god,” I managed around a few more coughs.“Benjamin Witte!You’re awful!”
His expression was enigmatic but maybe a little pleased with himself.With Ben, it was difficult to tell how he was feeling sometimes.Not that I’d had a lot of experience with him one on one.After everything with his stepmom, he’d stayed in Lester Cove long enough to get me set up in Witte House as a sort of glorified house and pet sitter, taking over care of Margie’s little purse dog, Tony, and keeping an eye on Witte House in Ben’s absence.I knew it was partially a pity move—I had nowhere to go and nothing to do when I got there—but I jumped on the offer when Ben made it and hadn’t regretted a moment of my new duties.Ben came and went between Lester Cove, keeping an eye on the family’s tea shop on Buttermilk Road, and his job in Boston working for a legal firm that specialized in contract law.
Very respectable.Very...normal.
I was kind of into it.
Ben took one of the pastries off my plate and examined it with a slight frown.“I don’t get why she put lobsters instead of boats or something nautical themed.”
“Carmel said she can’t do boats, and all her anchors came out blobby.But she’s really good at making marzipan lobsters.”I took the pastry from his loose grasp and popped it into my mouth, grinning at Ben’s affront.I’d spent a few hours on Wednesday afternoon helping Carmel make row upon row of tiny little crustaceans.I hadn’t given it much thought at the time but on the walk back to Witte House I realized it’d felt comfortable.Friendly.She had zero expectations of me outside of just being there to hang out.No subtle jabs about stardom or questions about famous people I knew.Just...marzipan lobsters and some gossip about Sienna possibly seeing someone in Malm’s Corner but Carmel wasn’t sure who yet.
We both suspected the vet assistant who sometimes did Muffin’s checkups.
