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“We’re good, Jules,” Delia said, and Julia heard the smile in her voice. Delia was indulging her boss, and Julia was too pre-occupied to call her on it.
“The new servers are doing great, just as you figured they would. And the two bussers you hired are learning fast. Not as fast as Nico, but they’re doing okay. Morgan is doing a good job as hostess. She hasn’t gotten flustered yet, as far as I can tell. The Barretts came in, and she wouldn’t seat them. Mr. Barrett tried to make a scene, but his wife dragged him out of the restaurant. So all’s good here.”
“Okay.” Julia watched Zoe examine her wig collection and wiped a sweaty palm down her leg. “I’ll have my phone. Call me if there are any problems.”
“There won’t be,” Delia assured her. “But I’ll call if I need to. Now go have fun at Zoe’s party,” she said, ending the call.
Funwasn’t how Julia would describe this evening. But they needed more information about Dawson, and this was a good way to get it.
She’d said hello to Mel and Devlin, and met Brynn Gordon and Diego Lopez. Flynn would be circulating with a tray of Champagne, and so would Nico. Brynn and Diego would pass hors d’oeuvres and keep a watchful eye on everyone, especially Kent Dawson.
Mel had taken Julia aside to assure her nothing would happen at the party. “People like Dawson, or whoever is stalking you, operate in the darkness,” she’d said, her voice calm. “The lights and crowds at a party don’t give them any cover.”
Mel had explained that one of their goals was to get a glass that Dawson had used and check it for prints. They’d run them through the databases they had access to, looking for previous arrests, then see if they matched the prints he’d had taken when he became a citizen. Other than that, they’d all be watching him to collect information.
“You ready to try these dresses on, Jules?” Zoe called.
“Yeah. I am. But you better not expect me to wear those sky-high heels you wear. I live in kitchen clogs. I’ll trip all over my feet if I have to wear those things.”
“Don’t worry. I have an idea about that, too.”
“Yeah, you’re full of ideas tonight,” Julia muttered beneath her breath.
Zoe laughed. “All good ones,” she said.
“Add ears of a bat to all your other qualities,” Julia retorted.
Smiling, Zoe said, “Almost show time. We’ll start with makeup and go from there.”
A half-hour later, sporting a curly, light red wig and a skin-tight black dress with a low V in both the front and back, Julia slipped on the tall, flat-heeled boots Zoe handed her. “Trust me. No one’s going to be looking at your feet tonight,” she said. “And you won’t trip in these.”
Julia stared at herself in the mirror, unable to believe what she saw. The chef who lived in casual clothes and clunky shoes, the one who generally piled her wavy dark blond hair into a messy bun beneath her toque, had vanished. In her place was a stunning woman who looked sophisticated and sexy. Hot. Which was a word she’d never used to describe herself.
“You’ll be the most beautiful woman at this party,” Zoe said. “Knowing Dawson, he’ll zero in on you immediately. Do your best to avoid him.”
“Don’t worry. I don’t want anything to do with Kent Dawson.”
Drawing a deep breath, she opened Zoe’s bedroom door and stepped into her expansive living room. None of the guests had arrived. Mel and Devlin were giving last-minute instructions to Spence, Nico, Brynn and Diego.
Smoothing her hand down her sides, Julia walked toward the group. The tap of her boots on the hardwood floor made everyone turn to look at her.
Julia was watching Nico.
When he spotted her, shock flashed over his face. Followed closely by desire. His eyes darkened, and he took a half-step toward her. He controlled himself before anyone noticed, but heat flared in Julia’s cheeks.
She couldn’t tear her gaze away from Nico, either. She’d never seen him in a suit. Clearly tailored for him, it highlighted his lean build and the firm, supple muscles hiding beneath the dark blue cloth. It made her want to get him alone and strip that suit off.
Nico switched his gaze to Zoe. “What the hell?” he said, scowling. “Look at her. Dawson’s going to be all over her.”
“Annie and I have a plan for that,” Zoe said calmly.
