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Startled, Lily took a few seconds, and when she thought that maybe she could talk without sounding like a bumbling idiot, she opened her eyes and smiled.
“Thanks, though I can’t take all the credit. Blair’s staff did a great job pulling everything tog
ether considering he decided to change things up about five weeks ago.”
Raine’s eyebrows shot up. “Hon, parties aren’t exactly Blair’s strong suit. He might be the mayor, but he’s no different from Jake or Cain or even Mac for that matter. Like the rest of them, he thinks a couple cases of beer and chicken wings will do the job. Trust me, the gala would have been a dud if you hadn’t taken charge and ran with it, especially after last year.”
“Last year?” Lily was almost afraid to ask.
“Blair didn’t tell you?”
Lily shook her head. “No.”
“Last year’s big fundraiser or gala, or whatever the heck you want to call it, was a rodeo-themed event held at the fairgrounds. It was hot and smelly, and there were way too many animals which meant there was a lot of…cleanup if you know what I mean.”
“Oh,” Lily said, trying to hide her disgust.
“I know, right? And then there was the pig thing.”
“The pig thing?”
“Yep. Someone thought it would be a great idea to have a pig riding race. Can you imagine?”
“A pig riding race.” Lily couldn’t help but smile.
Raine shook her head enthusiastically. “Pigs don’t like to be ridden, at least the ones Mr. Fisher brought, so it got real messy, real quick.”
“Wow.” Lily didn’t quite know what to say.
“And when old man Lawrence’s pig crashed into the bingo tables—”
Lily’s mouth dropped open. “Mr. Lawrence rode a pig? Isn’t he pushing ninety?”
“Uh-huh.” Raine drained her wineglass. “And then Mrs. Shelton chased them both all the way to the river. She was pissed because she was just about to call bingo and the pot was something like two grand.”
Raine tucked an errant strand of silky dark hair behind her ear and leaned against the wall beside Lily, giggling so badly that it took a few moments for her to recover. After a while, Raine nudged Lily.
“So you and Mac seem to be getting along really well.”
Just the sound of Mac’s name was enough to get those damn butterflies in Lily’s stomach moving like crazy. And she couldn’t help herself—her gaze found him immediately. He was at the blackjack tables along the other side of the room with Jake and his father, Steven. He’d undone the top buttons of his dress shirt, loosened his tie, and shucked his tux jacket.
He really was beautiful.
And he took her breath away.
His smile was easy, his posture relaxed, but she knew what simmered beneath the surface because it fed the fire inside her—and she knew he was anything but relaxed.
The blond from the week before at the Coach House, the one who’d been all over Mac, was chatting him up, her svelte body looking sexy in a hot little red number that barely covered her butt. He was looking down at the woman, nodding to whatever she was saying, but then he casually cocked his head to the side and checked his watch.
He immediately raised his head and glanced Lily’s way, her breath catching as he pointed to his watch. He held up all ten fingers, closed his fists, and then flashed them again. Twenty.
And the look he gave her was hot enough to melt her panties—if, in fact, she had been wearing panties. Which she wasn’t.
Her stomach rolled over and the heat inside her curled hard and fast. Twenty minutes to go.
“What’s the sign language for?” Raine asked.
Lily shrugged, playing dumb.
