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“Not at all. We’ll get you a tablet at the main desk too. Cara knows all the programs on there. She’ll show you what you need to know.”
“Perfect.” I tucked the legal pad against my chest and checked my phone. Again, I ignored the half dozen texts waiting for me. I’d deal with them later.
Things went from zero to sixty after that. Somehow I ended up with a Barbie-pink tablet that charmed me far more than it should. Cara had changed out of her front desk suitable dress into jeans and an ancient Happy Acres T-shirt.
I suddenly felt very overdressed in my silk shirt. “Do you have any extra shirts I could wear instead of this?”
“Oh, sure.” Cara held up one finger and ducked below the desk, coming back with a soft blue shirt with the Brothers Three Orchard logo. The fact that it was exactly Beckett’s eye color was neither here nor there.
Right.
“I only have a medium so it might be a little big.”
“That’s fine.” I took it from her. “I’ll meet you outside?”
Cara nodded. “Thanks for helping me. I can’t believe I made such a huge mistake.” Her big eyes filled again, but instead of letting the tears spill over she looked up at the vaulted ceiling above us and blinked rapidly. She shook out her honey-blond hair then scooped it back into a tail through an equally battered ball cap. “But we’ll fix it, right?”
“There’s the spirit. We’ll bumble along together.”
“I don’t think you’ve bumbled a day in your life.” Cara’s laugh was a little watery but much stronger than before.
“You’d be surprised. Is it too much to ask for a hat too?”
“You can ask for a car at this point.” She disappeared through the narrow door then came back with a pink hat. “How’s this?”
I laughed. “Matches my tablet. I’ll be right back.” I turned around and then back to her. “I’m assuming there’s a bathroom around here?”
“Back down the hallway toward the atrium, there’s a unisex bathroom.”
“Perfect.” When I turned back, a large group of people were coming in through the front doors. Never a dull moment at The Lodge, that was for sure.
My linen pants weren’t exactly the best bet for this outing, but they’d have to do. I’d have to figure out some clothing options since I was extending my stay. My purse buzzed and I sighed. I really was going to have to return some of those text messages, but it wasn’t going to be right now.
After I swapped the silk shirt for the blue, I knotted the length at my hip. I suddenly wished I’d put on a real bra instead of the bralette. Not like I could create bigger breasts, but illusions helped. I took a minute to add a little makeup and put my hair up like Cara.
I looked about twenty instead of my actual thirty-four, but that couldn’t be helped. I shoved everything back into my purse and headed back out. The crush of people who’d arrived seemed to have doubled.
I slipped around the front desk and the seating area where people were waiting their turn to be checked in. A gorgeous woman in a white pantsuit was the center of attention, telling me she was probably the bride. Her dense dark curls spiraled around her shoulders and down her back in perfect ringlets.
Something niggled at me. Then she turned her head, and I recognized her.
“Dammit.” I walked faster, pulling the bill of my cap down to hide my face. We weren’t friends, but I was on a half dozen charity boards with her. The Washington family was big business in Manhattan and Long Island.
I really didn’t need anyone to see my walk of shame. She probably hadn’t heard about what happened between me and Reid, but the gossip mill was as quick, sharp, and vicious as a winter wind.
Hurriedly, I slipped around the people milling at the front. They were too busy taking photos of the stunning stained glass to notice me.
Cara was waiting by a black truck with an owl on the door. She was typing furiously on her tablet and juggling her phone in the other hand.
“Sorry. It was a little crazy in there.”
She looked up and fumbled her phone. I quickly swept down and picked it up, then I handed it to her.
She took it and slipped it in her pocket. “Crazy because it’s my fault.”
“Okay, the woe time is over. And your backup starts soon, remember?”
“Yes, but I should be in there helping.” Cara’s eyes welled again.
