They shoot me a glare, like they can’t believe I've dared to show my face here. They’ve never liked me. Neither has the rest of Brett’s family. His dad has always been cordial, but he’s the mayor. He has to put on a friendly front to his constituents. I’ve never deluded myself into thinking he was happy about his son dating me.
I ignore them and follow Rowan toward our designated table.
As soon as I see the people who’ll be sitting with us, my stomach turns.
There are four couples. I know three of them only in passing, but the fourth pair—James and Sarah—were in my grade in high school. One time, Sarah took my clothes while I was taking a shower in the girls’ changing room and hid them under a bench far from my locker. It only took me five minutes to find them, but I spent those minutes imagining I was going to have to go out into the hallway in only a towel, and the sheer panic I felt stayed with me for years.
She shoots me a cold look when Rowan and I take our seats.
Annoyance prickles over my nape. It’s been years, but she still clearly has a problem with me.
I scan the three older couples at the table. Their vibe is also decidedly frosty as they send us a smattering of nods and thin-lipped smiles. Two of the women avert their gazes when I try to make eye contact.
Okay, what’s going on? I’ve only ever served these people at Frostbite, and I don’t recall any of them being particularly rude to me.
Is it what I’m wearing?
I glance down at my dress.
Rowan leans in and whispers, “The only way we could have gotten a worse table is if they'd sat us with Abigail and her husband.”
I tip my head toward him. “What do you mean?”
“The two guys sitting across from us are friends with the husband. I’ve seen them hanging around together.”
Crap.
“Bad luck,” I mutter.
This is not a good start to our night. I know Rowan’s goal is to get some new leads for his business to replace the clients he and Sam have recently lost, and the couples at our table would be the perfect place to start. But how can Rowan convince them to work with him if they don’t even want to say hello to us?
I need to help him. He’s new to this town, but I’m not, and I know that if he can win over the people sitting with us, itwill start a chain reaction. If there’s one good thing about the Darkwater Hollow rumor mill, it’s that it goes both ways.
I take in a steadying breath. Well, here goes nothing.
Plastering on an earnest smile, I lock eyes with the woman sitting closest to me. “Hi. Emily, right?”
Hesitantly, she turns my way. “Hello.”
“I think you know Lindsay Kennedy? She’s my best friend’s mom.“
Her expression brightens. “Oh, yes, Lindsay and I lived next door growing up. Shame she left a few years back.” She folds her hands in her lap. “How’s Delilah?”
“She works at a tech company in San Francisco now. I was just on the phone with her before we came here, and she was very upset she's missing the party.”
Emily smiles. “I think a lot of people have fond memories of these parties. The community doesn’t quite come together like this at any other time during the year.”
“You’re completely right.” I lean back and put my hand on Rowan’s forearm. “By the way, have you met my boyfriend, Rowan?”
In my periphery, I see the table slightly perk up at the word.
So they’re all eavesdropping, huh?
Good. The bigger the audience, the better.
“I don’t believe so, but I’ve heard tons about you, Rowan.” There’s an amused glint in Emily’s eyes. She gestures at the man beside her. “This is my husband, Jonah.”
Rowan extends his hand with a charming smile. “Nice to meet you both.”
