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“If you say so.”
“I’m Dexter O’Connor.”
“No, you’re not!” The words came out before she could stop them, but she couldn’t believe this bookish man was the glamorous Torie Traveler O’Connor’s husband. It had to be the mismatch of the century.
He smiled. “Obviously, you’ve met my wife.”
Meg swallowed. “Uh . . . It’s just that—”
“Torie is Torie, and I’m . . . not?” He raised an eyebrow.
“Well, I mean . . . I guess that could be a good thing, right? Depending on how you look at it?” She’d just unintentionally insulted his wife. He waited, a patient smile on his face. “I don’t mean that Torie’s not terrific . . .” She stumbled on. “Torie’s practically the only nice person I’ve met in this town, but she’s very—” Meg was only digging herself in deeper, and she finally gave up. “Crap. I’m sorry. I’m from L.A., so I have no manners. I’m Meg Koranda, as you probably know, and I like your wife.”
His amusement at her discomfort seemed more appreciative than mean-spirited. “So do I.”
At exactly that moment, Torie came over to join them. She was startlingly beautiful in a sleeveless, embroidered Chinese red top and royal blue mini that showed off her long, tanned legs. How could a firecracker like this be married to a man with such a quiet, scholar’s manner?
Torie hooked a hand through her husband’s elbow. “See, Dex. Now that you’ve met Meg you can see she’s not the bitch everybody makes her out to be. At least I don’t think so.”
Dex gave his wife a tolerant smile and Meg a sympathetic one. “You’ll have to forgive Torie. Whatever pops into her head comes out her mouth. She can’t help it. She’s spoiled beyond belief.”
Torie grinned and gazed at her egghead husband with such affection that Meg felt a surprising lump form in her throat. “I don’t get why you think that’s a problem, Dex.”
He patted her hand. “I know you don’t.”
Meg realized that her initial impression of Dexter O’Connor as a gullible egghead might not be accurate. He had a quiet manner, but he was no fool.
Torie dropped her husband’s arm and grabbed Meg’s wrist. “I’m getting bored. It’s time to introduce you to some people. That’ll liven things up for sure.”
“I don’t really think—”
But Torie was already pulling her toward Kenny Traveler’s wife, who’d chosen a cheery tangerine shift with eyelet petals at the hem. The warm color enhanced her brown eyes and butterscotch curls.
“Lady Emma, I don’t think you’ve officially met Meg Koranda,” Torie said. And then, to Meg, “Just so you know . . . one of Lady Emma’s closest friends is Ted’s mother, Francesca. Mine, too, but I’m more broad-minded. Lady Emma pretty much hates your guts like everybody else.”
Kenny’s wife didn’t bat an eyelash at Torie’s bluntness. “You’ve caused Francesca a great deal of pain,” she said to Meg in a quietly clipped British accent. “I don’t know all the circumstances, however, so ‘hates’ is much too strong a word, but Torie prides herself on creating drama.”
“Don’t you just love the way she talks?” Torie gave the smaller woman a bright smile. “Lady Emma is a stickler for fairness.”
Meg decided it was time to give these blunt-spoken females a small dose of their own medicine. “If being fair toward me is too much trouble, Lady Emma, I give you permission to set aside your principles.”
She didn’t even blink. “Just Emma,” she said. “I have no title, merely an honorific, as everyone here very well knows.”
Torie gave her a tolerant look. “Let’s put it this way. If my daddy was the fifth Earl of Woodbourne like yours was, I’d sure as hell call myself Lady.”
“As you’ve made abundantly clear.” She turned her attention back to Meg. “I understand Mr. Skipjack has taken an interest in you. May I ask if you intend to use that against us?”
“Oh, so tempting,” Meg said.
Ted stepped out on the patio along with Spence and Sunny. He wore a boring pair of tan shorts and an equally boring white T-shirt with a Chamber of Commerce logo over the breast. Predictably, a shaft of sunlight chose that moment to cut through the trees and spill all over him so it looked as though he’d stepped into a string of twinkle lights. He should be embarrassed.
Haley took her job as his personal assistant seriously. She abandoned the elderly man reaching for one of the buffalo wings on her tray and rushed to Ted’s side to serve him.
“Oh, dear,” Emma said. “Ted’s here. I’d better go out to the pool and check on the children.”
“Shelby’s got three lifeguards on duty,” Torie said. “You don’t want to face him.”
Emma sniffed. “The contest to spend a weekend with Ted was entirely Shelby’s idea, but you know he’ll blame me.”
